Applications are now open for the Core Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, which supports teaching and research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields. More than 800 grants in more than 125 countries are available to scholars and administrators.

Two Wayne State professors from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are recent recipients of Fulbright grants. Africana Studies Professor Daphne Ntiri is currently in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, lecturing and conducting research on adult education and literacy.  

Geology Professor Mark Baskaran leaves in October for Izmir, Turkey, to teach and conduct research at Ege University. Inspired by a 2013 trip to Turkey — where he saw the destruction earthquake activity caused to 2,000-year-old churches referenced in the book of Revelation — Baskaran is focusing his studies on environmental changes brought on by seismic activity and their impact on the region.

“I am elated to have the opportunity to conduct research in Izmir,” says Baskaran. “Not only is it one of the world’s most tectonically active areas, but it’s also a region with deep sociological and historical significance."

Baskaran says Jaclyn Assarian, associate director for the Office of International Programs and Wayne State’s Fulbright representative, was a wealth of information throughout the application process. Because each situation is unique, Assarian is available to help applicants clarify Fulbright requirements, talk through research project ideas and reach out to contacts abroad.

Fulbright has recently introduced new options that increase the flexibility, impact and scope of the program to better accommodate the interests and commitments of scholars. Both short-term and long-term programs link U.S. scholars and professionals with global counterparts, enhancing the international dimensions of their institutions.

The Core Program also includes Distinguished Chair awards, a group of highly selective awards intended for eminent scholars with records of significant publications and outstanding teaching. 

For more information about the Fulbright Scholar Program or for help applying, contact Assarian at 313-577-9319 or email jassarian@wayne.edu.

Photo: Jaime Goodrich, associate professor of English, earned a Fulbright Award in 2013. She conducted research and taught at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. While on the Fulbright, she researched and edited the manuscript writings produced by early modern Benedictine nuns in continental convents for English women.