fulbrightireland-blog

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All is Not What it seems

Dr Alanna O’’Malley is a Lecturer of History and International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands. As a 2017-2018 #Fulbright Scholar to George Washington University, she will investigate the development of the UN in parallel with the emergence of the countries of the Global South from 1955-1981.

“Considering the unexpected result of the American elections last November, and the controversy which has dogged Donald Trump’s Presidency so far, it was hard to know what to expect when arriving in Washington D.C. Would there be scenes of political activism reminiscent of American college campuses in the 1970s or was all the talk of a newly-energized American public just propaganda projected by a disconsolate American press? So far, neither one of these two scenarios seems to be totally accurate.

I arrived a fortnight ago with my husband Joris (who has his own Fulbright Schuman scholarship to Johns Hopkins SAIS) to a quiet neighborhood of Capitol Hill. Instead of American flags on every townhouse, many gardens have posters quoting Martin Luther King and are flying rainbow flags - the insignia of inclusivity and openness. I don’t know whether this is a recent development, but I have found, in the neighbors and locals we’ve met so far, a quiet determination that America is still America, and an apologetic attitude towards how “crazy” their country seems to have become.

On the first day, after a typical American breakfast of pancakes and bacon (particularly welcome after 8 hours of airplane ‘food’) we walked along the National Mall. Taking in the Capitol Building, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the White House, it’s hard to believe that we’re really here, living beside these famous monuments to freedom. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit dismayed that we only encountered some small protests to ‘Free Tibet’, calling for ‘American Troops out of Korea’ and proclaiming ‘Black Lives Matter’. I’ll be keeping my eye out for the next women’s march.

At George Washington University, the beautiful, compact campus has both the satisfying swarm of college students with their mattresses and boxes of books as they move in for a new semester, and the calm serenity of a place for thinking. Getting set up was incredibly easy and efficient, I had a library card within a few days – an essential talisman for a historian! You can even spend lunchtime chatting to a bronze George Washington himself outside the library, with a falafel salad from the food trucks on the street outside – a far cry from my usual ‘lunch al desko’.

Last weekend I ventured into an ‘Irish’ bar to find out if they were going to show the Mayo vs. Kerry game only to discover that nobody had even heard of Gaelic football in that particular venue. I’ll do more research to find somewhere to watch the All Ireland final in September. Reassuringly however, the local supermarket sells Kerrygold butter, if not Barry’s tea. I’ll have to ration the supply I brought with me, or adapt to the native custom here, which seems to be to go everywhere with a paper cup full of coffee.

As for the politics, next week I will attend my first event on the legacy of the Cold War at the Woodrow Wilson Centre – let’s see if the debate goes beyond the polite reticence and the hints of resistance I’ve encountered so far!

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My Fulbright - First Impressions

Colin Bradley is Professor of General Practice in the School of Medicine at UCC. As Fulbright-HRB HealthImpact Scholar to University of Oklahoma, he is undertaking research on strategies to improve opioid prescribing by primary care physicians.

“Landfall  - O’Hare International Chicago.  It’s a vast airport – more similar to Schiphol, Amsterdam with what seems like one vast terminal rather than multiple terminals like Heathrow. I am immediately struck by the number of food outlets which seem to be in at least a 1 to 1 proportion to all the other numerous shops.  We made our way from the concourse where inbound international flights come in to another concourse which was obviously for domestic flights. Flights to places like Buffalo, Boise and De Moines. We whiled away several hours of lay over absorbing the variety of people coming and going.  We were joined shortly before boarding by a real Okie gentleman who was almost comically stereotypical - right down to his cowboy hat and the stick in his mouth. He told us he had just come from Belgium. “A great little country”. “Hm”, I thought. Surely Ireland is the ‘great little country’ in Europe.  He asked us if we would be going to the match. He seemed mildly appalled that we don’t know what match he was talking about. He was referring to an up coming college football match between Oklahoma’s two universities – University of Oklahoma (the Sooners) and Oklahoma State University (the Cowboys).

