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

This Issue Has Four Sections.
1. A request for donations.
2. Some Information about Fulbright Grants
3. Updates on Fulbright Academy Activities
4. Seeking Fulbright Alumni Leaders (outside of USA)

If you haven't made a donation or membership contribution to FAST in the past year, please consider doing so now. As we approach the end of our fiscal quarter (June 30), there is a gap of several thousand dollars in our budget. Donations can be made on-line and any amount is welcome. (www.FulbrightAcademy.org/page/giving/).

$10 is what you might spend on a few cups of coffee.
$30 fills your tank with gas or buys dinner for one in the city.
$60 is our standard membership amount
$500 gives you a life membership in FAST
$1,000 gets you into the Director's Circle

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

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

Some News about Fulbright Exchanges:
Don't forget that now is the time to tell remind friends and colleagues about applying for the 2011-12 Fulbright grant competition. Applications for US faculty members and professionals are due on August 2. The deadlines for non-US applicants vary by country. Applications for student grants are typically in late September or early October. (FAST isn't involved in the selection or management of the grants, but we want great applicants, because that leads to interesting alumni!)

The Countries covered by the Fulbright Program continue to expand, with new grants for research, lecturing and teaching in some of the world's smaller countries. For example, Michael Givel was the first ever American Fulbrighter in Bhutan last fall. Dr. Givel is a political scientist at from the University of Oklahoma, with a special interest in public health and tobacco use. Click here for his story.

At the same time, the program and its alumni continues to build ties across the Atlantic. Senator Fulbright had been a Rhodes Scholar to the UK, and now more than 27,000 people have participated in US-UK Fulbright Exchanges. Now in its 62nd year, the British-US Fulbright Program recently announced the newest group of 135 participants. These new Fulbrighters will work on science-related fields such as Sustainability, Engineering, Psychology of Language, Book Conservation, Archeology, Design for Development, Food Systems, Automotive Design, Landscape and Culture, Health Policy, Ceramics, Marine Biology, Climate Change Policy, Cancer Research, Medical Research, Ecological Restoration, Genetics, Health Literacy, Alternative Energy, Criminology, and Business Administration. Click here for details.

Fulbright grants also are available to teachers, and a new program will send highly accomplished primary and secondary teachers from the U.S. abroad and bring international teachers to the U.S for a three to six month long program. The "Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching Program" is designed to recognize and encourage excellence in teaching. Twenty-four highly talented U.S. and international teachers will receive a grant to study at a university, conduct research, teach classes and workshops, and develop a project pertaining to their field of educational inquiry during their semester overseas. In 2010-11, the participating countries are: Argentina, Finland, India, Israel, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom. The long-standing "Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program," will continue to provide opportunities for teachers to participate in direct exchanges of positions with colleagues from other countries for a semester or a year. Click here for details

The Fulbright Annual Report Cover Design Contest is now accepting submissions! The contest is an opportunity for alumni of any Fulbright program to submit designs for the 2009-2010 Annual Report published by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. The winning design will be featured on the cover, and honorable mentions may also be featured in the report. Captioned credit will accompany included designs. Submissions are accepted anytime from now until July 31, 2010. To enter your design, eligible Fulbright Community members should visit the Fulbright Community on State Alumni. (Reminder: FAST is an independent alumni organization; FAST is not affiliated with either the US Department of State or the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.)

Some News About the Fulbright Academy:

Our Upcoming Conference on Social Sciences
FAST's Sixth Annual Conference is in Heidelberg, Germany on March 16-19, 2011. 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.

Possible panels topics
* 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 should 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.

Earlier this week, the Spring Issue of "FAST Forward" was sent by email to alumni and Friends of FAST, with updates on Science Diplomacy, FAST's activities in North Africa/Middle East, Photos from events and a list of 30+ universities that are led by Fulbrighters (if you know an institution of higher education that is led by a Fulbrighter, please let us know). You can download the bulletin or see prior issues in the About Us section of our website. If you would like to receive the bulletin on a regular basis (by email and/or mail), please send us a note.

FAST Staff and Board members are meeting with Fulbrighters 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. 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.

FAST's executive director was one of 150 invited diplomats, government officials, agency and NGO representatives at an event marking the first anniversary of President Obama’s “New Beginning” speech in Cairo. Many Fulbrighters are involved in science diplomacy efforts to strenghten ties between the US and the Middle East Region, such as Obama's recent Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship, CRDF's Global Innovation through Science & Technology (GIST) initiative, activities at US AID, and other work done by US-based institutions. FAST's proposed activites include a NSF-funded Workshop in Washington, DC, on "Access to Scientific Literature and Digital Information" and a series of summer networking events for science & technology alumni in Damascus, Tunis, Dubai, and Tel Aviv.

We Need Your Contacts:
During our first five years, FAST has been active in the US-science community. At the same time, we recognizes that two-thirds of the Fulbright alumni are non-US citizens. Important work is being done by Fulbrighters in other countries, and we need your help to know about their activities.

Please tell us about Fulbright alumni in positions of influence in other countries so that we can keep you and others informed of current developments and new opportunities. This summer and fall, we will be particularly focused on Europe (host for our 2011 Annual Conference) and North Africa/Middle East (see above paragraph), but alumni from all countries are welcome to be involved. Submit names or websites to ehoward@FulbrightAcademy.org.

FAST is looking for Fulbrighters who are:

Current leaders in government and in government agencies (outside of the USA)
Past leaders in government (but still active in international affairs)
Members of National Academies of Science
Leaders in the Medical and Health Community
Leaders in the Academic Community (we know of at least 30 institutions of higher education led by Fulbrighters)
Leaders in the Business World

Some Upcoming Events:
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 during 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.

Support FAST by making your gift today. Go to
http://www.FulbrightAcademy.org/page/giving/

To join the FAST Group on Facebook visit:
http://www.Facebook.com/Fulbright.Academy

To join our Group on LinkedIn visit:
http://www.linkedin.com/groupInvitation?gid=1570

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)