The Fulbright Forum - May 2010
Update from the Fulbright Academy of Science & Technology

Don't forget that now is the time to tell remind firends and colleagues about applying for the 2011-12 Fulbright grant competition. (FAST isn't involved in the selection or management of the grants, but we want great applicants, because that leads to great alumni!)

Go FAST! (click here for the FAST is a Blast! video)

Eric S. Howard
Executive Director, Fulbright Academy of Science & Technology (FAST)

2010 Annual Conference Follow-up

FAST has been working on the two initiatives launched earlier this year at our annual conference - programs on Global Health and on Entrepreneurship. A summer series of webinars on Entrepreneurship is under development, and other activities include workshops and programs at conferences and recommendations to intergovernmental organizations. To join one of these two working groups, please send your name and contact details to ehoward(at)Fulbrightacademy.org.

FAST is exploring other ways for Fulbrighters to collaborate and give back to their community (while also improving the world). Over the years, Fulbright alumni have frequently reported that their experience led to professional expertise they otherwise would not have developed, enhanced their credentials and contributed to greater insight into their field (e.g. see this SRI Report). What help do you need today so that you can be more effective tomorrow? Please answer three simple questions on SurveyMonkey.

Foreign Science & Engineering Presence in US Institutions & US Labor Force

The US Congressional Research Service issued a report on international scientists and engineers at US institutions. The first sentence reads as follows: "The increased presence of foreign students in graduate science and engineering programs and in the scientific workforce has been and continues to be of concern to some in the scientific community." The report goes on to note that the foreign student population earned approximately 36.2% of the doctorate degrees in the sciences and approximately 63.6% of the doctorate degrees in engineering (NSF 2006 data)

Major themes and questions are addresses, such as such as
* U.S. workers may be adversely affected by the entry of foreign scientists and engineers
* strict visa requirements for foreign students may have a continued impact on enrollments in colleges and universities.
* there are not enough native-born US students scientific and technical discipline,
* there is not equal access for U.S. minorities to graduate education, receipt of scholarships, and promotion to higher ranks.
* the USA needs to bring to the United States those whose skills will benefit society and will enable us to compete in the new technology based global economy.

The CRS report concludes with a discussion policy implications that focus on visa issues, and not some of the broader implications. The 17-page CRS report was issued on March 23. (click here to download it (PDF file))

FAST-ISE Forum on Human Values & Sustainability

FAST and the Institute for Sustainable Enterprise at Fairleigh Dickinson University hosted a forum that focused on sustainability issues in the corporate community in April at FDU's campus in Madison, NJ. The 80 participants came from the business and academic communities (about 1/3 each) and the final third was a mixture of NGO and government representatives and students. More than a dozen countries were represented, including keynote speakers from Sanofi-aventis in France and the INCAE Business School in Costa Rica.

The forum was one of a series of programs on entrepreneurship that FAST is doing in collaboration with other institutions. Key sponsors of the FDU forum were the Aspen Institute, Collins Family Foundation, Madison Hotel, Sanofo-aventis, and Whole Foods Market. (click here for photos from the forum.)

If you would like to partner with FAST on a conference or forum or a dinner or other networking program, please contact Eric Howard (simply reply to this email). As a grass-roots organization, FAST programs are led and managed by the alumni.

Feed the Future - Outcomes from 2009 G8 Summit in Italy

"More than one billion people - one sixth of the world's population - suffer from chronic hunger. Each year, more than 3.5 million children die from undernutrition. Hunger robs the poor of a healthy and productive life and stunts the mental and physical development of the next generation. Reducing chronic hunger is essential to build a foundation for investments in health, education and economic growth. It is critical to the sustainable development of individuals, communities and nations." (www.feedthefuture.gov)

FAST is interested in this topic as part of our global health program. The 2009 G8 and G20 Summits established a common global framework for coordinated and comprehensive action to improve food security among governments, donors, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders at all levels – nationally, regionally, and globally. Feed the Future is part of the US government's global hunger and food security initiative to address this issue, which seeks to mobilize resources and accelerate their progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The MDGs were adopted by the United Nations in 2000, and have 2015 as a milestone for measuring action. During the past few years, FAST conferences and workshops have addressed some of the MDGs, and FAST will continue to work with Fulbrighters worldwide on sharing ideas and implementing global and local projects on food, health, economic development and education.

FAST Conference on Social Sciences

FAST's 2011 Annual Conference is in Heidelberg, Germany on March 16-19. Germany hosted FAST's first conference in 2005, and we return to the country because the Germany-US Fulbright Exchange is the largest in the world, with some 700 grants per year and over 45,000 alumni (27,000 Germans and 18,000 Americans). 2011 is the 625 anniversary of the University of Heidelberg, so FAST's conference is one of many special events being hosted next year by the University.

