BFSA newsletter spring 2013

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Fulbright Alumni NewsThe UK Fulbright

Alumni Association

BFSA, Battersea Power Station, 188 Kirtling Street, London, SW8 5BN Registered Charity No. 292242

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T: 020-7622-2223 E: [email protected] www.bfsa.org

1. Letter from the Chair / Annual Lecture 2013

2. Events Updates

3. Regional News/Occasional Lecture Fund

4. Alumni Updates

5. Alumni Updates

6. Commission Updates

7. Grantee News: Forum

8. Grantee News: Summer Institutes

9. Newsflashes

@FulbrightAwardsUS campus announces their #Fulbright 2013 UK Summer Institute participant @durhamIO

@FulbrightSchlrs The deadline to apply for a core #Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award is Aug 1.

@FulbrightBoard Find out how @ConnectStateGov and #Fulbright works to empower people with disabilities through exchange programs. http://ow.ly/la1LC

@FulbrightAwardsCheck out Fulbrighter @ManchesterUniv Lesa Nord speaking about #Fulbright experience.

Issue Number 49 Linking the UK and the USA spring 2013

‘Art & Money’: BFSA lecture

Fulbright alumni and grantees alike turned out in large numbers to attend the 2013 BFSA Annual Lecture on Tuesday 12th March, held in the im-pressive Great Hall of Two Temple Place.

Intriguingly titled, ‘Looking backwards with pride, and forwards with hope: Art and Money in the UK and US’, the lecture was delivered by Alan Davey, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of England.

A Fulbright alumnus himself, Alan was a Visiting Fulbright/Helen Hamlyn Scholar at the University of Maryland in 1999. Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive of the Arts Council in November 2007, Alan held posi-tions including Director for Culture at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. While at the Department of National Heritage Alan was re-sponsible for designing the National Lottery.

Fulbrighters were also joined by members from the Engaging

Alan Davey, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of England, gives BFSA lecture

Experience Philanthropy Network, which is aimed at linking individuals working in corporate industries with smaller charities and non-profit or-ganisations to share best practice and opportunities.

The Annual Lecture is a highlight of the BFSA events calendar, with a history of hosting exceptional indi-viduals speaking on various interesting topics. The 2012 Annual Lecture, held in Oxford, was delivered by Sir John Holmes who discussed the question, ‘When can international intervention be justified and effective?’

Among the prestigious speakers who have delivered previous BFSA lec-tures are Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, Earl Spencer, and US Secretary of State, John Kerry.

The next Annual Lecture will be in March 2014. Further details will be sent out closer to the time.

letter from new BFSA chairA foreward from the newly elected BFSA Chair, Gary Fair.

For those of you who maybe aren’t aware, I was elected in as Chair of the BFSA at the recent AGM on the 12th March following Vicki Watts’ very fruitful time in office. Indeed, at the outset, I want to give credit to Vicki for leading the Committee and the wider Association through a period of significant change over the last two years. It was at Vicki’s invitation that I joined a Committee “Away Day” in Geert Van der Elst’s (BFSA Treasurer) garden at Kew on a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon back in May 2011. I did not know what I was letting myself in for at that stage, beyond my enthusiasm for the Fulbright pro-gramme and the Fulbright ethos. However, a very productive strategic planning session that afternoon in-stilled vision and paved the way for the Committee to steer through a raft of changes in the subsequent months, including: the introduction of a service level agreement with the Fulbright Commission; plans for a membership drive; a significant ex-pansion in outreach and involvement in community action; and volunteer-ing with the US-based Fulbright Association’s annual conference in London.

It’s never easy for volunteers to balance professional and personal demands with time dedicated to charitable interests, but I can honestly say that I have found it enormously rewarding being involved with the Committee and, for the last year, acting as Secretary to the BFSA. Committees are always refreshing their membership and this year is no exception. Mainly due to work pres-sures, Nick Bonomini (Vice-Chair), Anna Beer and Greg Callus stepped down from the Committee, each having made a significant contribution. Geert’s tenure as Treasurer ends next year and we are delighted that Raouf

Naguib (a previous Committee member) has agreed to act as Shadow Treasurer in advance of Geert’s de-parture. I am also very pleased to welcome Tony Wall to the Committee to replace me as Secretary and Jayme Johnson and Anne Crossfield (a previ-ous Chair) who were both voted in as new Committee members.