When we eventually arrived in Will Rogers World Airport, Oklahoma City we were greeted by a spectacular thunder and lightening storm.   We picked up the hire car and, with the aid of Google maps, made our way to North Shartel Avenue where our landlady, the marvelous Marva, was waiting for us sitting on the steps to our duplex – one half of a house made into two apartments.  The apartment is very pleasant.  It is pretty spacious and has all mod cons including a waste (garbage) disposal thing in the sink that creates an almighty din as it chews up everything sent its way. Especially important in the 35 plus degrees heat is the air conditioning.

Next day we started to get sorted.  First we went to an amazing supermarket, recommended by an American cousin, called Wholefoods.  It is targeted at a very specific clientele of health conscious consumers.  Everything seems to be low fat, gluten free, full of vitamins and combinations of these features.  Some of the items seem very strange indeed, such as grain free granola. Oddly, though, everything seems to be quite replete with sugar.  This is one potentially unhealthy ingredient that it seems Americans may find it just too hard to do without!  We also went to the ‘mall’ where we spent the best part of two hours sorting ourselves out with America sim cards for our phones.  We ate out that night in an Italian restaurant where the food had familiar Italian names such as bruschetta, pizza and pasta but flavours and ingredients that did not seem to us (regular visitors to Italy) Italian. 

The following morning was another two hour long engagement with the bank to sort out bank accounts.  Contrary to what we had heard prior to our arrival, we did not need a social security number either to get a sim or to open a bank account.  You do need quite a lot of other documentation, though, including passport, other secondary id, an American address and proof thereof (i.e. a lease agreement),  home bank details etc.  Afterwards were made our way into the city centre – or downtown Oklahoma City.  It is pretty impressive with an array of skyscrapers and fine municipal buildings but, oddly, no shops to speak of.  It seems now the shops are all out of town in malls and the city centre is purely for business.  The skyline is dominated by the Devon Energy Tower which serves as a monument to Oklahoma’s principal source of wealth – oil.  

It certainly feels like a long way from home and, while a lot of it is reasonably familiar, there is also a lot that is quite strange.  So, as Dorothy (Wizard of Oz) noted, we’re not in Kansas, now – we’re in Oklahoma!”

The 2018-2019 Fulbright Irish Awards open for application on 31st August 2017 with a deadline of 31st October 2017, further details at www.fulbright.ie

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I have found the Fulbright experience to be incredibly rewarding

Saskia Ryan is a 2016-2017 Fulbright-GSI Student Awardee from Trinity College Dublin to Harvard University.

“I have spent the last 6 months living in Boston, which has been an incredible academic and cultural experience, enabled by the Fulbright-GSI Geoscience award. My office was located in the building which was also familiar to some of the greats, including Darwin and Agassiz ,and conveniently located just one floor above the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. The Harvard environs exude a sense of academic ambition and optimism. I have been given invaluable advice and guidance, and learned so much; enough to last me a lifetime. Having been a little intimidated moving to a new country and to such a prestigious Institution, I now realise that graduate students everywhere have a lot in common – we all have worries, opinions, defaults and strengths.

Photo: In July 2016, I was thrilled to be awarded the prestigious Fulbright-GSI Geoscience Award. This honour was celebrated with an Awards Ceremony at the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence in the Phoenix Park, where I met my fellow awardees, many of whom have since become great friends.

I have been collaborating with scientific archaeologists at the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, carrying out research with my supervisor Prof. Noreen Tuross, Landon T. Clay Professor of Scientific Archaeology, whom I met initially at a Stable Isotopes in Archaeology conference in Kiel, Germany. This collaborative relationship with Prof. Tuross and colleagues, being influential experts in the field of isotopes in archaeology, has allowed me to refine my research methodology, and through their enthusiasm and interest in my research, they have been thoroughly affirming, freely exchanging thoughts and ideas on how best to approach the application of isotopes to migration studies in complex environments. Discussion group meetings with members of both the Science of the Human Past (SoHP) initiative and the Celtic Studies Department have also been most productive. This scholarship gave me access to the Biogeochemistry facilities of Harvard and multiple laboratory techniques, plus the invaluable international collaborations and friendship. It gives a timely and significant contribution to my Ph.D. project.