Our theme for 2011 is Social Science - the branch of science that studies society and the relationships of individuals within a society. The US National Science Foundation's Division of Social and Economic Sciences, for example, supports research to develop and advance scientific knowledge on economic, legal, political and social systems, organizations and institutions. (The prior head of this division was a Fulbright scholar/linguist).

Possible panels topics for our 2011 Conference include:
* Business and Social Science - the science of marketing
* Business and Social Science - organizational development and staff training
* Social Science and Global Health Diplomacy
* Fulbrighters and Philanthropy
* Social Science and Climate Change Policy

Interested speakers and presenters can contact FAST via email. The on-line process for submitting abstracts and registering will be on-line at the end of June. For those who plan ahead, our conference hotel is the Crowne Plaza. We hope that the strong fluctuations in the Euro exchange rates will ease, thereby making it easier for US-based Fulbrighters and other non-Euro-zone participants to plan their budget. For more details, visit the conference page on FAST's website.

National Representatives & FAST International Advisory Council

During recent trips to Egypt and United Arab Emirates, FAST Staff and Board members met with Fulbrighters in Cairo, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi to discuss FAST programming and identify alumni who wish to serve as National Representatives to the FAST International Advisory Council (IAC). The candidates are accomplished professionals and senior executives in business, law, academia and government, individuals with strong backgrounds in science, technology, engineering or medicine. Because of their professional contacts, these new members of the IAC will serve as FAST's "eyes and ears" in their countries of residence.

FAST's Board of Director is comprised of nine Fulbrighters who are active in fields such as biotechnology, nursing, law, business management and internet security. The IAC helps assure that FAST's broad constituency is represented - in terms of geography as well as professional focus. Information about FAST's Board and the International Advisory Council can be found on FAST's website.

Registry of US Undergraduate Researchers
The Council on Undergraduate Research - a partner in FAST's 2010 Annual Conference in San Francisco - hosts a Registry of Undergraduate Researchers. This registry facilitates matchmaking between undergraduates who have research experience and a desire to pursue an advanced degree, with graduate schools seeking high quality students who are well prepared for research. The Registry is open to students and graduate schools in the fields of Anthropology/Archaeology, Arts/Humanities, Biology/Biochemistry, Chemistry/Biochemistry, Economics, Engineering, Geosciences, Health Professions, Mathematics/Computer Science, Physics/ Astronomy, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology.

Any undergraduate may go to www.cur.org/ugreg/ to fill out a simple curriculum vitae form. There is no charge to the student, and their records will be made available to bona fide Graduate Schools that contract with CUR for access to the data. Graduate School representatives can then contact students to invite applications or visits to the campus and laboratory, or to share information about their research programs and financial support opportunities. An institution-wide annual subscription fee for access to the entire database is $1,500 and departments can subscribe for $300 for access only to their own discipline. (Institutions outside of the US should contact Eric Howard at the Fulbright Academy about access).

Some Upcoming Events:
June 7 - FAST Networking Dinner in DC, in conjunction with the NSF Joint Annual Meeting on Human Resource Development
July 24-28 - 2nd World Congress on Research Integrity in Singapore
July 26-27 - AAAS Science & Human Rights Coalition meeting in Washington
August 5-10 - FAST Reception at the American Bar Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA
September 14-19 - British Science Festival in Birmingham (this annual festival has been going on for 178 years)
November 4-7 - 13th Annual Colloquium on International Engineering Education, Newport, RI

Please Submit your news and events for the next newsletter - info@FulbrightAcademy.org.

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The Fulbright Academy of Science & Technology (FAST) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that serves Fulbright scholars and alumni - executives, educators, and researchers worldwide.

FAST members and sponsors include individuals and institutions such as universities, corporations, government agencies and foundations. Membership is open to institutions that support the FAST mission and to individual Fulbright scholars and alumni, hosts of scholars and friends of the Fulbright program. Because FAST is not affiliated with or funded by the Fulbright Exchange Program, the US Department of State or the US Fulbright Association, partnerships and member contributions are critical to FAST's continued success. Please learn more about the work of the Fulbright Academy by visiting our website: www.FulbrightAcademy.org

Most FAST activities are initiated by FAST members. If you would like to help lead a forum, conference or research initiative in partnership with FAST, please contact Eric Howard, FAST's Executive Director. Expected program areas for 2010 and 2011 include Sustainability, Global Health, Entrepreneurism, Counterfeiting, and Access to Digital Information.
(Click here for our calendar of upcoming activities)