I am very much looking forward to leading the BFSA in the coming months. Of course there will be fi-nancial challenges, but we have an enviable contribution record with a subscribing membership of some six hundred people.

Gary Fair was a Northern Ireland Civil Service Scholar in 2007.

Continued on page 2

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BFSA, Battersea Power Station, 188 Kirtling Street, London, SW8 5BN Registered Charity No. 292242 T: 020-7622-2223 E: [email protected] www.bfsa.org

I am looking forward to meeting many more of you at the variety of interest-ing lectures and activities the Committee has planned both in London and across the regions in the course of this year. The Northern Ireland Chapter of the BFSA will build on its links with the Irish Fulbright alumni association, and across the regions, BFSA members will work with the Fulbright Commission to welcome and help mentor incoming Fulbrighters.

I would encourage feedback on what people value most from the BFSA and any suggestions for doing things better in the future. I am keen to hear from you, and may be contacted at

[email protected]. We have a great name and a great ethos to promote in Fulbright, and with all our various areas of expertise and experi-ence, we also have a lot to give back to society. As well as social events and lectures for alumni, we are there-fore hoping to organise and run Community Action Days across the regions, following on from the success of last year’s volunteer days. In addition, a key focus for us this year, with the help of our very capable Alumni Relations & Fundraising Coordinator, Shahnaz Ahsan, will be the much-anticipated re-launch of our website and the development of our membership database.

Do keep an eye out for our regular e-bulletins for more news and updates and please continue to share your news with us. With best hopes for the year ahead.

Gary Fair (UC Berkeley, 2007.)

Continued from page 1

scholars’ symposium 2013Friday 26th April saw the inau-

gural Scholars’ Symposium held at Two Temple Place, London. Ar-ranged by the US-UK Fulbright Commission, and well attended by grantees and alumni alike, the even-ing saw four US Scholars deliver short lectures on their research topics, each followed by a question and answer session.

Dr Charlotte Stanford, Ful-bright-University of York History of Art Scholar, opened the evening with a talk on the Tudors and the Founding of the Savoy Hospital. Born in Provo, Utah, Charlotte teaches at her hometown institution of Brigham Young University in the department of Humanities, Classics and Comparative Literature.

Dr Catherine Warrick, Ful-bright-University of Exeter Scholar, followed in wowing the audience with her insightful and comprehen-sive discussions on Islamic Law, Eng-lish Politics, and Women’s Rights. An associate professor of political science at Villanova University, where she is also associate director of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies, Catherine’s research focus-

Left to right: UK Programme Coordinator and Fulbright Alumna, Dr Anna Woodhouse, US Scholar, Dr Lauren Ila Jones, and US Scholar, Dr Charlotte Stanford.

es on the legal and political implica-tions of Islamic law in Britain.

After a short interval, the lec-tures restarted with Dr Tony Brad-ley discussing ‘Displacement in Re-cent Irish Poetry’. The Fulbright-Queen’s University Belfast Anglophone Irish Writing Scholar is also Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Vermont.

The final speaker of the evening was Dr Lauren Ila Jones, whose lec-ture ‘Views from the Classroom: Gender and Higher Education Peda-gogies in Comparative Perspective’ was a fascinating exploration.

The evening concluded with a drinks reception where the ques-tions and conversations continued beyond the Q&A sessions! The suc-cess of this evening highlighted pos-sibilities to extend this model of event to include alumni speakers as well as current scholars in the fu-ture.

Special thanks go to Dr Anna Woodhouse, US Scholars Pro-gramme Coordinator, for organising this enjoyable event.

Crash! The 12 foot Christmas tree took a tumble in the entrance hall of Two

The BFSA Christmas Drinks Reception was held on Friday 14th December 2012, to welcome back newly returned UK Fulbright grantees. Held at the stunning Two Temple Place - a venue that is becoming a firm favourite for the BFSA - more than 40 guests enjoyed an evening of socialising. Director of the Eccles Centre, Professor Philip Davies, gave a short talk about the implications of the US elections that had taken place in November. Earlier in the day, the Fulbright Commission ran a debriefing session for recently returned Fulbrighters, which included the opportunity for them to sign up as members of the BFSA.

christmas drinks reception

Temple Place! No casualties, other than several baubles.

Fulbright Alumni News #49 spring 2013

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regional news: northern irelandFrom Thanksgiving Celebrations in Bangor to Welcomes at The Crum...