In addition to the academic fulfillment, I have found the Fulbright experience to be incredibly rewarding on a personal level. Three seasons in beautiful Boston and Harvard with the fellowship of the other Fulbrighters, a warm welcome everywhere, especially the spending of Thanksgiving with an American family in New Hampshire. There was a visit to Washington D.C. to attend an Isotope Meeting in the Carnegie Geophysical Institute, where I managed to squeeze in a quick trip to the National Mall and Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Also, the all-American cultural experience of going to Celtic’s basketball games in the TD Garden and for contrast, Brahms Requiem at the Symphony Hall. Not to forget, I was also given the amazing opportunity to travel to a seminar on Civil Rights in Atlanta, Georgia.

Photo: The Fulbright Enrichment Seminar on Civil Rights in Atlanta, Georgia was attended by Fulbrighters from more than 50 countries.

Living in Boston during the U.S. Presidential Election was a fascinating experience, which has given me a new perspective on politics and policy making - or unmaking - an unsettling time to be working in the Earth Sciences. This is particularly so at a time when academic mobility and the sharing of knowledge may be curtailed.

The Fulbright scholarship encourages mutual understanding and the flow of innovative ideas that are not bound by borders. I think it is an exciting challenge to stand for these values, having been their beneficiary. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. I have been allowed to connect with other cultures whilst embracing my own. The Fulbright experience can be summed up as developmental, at times challenging but overall truly inspirational. I am grateful for the support provided to me by the Geological Survey of Ireland, the Fulbright Commission and my hosts at Harvard who afforded me this exceptional experience. I thoroughly encourage others to apply for the Geoscience Fulbright award.”

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The Adventure that Awaits!

After almost eight months at the Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech, Tadhg Ryan Charleton (IRC Postgraduate Scholar, Maynooth University) updates us on his experiences as a Fulbright-Enterprise Ireland Student Awardee.

“Time has really flown since my last blog post at the end of September!

Having completed an extensive course on financial research methods before Christmas, I am now back focusing almost exclusively on research. In January, my host, Professor Devi Gnyawali, and I wrote two papers from a major research project we have undertaken together. The first was recently accepted to the Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2017 (Atlanta, August 4-8), the top global conference in my discipline, and we are expecting a response soon from the Journal of Management concerning the second. I have learned a lot working closely with Professor Gnyawali, who is responsible for so many of the top studies in my field.

With my PhD supervisor, Professor Robert Galavan, there is also an invited book chapter in progress. Though we have not met face-to-face since last August, Professor Galavan has been incredibly supportive and generous with his time throughout the visit. There have been many emails, texts and Skype calls winging their way across the Atlantic! The work we have done is beginning to bear dividends – we have made huge strides with the empirical design for my PhD and we are at an advanced stage with submissions to several key conferences in Ireland, Costa Rica and Australia.

Away from the desk, I am still trying to sieze every opportunity to meet new people and visit new places! Running is often my excuse – I have run four marathons and two ultra-marathons in Baltimore, Washington D.C., Cocoa Beach, Savannah, Charlottesville and New Orleans. Most were short trips but I was glad to take some extra time to see New Orleans while there. My mother came from Ireland and we spent 10 days exploring a wonderful city. New Orleans was originally owned by the French and maintains an old-style French feel. We experienced great music, food, and spectacular parks and architecture. But there was also time to remember all those who lost their lives as a result of Katrina and appreciate the amazing rebuilding projects that residents have undertaken since.

Without doubt, one of the highlights of the year was a Fulbright Enrichment Seminar in Philadelphia over St Patrick’s weekend. Themed ‘Civil Society and Community Action’, the event offered many brilliant panelists and opportunities to meet local activists. I don’t use the word inspiring lightly but I met some amazing people doing incredible things. This extended beyond those at the podium – I met delegates from more than 60 countries, many who had already effected significant social change at home. It made me stop and reflect on my own responsibilities and opportunities to give back to movements that have given me so much. It also reminded me of the value of interacting with great people. I returned to Virginia Tech with a huge amount of positive energy to maximize the last leg of my visit. Without doubt, it was a weekend I will remember for a long time!

Arriving in the U.S. seems like only yesterday so it is difficult to begin making plans to depart again in August. On all fronts, I have made more progress than I could have hoped. Before I leave, I will complete my PhD data collection, finish the conference submissions, and present our paper in Atlanta. I am also looking forward to a vacation with my friends in June and I will continue to try and break three hours for the marathon.

