The new cohort of Fulbright scholars will be teaching English or conducting research in Iceland, Spain, Germany, Nepal, India and Mexico.

Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as a record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered at UMass Amherst through ONSA.

UMass Amherst was named a 2018-19 “Top Producing Institution” of Fulbright student awards among research colleges and universities. The rankings from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs appear in the Chronicle of Higher Education. It was the fourth time in five years UMass made the rankings, tying with Dartmouth College and Duke University in the 15th position.

The 2019-20 recipients are:

• Adam Zimmer, a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology, who will research the practice of cadaver acquisition for anatomical training in the early years of modern medical practice in Iceland.
• Brook Hansel, a 2019 graduate of Commonwealth Honors College, with a B.A. in Spanish and history, who will teach English and develop a running program for girls in Spain.
• Constance Roberts, a 2019 graduate of Commonwealth Honors College with a B.A. in German and Scandinavian studies and a B.A. in history, who will teach English and volunteer with a community arts organization in Germany.
• Jacole Douglas, a Ph.D. candidate in education policy, research and administration, who will study the implementation of early grade reading programs in Nepal.
• Jiya Nair, a 2019 graduate of Commonwealth Honors College who majored in political science and operations and information management, who will study practices used by non-government organizations in implementing direct intervention in slum communities in Mumbai, India.
• Leora Fridman, a graduate student in the M.F.A. for Poets and Writers program, who will be doing research for her non-fiction book, Preciosa, by examining the evolution of family and caretaking in the Jewish community in Mexico City, Mexico.

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program has provided funding for more than 380,000 participants. Chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential, Fulbright recipients are granted the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. The program currently awards approximately 2,000 grants annually in all fields of study, and operates in more than 140 countries worldwide. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation by the United States Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. In the United States, the Institute of International Education supports the implementation of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, including conducting an annual competition for the scholarships.    

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is ranked as a “Top Producing Institution” for Fulbright Scholars for 2017-18 by the U.S Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. With seven faculty members teaching or conducting research on four continents through the Fulbright program, UMass Amherst tied for seventh place nationally among research universities. The rankings were published Feb. 18 in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The UMass Amherst Fulbright Scholars and their overseas host institutions are:

• David Cort, sociology, Walter Sisulu University, South Africa

• Eva Hudlicka, computer science, University of Alberta, Canada

• Miliann Kang, women, gender, sexuality studies, Ewha Women’s University, South Korea

• Neal Katz, astronomy, University of the Western Cape, South Africa

• Richard Peltier, environmental health sciences, University of York, United Kingdom

• Arslan Razmi, economics, University of Montenegro

• Millicent Thayer, sociology, Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique

In addition, nine UMass Amherst students were awarded Fulbright Scholarships for overseas study during 2017-18, bringing the campus total number of awards to 16. Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 380,000 participants—chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential — with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. Over 1,100 U.S. college and university faculty and administrators, professionals, artists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, and independent scholars are awarded Fulbright grants to teach and/or conduct research annually. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program operates in over 125 countries throughout the world. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State, funded by an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education’s Council for International Exchange of Scholars. The Fulbright Program also awards grants to U.S. students and teachers to conduct research and teach overseas. In addition, some 4,000 foreign Fulbright students and scholars come to the United States annually to study, lecture, conduct research and teach foreign languages. More information about the Fulbright Program is available here.