IFAA President Paul Donnelly at-tended the first ever Thanksgiving gathering of northern Fulbright alumni hosted by Janet Armstrong in Bangor. Billed as a Fulbright family event, with all the trimmings of turkey and home-made cranberry jelly, a great evening’s criac ensued with a large ‘family’ of alumni from all corners of Ireland around the table. The lively conversation covered stories of Fulbright experiences in Massachusetts, Virginia, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon and California. With all the talk, it was after midnight before everyone departed for home, well satisfied following a thoroughly enjoyable evening. I believe the event was so successful that next year we will be extending an invitation to visit-ing American Fulbrighters.

Proceeds from the dinner went towards another northern event in mid-January, when the chapter alumni invited IFAA members to a welcome reception for incoming Fulbrighters to Ireland, which was held in the Grade A listed Crumlin Road Gaol (w w w.cr uml in roadgao l . com) . Located over a 10-acre site on the North Belfast peaceline, past inmates of The Crum (as it is known locally) have included Éamon de Valera and Ian Paisley. Housing both convicted and political detainees over the years, the gaol closed in 1996. Among 80 or so guests who mingled

for drinks, canapés and music were artists, Irish language enthusiasts, past, present and prospective Fulbrighters, and academics from across Ireland. The Irish and British Fulbright Commissions, as well as the IFAA, were represented. Speakers included Greg Burton, the US Consul General in Belfast, Penny Egan, Director of the US/UK Fulbright Commission, Satya Roberts of the British Council, IFAA President Paul Donnelly, and Gary Fair, Bangor-based Chair of the British Fulbright Scholars’ Association. Information was given on a variety of Fulbright opportunities, including the new Northern Ireland Assembly award, and there was much sharing of experiences and planning for new projects.

The evening concluded with an at-mospheric guided tour of the re-stored prison ‘circle’ and A wing. Highlights were a sighting of the resi-dent Crum ghost (or was it just a cold wind that passed?) and the sobering visit to the cell where the 17 men hanged over the life of The Crum

spent their last few hours. Other than this, the mood was convivial, with traditional and modern music on the Governor’s corridor provided by Katherine Sung on violin and Jessica Fair on piano.

Following the appointment of the Operator last year, The Crum is now a popular tourist, conference and concert venue, and we heard from the key sponsor of the reception, the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, about the extensive renovation programme. The Crum’s modern facilities, friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere illustrate the positive transformation of Belfast over recent years.

All in all, we look forward to continu-ing to build connections between our associations, all for the benefit of our member s and our wider communities.

Eileen Sung, Convenor, Northern Ireland Chapter, BFSA.

occasional lecture fundAs ever, competition for the

BFSA Occasional Lecture Fund was a close contest this year. However, we were delighted to offer the 2013 award to Mary Brydon-Miller, a US Scholar at Keele University.

Here, she shares with us her experience of the ethical challenges and issues in conducting participa-tory action research.

Expect the Unexpected. That’s what I tell new students interested in doing Community Based Re-search. This approach to research facilitates greater community en-gagement and can lead to positive social change, but can also raise a unique set of ethical challenges and demand new approaches to under-standing and enacting research eth-ics.

This day-long workshop held on Thursday, April 11, 2013 focused on the theme of values and research ethics, and in particular on giving participants an opportunity to re-flect on the ethical challenges of doing research in community-based settings. Thirty-six participants in-cluding faculty and students from diverse institutional and disciplinary backgrounds gathered at Bristol University for this event. The day began with a brief discussion of ethical theory and how this might inform research practice.

Participants then took part in a process of Structured Ethical Re-flection designed to help research-ers articulate the values that inform their own research practice and to reflect upon how those values are put into practice in their research sites. Lunch included an invitation to participate in a This I Believe ex-

Mary Brydon Miller, above.

ercise designed to deepen reflection about how our ethical principles are translated into practice.

The afternoon was then devot-ed to an interactive exercise in which participants took on the role of stakeholders in one of three case studies designed to raise questions about research with minors, re-search in organizations, and research in international settings. Based on real examples, this exercise forced participants to grapple with the kind of competing interests and ethical dilemmas that face researchers working in community settings.

True to our promise, each case study also included an unexpected event which forced participants to work together to develop a shared set of values and a strategy for re-solving the ethical dilemma facing them.

We hope that this leads partici-pants to reflect more deeply upon their own ethical stance and to en-gage their colleagues, students, and community partners in discussion about the ethical issues involved in their work together.