It is almost exactly a year since I found out I was becoming a Fulbrighter. To all of those who are now receiving similar news, congratulations!! I cannot begin to explain the adventure and growth that awaits!”

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Hader Serour’s U.S. Institute (SUSI) Award to the USA

Hader Serour, an undergraduate student of Civil Engineering at Dublin Institute of Technology, was the 2016 SUSI in Environmental Issues Awardee. During Summer 2016 she attended the University of Oregon to complete a 5-week academic program.

“When I returned home from my SUSI Award, settling back into my daily life with the morning struggle of not having breakfast with other 21 European friends, it was so hard to believe that the 5 weeks were over.

Last summer I set out to undertake a SUSI in environmental issues. Rather excited and nervous of what to expect, I had no concept of how much this experience would change my life. Making new friends from countless countries, from so many backgrounds and ethics made it easy for all of us to spend the 5 weeks together and create thousands of memories of laughs and adventures that I will never forget.

Stepping out of my own culture really helped me to think about Ireland and our way of life in a different way. Having grown up in a place that has not been severely affected by climate change, and comparing this to places like Alaska, has been an eye opener for me. Learning about environmental issues in different European countries encouraged me to think of the things we lack in our culture and what can be done about that. I feel that my American experiences can definitely help me to promote the importance of environmental issues and their impacts.

Travelling is always fun, but never as fun when you travel with 21 Europeans! All of us had different interests, backgrounds, and a different story to tell. Within a week there was already a strong bond between us. It was enlightening to sit at lunch and talk about different things that we might not have discussed back at home, everything from universities, to food and lifestyle.

I am happy to say that my SUSI was one hell of a life experience! We visited 3 states during our stay, spent the day with an American family, and had the best supervisors that made us feel at home with their kindness and support. A few tiny tears managed to slip down my cheeks as I left D.C for Dublin, I never knew how close our group was until we had to say goodbye. It was very sad to have come to the end of the 5 weeks, but I'm glad to have achieved so much and made friends for life.”

The application period for the 2017 SUSI in Social Entrepreneurship is now open with a deadline of 6th February 2017, visit the Fulbright website for further information on how to apply!

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A Life-Changing Opportunity

Tadhg Ryan Charleton is a PhD Candidate at Maynooth University’s School of Business. As a Fulbright-Enterprise Ireland Student Awardee at the Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech, Tadhg is examining the drivers of innovation in knowledge sharing alliances between competitors. In late September, Tadhg described his research, his progress since arriving, and goals for the rest of the visit.

“I have been keenly interested in knowledge sharing collaborations since taking a course in strategic management with Professor Anne Huff (Maynooth University) during my Bachelor’s degree. It was a wide-ranging and wonderfully insightful introduction to the subject area. Around that time, I also read a piece by Jeffrey Dyer and Harbir Singh (Academy of Management Review, 1998) advocating a relational view of business strategy. They argued that the most effective approach is not always to doggedly protect valuable resources but to share them and possibly be willing to accept some spillover where benefits can exceed costs.

When I merged these theories with my own management experience, in particular the time I had already spent working in the US, I began to question the zero-sum approaches to business that are widespread in developed economies. This led to my initial PhD proposal which asked whether positive-sum, mutually beneficial collaborations – such as the recent alliance between BMW and Toyota to develop clean fuel cell technologies – could be successful in a much broader range of contexts.

Now focusing specifically on knowledge-sharing collaborations between competitors, this positive-sum approach to business policy remains at the heart of my research. Under the supervision of Professor Robert Galavan (Maynooth University), my PhD examines the drivers of innovation performance in these alliances. Ireland is highly dependent on foreign direct investment and, although tax incentives are important, the availability of technological expertise and collaborative opportunities is critical for attracting non-indigenous firms. I intend that my research will contribute to an improved understanding of how Ireland can create and support such opportunities. Potential benefits include FDI, job creation, innovation, and the strengthening of economic ties between the US and Ireland.