Thanksgiving in Bangor. From left to right: Gary Fair (BFSA Chair), Eileen Sung (NI Chapter Convenor), Anne-Marie Woods, Denise and Brian Ferran, Pauline McMahon, David Lennox, Paul Donnelly, Denis McMahon and Claire Fair.


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Tom McGonigle, appointed Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.

alumnus is new ombudsman Fulbright alumnus, Tom McGonigle, has been appointed the new Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. The appointment was made following an open competition and Tom will take up appointment on 1 June 2013. Justice Minister David Ford said: “The role of the Prisoner Ombudsman is a challenging and vital one in the criminal justice system. Tom McGonigle’s appointment will support the continued development of this important position. I am confident that he will bring his extensive experi-ence and skills to the role and build

on the excellent work of his predecessor.”Tom was a Fulbr ight-Huber t Humphrey Public Affairs Fellow , and spent his award year at the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H Humphrey Institute, from 2009 to 2010. He has worked in the Northern Ireland criminal justice system since 1980, initially with the Probation Service and subsequently as a manager in juvenile custody and voluntary sector organisations. The BFSA wish him well in his new appointment.

Fulbright alumnus, Paul Arthur Berkman, a biological oceanogra-pher at the University of California, Santa Barbara, had an op-ed pub-lished earlier this year in the New York Times. Titled ‘Preventing an Arctic Cold War’, the article highlights the po-tential danger that global warming may pose for security. Paul writes “the most fundamental challenge for the Arctic states is to promote co-operation and prevent conflict. Both are essential, but a forum for achieving those goals does not yet exist”. He further poses the questions, “how, for instance, will each nation position its military and police its territory? How will the Arctic states deal with China and other nations

op-ed featured in ny times

alumni event extravaganzaThe BFSA is always delighted to hear about the various events, projects and activities that our alumni are ar-ranging, promoting, or participating in. Below is a recent selection of events our alumni have been involved in, and have invited fellow BFSA members to.

Heart of DarknessFulbright alumnus, Tarik O’Regan (Columbia University, 2004), invited BFSA members to attend the London premiere of the orchestral suite from his opera, Heart of Darkness. On Tuesday 23rd April at Cadogan Hall, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas Collon, gave a stunning performance, along with narration by actor and director Samuel West.

Violin Recital Fulbright alumna Madeleine Mitchell gave a recital at the London Chamber Music Society, on Sunday 24th March 2013. Madeleine performed alongside Nigel Clayton, playing Elgar’s violin sonata paired with Respighi’s roman-

Scene from O’Regan’s Heart of Darkness. Photo credit: The Daily Telegraph.

tic sonata written in 1917. The concert was in celebration of British composer, David Matthews, in honour of his 70th birthday.

Sulgrave Manor LectureOn Monday 18th March 2013, Professor Richard Carwardine (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1989), President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, gave the 2013 Sulgrave Manor Watson Chair Lecture at the British Library.The only non-American winner of the Lincoln Prize for outstanding scholarship on the American Civil War, gave a talk titled ‘Abraham Lincoln, Irish-Americans and the Civil War’.

alumni news

If you would like to share an upcoming event or news item, please email the BFSA Office: [email protected]

that have no formal jurisdictional claims but have strong interests in exploiting Arctic resources? How will Arctic and non-Arctic states work together to manage those re-sources beyond national jurisdic-tions, on the high seas and in the deep sea?” Paul held a Distinguished Scholar Award in 2007-08, at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge. He is also author of “Environmental Security in the Arc-tic Ocean: Promoting Co-operation and Preventing Conflict.”

The full article can be found on the New York Times website, or via the following link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/13/opinion/prevent-ing-an-arctic-cold-war.html


Professor Paul Arthur Berkman, Fulbright alumnus (University of Cambridge, 2007-08).

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negotiating with the nypdI would never have thought that

after completing my Police Fellowship at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York that I’d continue to roam the States helping others consider and prepare to deal with critical in-cidents through negotiation.

Having dinner in a Japanese res-taurant with Professor Maria ‘Maki’ Haberfeld was only to be the start of my journey as an author. It must have been my family connection to J. M. Barrie that sparked her to ask me to help co-author the second edition of Modern Piracy & Maritime Terrorism: The Challenge of Piracy for the 21st Century! My reaction was somewhat hilarious, as I slapped too much wasabi paste onto my sushi and popped it in my mouth; not even a large glass of iced water could quench the fire and tears. Undaunted, I set about gathering all my materials and diligently crafted my chapter working closely with Maki as we pulled the book together with the publishers, Kendall Hunt.