Sponsored by Enterprise Ireland, my Fulbright visit is fundamental to the success of this research for two main reasons. First, I intend to collect the necessary data in the US. As an economy that also depends on knowledge and technological expertise, its scale (326,033 patents granted in 2014) means that I can generate a sufficiently large sample while minimizing the cultural biases that are often associated with knowledge exchange. Moreover, many organizations conducting R&D in Ireland have roots in the US and, therefore, studying their knowledge sharing practices will be extremely relevant when the findings are to be implemented in an Irish context. Meticulous US antitrust laws also mean that I can garner valuable insights about how exogenous influences shape collaborative opportunities.

Second, my Fulbright visit affords me the opportunity to work with Professor Devi Gnyawali; the leading authority in my field. Professor Gnyawali has published extensively about competitor cooperation and the challenges associated with knowledge sharing in these contexts; particularly as they relate to innovation performance. This includes an analysis of Sony and Samsung’s collaboration to develop LCD-TV panels (Research Policy, 2011) – widely regarded as the most influential empirical study in the area. Professor Gnyawali has been a fantastic host and extremely generous with his time since I arrived, and I am looking forward to working closely with him over the next eleven months.

In addition, my Fulbright-Enterprise Ireland award has led to many opportunities beyond research. In August, I was fortunate to attend a Fulbright Gateway Orientation event at Miami Dade College. The Gateway Orientation program is designed to help incoming Fulbrighters to become accustomed to studying in the US and the opportunities and possibilities which this presents. When combined with lively and informative lectures on US history and politics, a bus tour of Miami, and a lot of barbeque, it all came together to create a brilliant three day program. To put such an event together takes an awful lot of work and I am hugely grateful to the professors at Miami Dade who gave up their time to undertake this mammoth task. During the week, I met more than sixty other wonderful Fulbright awardees from all over the world – many of whom I will see again during my visit.

I am also sitting on an internal Fulbright interview committee here at Virginia Tech; which endorses and gives advice to potential outgoing Fulbrighters across the university. In particular, I am working closely with one student who is seeking to undertake an MA at University College Dublin. My role is to contribute a perspective on Irish culture and society both within and beyond academia. It is not always easy to contextualize issues that I have always taken for granted (e.g. Mayo’s woes in All-Ireland finals), but it has proved a really rewarding opportunity to serve as an ambassador for my country.

Be the best you can be has meant many things since arriving in the US as a Fulbright Scholar. Fundamentally, it is a life changing opportunity to reach beyond previous personal and professional bests in all facets of life. Fulbright is opening these doors for me in the US – offering opportunities to engage with outstanding individuals and to harness their expertise for professional and personal advancement. Working with the best is acknowledged as one of the fastest ways to improve. When you work with the best, you learn their habits, assimilate their vast knowledge, and benchmark yourself against them. Consider the success of the Jamaican sprinters in Rio – both male and female. A key driving force behind their success is the work they do with Usain Bolt – one of the best sprinters we’ve ever seen. They learn first-hand about how he trains and prepares. Equally, importantly, they can regularly compare themselves to the world champion in their field. They probably race against Bolt in practice. And Bolt probably beats them. BUT although Bolt is beating them, those runs give them the opportunity to excel relative to their own previous bests… and everybody else’s!

Professor Gnyawali is the best researcher in my field. Working closely with him for the next year at Virginia Tech is an incredible opportunity for me to observe how he conducts his research, absorb his knowledge, and learn from others in his network. Similarly, my doctoral research will benefit from the insights he has accumulated at the helm of coopetition and innovation research over several decades. Working with Professor Gnyawali, I will learn about his pioneering contributions, while his insights into the process of assembling and analyzing a suitable dataset, disseminating findings and identifying policy implications will be invaluable. As a consequence, I will return to Ireland a better researcher with a better dissertation; both of which I can employ for societal benefit within and beyond academia.