The anthology Modern Piracy & Maritime Terrorism: The Challenge of Piracy for the 21st Century provides a balanced, insightful and thought-provoking journey that exposes the reader to many different perspectives on Piracy and Terrorism in a maritime environment. The new second edition includes a number of scenarios, both hypothetical and fact based. These both increase the reader’s prepared-ness for attack and better equip them

to deal with the aftermath allowing for more rapid recovery.

Flying out of JFK on April 6th 2012, I knew I’d be back to see the people that I had forged close friend-ships with and recalled that many had told me that I was a subject matter expert on Maritime Negotiation in dealing with critical incidents. Being a modest Scot, I probably dismissed those comments until I was invited back to participate and teach on the 23rd NYPD Hostage Cr isis Negotiation Programme run by my good friend Lieutenant ‘Gentleman’ Jack Cambria in November 2012.

Lecturing some 37 hard-nosed NYPD detectives on the significant negotiating challenges with criminals/

terrorists in a complex maritime environment generated many ques-tions. So much so, that the next day Jack took me to one side and said “Thanks, you’ve given me lots more work!” As I read the feedback sheets I realised that there was an appetite to train for a maritime incident, so that NYPD Hostage Negotiator Team were prepared and ready to respond.

Needless to say, Jack got his own back as he asked me to write a report on the effectiveness of the NYPD programme. Without doubt, it is one of the best programmes that I have critiqued. The interactive role play to train negotiators in how to communicate with people with varying mental health conditions

using a door, well versed actors and a few props created a very ef-fective and powerful training envi-ronment.

Returning to a winter landscape in Scotland only served to reinforce the fact that I had helped prepare NYPD to respond to a maritime in-cident on both the East and Hudson Rivers. Quite content, I returned to my desk and to my day job.

New Year 2013 saw the book finally published and it wasn’t long until I was flying over the pond again to lecture and judge at Texas State University at the Annual Hostage/Crisis Negotiators Conference & Competition. Hosted by Dr. Way-man Mullins, I was met in usual Texan style and welcomed like a long lost brother as I prepared to lecture. Once again my lecture gen-erated a significant number of ques-tions and a realisation that negotia-tors are required to train for deployment in this complex marine environment.

Modern Piracy & Maritime Terrorism: The Challenge of Piracy for the 21st Century

So, next steps? Well, I’ve now been invited as the ‘recognised ex-pert’ in maritime negotiations to write a chapter for the 5th edition of Crisis Negotiations – Managing Criti-cal Incidents and Hostage Situations in Law Enforcement and Corrections by Dr Mullins. My role as an author continues to grow as does the leg-end that I went hog hunting in my kilt!

Andrew B Brown, (Scottish Police Research Fellowship, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, 2012).

Andrew’s book is now available online at: http://www.kendallhunt.com/store-product.aspx?id=51846.

“My role as an author

continues to grow as does the legend that I went

hog hunting in my kilt!”

John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York.

alumni feature

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Fulbright executive director awarded cbe

The BFSA would like to invite its members to join us in congratu-lating Penny Egan, Executive Direc-tor of the US-UK Fulbright Commis-sion, who has been awarded a CBE in the New Year’s Honours List in recognition of her contribution to International Education.

In the six years that she has been in post, the number of Ful-bright awards has increased from 40 transatlantic scholarships in 2007-08 to 112 in the current academic year. Running the most competitive Ful-bright programme in the world, this increase is enabling more of the brightest and the best American and British Fulbrighters to study in each other’s country thereby rein-venting the special relationship for future generations.

Simon Lewis, Chairman of the US-UK Fulbright Commission said: “I am delighted that Penny’s out-standing contribution to the Ful-bright Commission has been recog-nised with the award of a CBE. On

Penny Egan speaking at launch of UK Wales Summer Institute, 2011.

behalf of all the Commissioners, I would like to congratulate her and thank her for all she has done to transform the work of the Commis-sion over the last six years.”

Penny also chairs the board of the Geffrye, the Museum of the Home, in East London. In the late 1990s, Penny was the first woman to head up the RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce) in its 250 year history, increasing its Fellowships; securing its endow-ment and initiating some of its most innovative projects including Open-ing Minds and the RSA Academy, the Coffee House Challenge and Focus on Food.

Prior to the RSA, she worked at the Crafts Council and as a press officer at 10 Downing Street and started her career at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Michael Scott-Kline, Awards Director

After seven years with the Fulbright Commission, Michael Scott-Kline has stepped down from his position as Director of Fulbright Awards. From June, Michael will take on a newly-created position for the For-eign and Commonwealth Office and Association of Commonwealth Universities as Head of the Cheven-ing Secretariat. Chevening, like Fulbright, is a well-established and prestigious interna-tional exchange programme, but unlike Fulbright the UK is the hub, linking to approximately 120 other countries and making more than 700 scholarships each year. Michael’s contribution to the Com-mission, as well as the BFSA, has been phenomenal over the last

awards director steps downseven years, securing many new partnerships and awards and ex-panding the programme to record levels. In recognition of Michael’s contri-bution to the BFSA, we are delighted to award him Honourary Lifetime Membership to the alumni associa-tion. Although the Fulbright com-munity will be sorry to lose him, we wish him every success in his new position. Michael will continue in post until June 19th 2013. Monique Aronsohn, current UK Programme Coordina-tor and Acting Director, will now take on the full role of Acting Direc-tor of the Fulbright Awards Pro-gramme.

Vacancies at the US-UK Fulbright Commission have opened up working with the Fulbr ight Awards Progr amme. Two fu l l - t ime Programme Coordinator positions are available, to begin as soon as possible. Both positions play a central role in the delivery of the prestigious scholarship programme for which the Commission is known. Successful ap-pointees will be based in the main offices at Battersea Power Station, in South West London, close to the new US Embassy development.

the commission is hiring!

commission news


Applicants will need to have full eli-gibility to work in the UK, as well as be educated to Master’s degree level.

More information can be found on the website (http://www.fulbright.org.uk).

To apply: Send a CV and covering letter to the attention of the Fulbright Programme Director to [email protected] using ‘Awards Job App’ in the subject line.

Deadline: 5.00 pm on 4 June 2013 Interviews: 17 June 2013

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forum: a tale of two citiesEach year the Fulbright Awards

team organise a week-long Forum for current US postgraduates and schol-ars to get together and explore a different part of the country. This January, over fifty grantees descended on the cities of Bristol and Cardiff to explore Wales and the West Country.

Fulbright was generously hosted by the University of Bristol and the University of Cardiff who helped put on an excellent series of events. The BFSA also organised and hosted a pub quiz as a final-night fun activity to round off the week.

Current grantee, Andrew Larkin, (University of Sussex) gives his account of a week of lectures, laughs and local ales.

“Fulbright Forum 2013 was a five-day sensory feast around Bristol and Cardiff. The smell of the sea air coming up the Avon caught us on the deck of the S.S. Great Britain, as though the panoramic view from Goldney Hall hadn’t been enough to win our affection for Bristol. In one of the numerous brilliant lectures from the Universities of Bristol and Cardiff (and later in the Welsh National Assembly), we got to hear the melodious rhythm of fluent spoken Welsh. The Fulbr ight Commission, with their usual impec-cable taste, delivered an exciting menu of diversions which were excel-lently paced, and the excitement was palpable in the room the last night as the BFSA pub quiz pitted some of America’s most competitive scholars against each other.

Beginning informally at the Under the Stars pub in Bristol, new scholars and staff met, old members of the cohort reconnected, and the group moved (informally) out into the Bristol night. Some postgrads broke a sweat at local blues pub trying to impress Bristolians, but the city awed us with ease the next morning. A warm reception in the Wills Memorial Building was followed by thought-provoking lectures from Professors Mark Horton and James Ladyman. The lectures expanded our breadth of knowledge and challenged us to think about how Bristol should come to terms with the city’s past involve-ment in the slave trade, and how to allocate funding to keep Bristol – and the UK – strong in the future. The excellent street art, eclectic museum, elegant Goldney Hall and impressive

suspension bridge were merely a few of the city’s attractions which Fulbrighters sampled over the rest of the evening.

We began the next morning with a lovely tour of the S.S. Great Britain, which ended our time in Bristol. We bused to Cardiff, and for the rest of the day we were immersed in Welsh culture, in the form of the Welsh cakes which accompanied our lunch, a fun and challenging phonetics lesson from Professor Sioned Davies, and Professor Bill Jones’ discussion of the importance of the Welsh in American politics. The immersion continued to the end of the night with one of forum’s highlights – barn dancing! A traditional Welsh Twmpath followed dinner, allowing us all to embarrass ourselves, laugh, and finally goad our resident dancer into strutting her

stuff, jigging across the dance floor with the fiddler to crown an exquisite day.

The University of Cardiff lived up to the Forum’s standard of broad-ening our knowledge and engaging our interests with lectures on the process of patenting successful drugs, the difficulties of finding genetic bases of diseases, and the implications of devolution for Welsh and British politics. Professors Chris McGuigan, Julie Williams, Michael Owen and Richard Wyn Jones all gave us excel-lent food for thought, peppered with presentations from Fulbrighters, which let us reconnect as a cohort, and a fun tour of the extravagant interior of Cardiff Castle.

Soaring renditions of “Love is All Around” and “Everything I Do, I Do It For You” crowned our BFSA pub quiz experience and gave voice to our feelings both for each other as a cohort, and the adoptive country which we’d just seen so much more of.”

By Andrew Lark in , (US Postgraduate, University of Sussex, 2012-13).

Bristol’s famous landmark, the Clifton Bridge, by night. Photo by Dana Boebinger.

Getting into the spirit on the SS Great Britain. Photo by Dana Boebinger.

Fulbright grantees pay a visit to Cardiff Castle.

“Fulbright forum 2013 was a sensory feast around bristol and cardiff.”

commission news


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summer institute US Summer Institute alumna, Hannah Escott, shares her experi-ences of five weeks in Minnesota, on the 2010 Climate Change and Sustainability programme.

Some times in life are magic, they are the times when you sit back and think “wow did that really happen?” and the smiles they grow are impos-sible to conceal. My time with the summer institute was packed with magical surprises, inspired great cur iosity and huge desires to embrace everything! It was a five week cultural and academic programme with 2 repre-sentatives from 6 different European countries; UK, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, France and Portugal. Together we engaged in research centres, discussion groups, and cul-tural excursions. We were intro-duced to many great people who shared an incredible enthusiasm for their sustainability and climate change projects. With such an ec-lectic group of academic and cultural backgrounds many questions and ideas were created. As the course continued we developed a great knowledge of the subject, skills in expressing our ideas and embraced each others. I found myself thinking in different ways that I never thought possible.

Beyond the academic aspects my mind was blown away by the cultural differences we experienced and enjoyed. Most of us were first timers in the US and we threw ourselves into all opportunities to meet local people. We went to parties, visited sororities and fraternities, bar-beques, open screen cinema, lake trips a plenty, even yoga and “foos-ball” tournaments! A leader of the course said “you will not truly benefit from this ex-perience until a few years time”. I was thinking “no way I am definitely reaping the benef its now, this program is amazing!”. Two and half years later and I am beginning to understand what she meant. The wanderlust my Fulbright summer brought led me to studying at Australian National University, and to working on film projects in Ghana. The program introduced me to many connections in my bizarre degree choice of Geography and Psychology. From this I have a great new job working in behaviour change projects in sustainable trans-port, which taps into a whole variety of issues that I love. A Fulbright summer institute really is magic!

summer instituteUK Summer Institute alumna,

Rachel Yoder, gives her account of four weeks on the 2012 Fulbright-Nottingham Trent Summer Insti-tute.

The time that I spent in the UK was an amazing four weeks of non-stop learning, exploration, and dis-covery. As a participant in the Nottingham program for art and architecture undergrads, some highlights of the trip included tour-ing the Edinburgh castle, holding an original 18th century brown ceramic mug, and standing within inches of a Salvador Dali painting. I was stunned by the facade of Westminster Abbey and gained new insight on the art of lace design.

Most importantly, I spoke with locals to gain a truer understanding of the UK. After all, while buildings, sights, and museums may be excit-ing, the residents make a nation what it is. Despite the stereotype that the British are very reserved, I found just the opposite. Most eve-ryone that I met – whether I en-countered them through the pro-gram, in my classes, or on the streets – seemed ready to start up a

SI participants take a new perspective on the term ‘smart casual’.

friendly conversation. Daily chitchat provided me with insight to political, religious, and social opinions that I never would have gained from a textbook.

My classes introduced me to topics that I never would have stud-ied in my curriculum here in the US. Because of this break from the norm, I saw problems solved by my peers in different ways than what I am used to and I was pushed to bring my previous knowledge into a new means of creative expression. This experience has brought my current work to a higher level and it has encouraged me to take more risks as I continue to develop as an artist.

Though world travel has always been my dream, I see now that this dream can become reality. Learning the town of Nottingham and its neighboring areas in the UK was an irreplaceable opportunity that I most highly suggest to anyone inter-ested in a higher level of worldly knowledge.

The US-UK Fulbright Commision has been running Summer Institutes for undergraduate students since 2007. Since then, the programme has grown to be one of the Commission’s most competitive, with over 800 applications expected for this year alone.

Participants in these programmes will get the opportunity to experience an exciting academic programme at a highly regarded British or American university, explore the culture, heritage and history of the host country and develop their academic ability by improving presentation, research and communication skills.

For more information about Summer Institutes in the US or the UK please visit the Fulbright Commission website or contact Ms Valerie Schreiner, Summer Institute Coordinator on [email protected]

commission news

9


racing for fulbright!A team of US postgraduates will take part in a series of half marathon and marathon races at the Edinbirgh Marathon Festival this May, in order to raise funds for The Fulbright Foundation. The Fulbright Foundation is the charity wing of the US-UK Fulbright Commission and enables alumni, grantees, and other supporters to help contribute to many areas of our work including programmes, cultural enr ichment , and community engagement. The money raised will go towards

supporting our Summer Institutes which provide opportunities for US and UK undergraduates to spend several weeks over the summer studying in each other’s countries. This programme is one of our most financially precarious programmes despite consistently attracting the most applications.

alumni in bid for grants

Two projects have been sub-mitted by UK Fulbright alumni and grantees in this year’s State Depart-ment competition to win $25,000 worth of funding.

Fulbright One-to-One is a mentoring project spearheaded by US grantees Justin Koufopoulos (US Postgraduate, University of Leeds, 2012-13) and Kurt Berning (US Post-graduate, University of East Anglia, 2012-13). Aimed at pairing Fulbright grantees and alumni with local youth in a mentoring scheme, this offers Fulbrighters a perfect oppor-tunity to encourage younger stu-dents.

The second submission has been pitched by Fulbright alumnus, Simon Hayhoe (Metropolitan Muse-um New York, 2011-12), focusing on arts access for disabled people. With support from the V&A Muse-um already pledged, this project seems to be already taking flight! Title ‘Accessible Virtual Museum’ the project aims to redress the im-balance of access to arts.

The grants on offer are part of the State Department initiative, the Alumni Engagement Innovation

Fund (AEIF). Run annually, the com-petition aims to offer alumni-led projects financial support in realising their objectives, as well as linking alumni across the globe.

To read more about the above projects as well as about the AEIF competition please visit http://alum-ni.state.gov and create a user ac-count.

diary dates…


In January of 2012, 36 American Scholars, British Award Finalists, alumni and staff took par t in a Community Action Day where they planted native species trees in the Teaghlach Woods, Comrie, Scotland. As part of an on-going initiative to regenerate non-farmed forests in the Scottish Highlands, the group managed to plant approximately 150 trees.

On 1st July 2013, current Fulbrighters and alumni can continue the work begun by participating in another Community Action Day. Participants will take part in continu-ing the tree-related activities begun last year by working on the mainte-nance of planted trees, removal of fencing, and path creation. After a

CADs - the ongoing storymorning of maintenance activities and lunch, the par ticipants will depart for a walk through ‘Big Tree Country’ via the Deils Cauldron to a viewpoint, and be able to return to Edinburgh by 2pm.

Join us for a great day outdoors and follow in the footsteps of previ-ous Fulbrighters in working with the maintenance of woodlands with Trees4Scotland! To register your interest please contact Valerie Schreiner on [email protected]

The completed Fulbright Forest, Comrie, Scotland (2012).

To support the runners and follow their progress please visit their JustGiving Page: https://www.justgiv-ing.com/Fulbright-Marathon

A few dates to add to your calendars...

Mentors’ Garden PartySaturday 1st June 2013A chance to thank BFSA members who have volunteered as mentors over the last year.

Community Action Day, Scotland.Monday 1st July 2013 See bottom left article.

UK Grantee Farewell ReceptionJuly, date TBC.

US Grantee Welcome ReceptionSeptember, date TBC.

Please also keep an eye out for the regular e-bulletins that will contain more events information. If you have an event you would like to advertise email us!

BFSA newsletter spring 2013

Documents

Transcript of BFSA newsletter spring 2013