In many cases, being the best you can be does not mean being the best. Away from the desk, I am currently deep into training for a first marathon in Baltimore in two weeks’ time. To become the best I can be, I am doing my faster workouts with the Virginia Tech Running Club. These are 18-22 year-old athletes; most of whom can run a mile faster than I can tie my shoelaces. During practices that are conducted at a full two minutes per-mile faster than my intended marathon pace, it takes all my effort just to finish in the middle of the pack. Being the best I can be in this context will never mean finishing in the leading group. Nonetheless, after every practice, I pull up knowing I have given the best I can and I am a step closer to completing my marathon. This progress is most clearly illustrated via improvements in my 5k time – a respectable 21:55 before I left Ireland. However, last Sunday, after just five weeks of running with the best at Virginia Tech, I was thrilled to finish a local 5k event in 20:07!

Onwards and upwards!”

The Fulbright Irish Awards are now open for application with a deadline of 28th October 2016, visit www.fulbright.ie for information on how to apply.

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The benefit of my time in the US

Dr Catherine O’Rourke is Senior Lecturer in Human Rights & International Law, and Gender Research Coordinator at the Transitional Justice Institute, Ulster University. She is a 2016-2017 Fulbright Scholar to the Human Rights Program of the Institute for Global Studies, University of Minnesota, where she will advance a monograph on international law norms for gender equality.

“In 1848, when the founders met to begin the process of incorporating Minnesota as a state, it was decided that Stillwater (a small picturesque city to the east of Minneapolis) would be the site of the state prison, the city of St Paul would host the state capitol, and Minneapolis would be the home to the University of Minnesota (UMN).

I like this story about the origins of Minnesota and the university, as it brings out just how central the university is to the life and identity of the state. My identity as a ‘Gopher’ – so-called after the university mascot, Goldy Gopher – is one I’ve really enjoyed taking on, as I approach the half-way point of my six month research visit to the Human Rights Program at the Institute for Global Studies at the UMN.

The biggest – and most enjoyable – adjustment of my time here has been the sheer scale of the institution. With 50,000 students, the UMN dwarfs any of the universities where I’ve previously studied or worked. As well as being a large research university and a ‘public ivy’, the UMN is a member of the ‘big ten’ conference for college sports, with all of the resources that implies. The campus is a city unto itself, complete with its own road/rail/pedestrian bridge across the Mississippi River to connect the campus East Bank and West Bank, two lightrail stops, two internal bus routes to travel within the campus, a 50,000-seat football stadium and a thriving campus life.

While I’m at the UMN, I’m working on a book that looks at how international law regulates the status of women in armed conflict, and whether and how the requirements of international law have on impact on the ground on conflict-affected settings. The book is my contribution to the Political Settlements Research Programme (PSRP) funded by the UK’s Department for International Development. Prior to 1990, the place of women in armed conflict in international law was typically characterized by either silence or invisibility, with isolated provisions for ‘special measures’ for pregnant women or mothers. The intervening 25 years have seen an enormous growth in the obligations, norms and standards that now regulate the treatment of women in conflict. What’s been particularly interesting about these developments is the diversity of places now involved in setting and monitoring international law in this area, across the laws of war, international human rights law, international criminal law, and the activities of the United Nations Security Council. All of these institutions of international law are now active in developing, monitoring and even enforcing international law concerning the treatment of women in armed conflict.

The book aims to provide some legal clarity by mapping the substance of these overlapping and co-terminous international law norms and obligations, considering how they apply to situations of armed conflict. More importantly, by drawing on norm diffusion theory – together with the findings of the PSRP’S Peace Agreement Database (PA-X) on peace agreement provisions on women and gender since 1990, and case study findings gathered by PSRP research partners Conciliation Resources and Rift Valley Institute, in Colombia, Mindanao (Philippines), Nepal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – the book aims to understand whether and how these international law norms matter on the ground in conflict-affected settings.

The benefit of my time in the US works across each of the book’s different objectives. The concentration of expertise in international law, women’s rights and armed conflict at the University of Minnesota is formidable, across its law and social sciences provision. Moreover, the University of Minnesota has been where much of the most important literature on norm diffusion has been developed. The Human Rights Program at the Institute for Global Studies, to which I’m affiliated, is an outstanding model of practice-based human rights education and research, and is well-connected to the substantial international human rights community that operates out of the Twin Cities, such as the Advocates for Human Rights, Global Rights for Women, International Women’s Rights Action Watch and the Center for Victims of Torture. This is all very important both to the method and substance of my research. Legal doctrine and developments mean little without an understanding of how they shape and inform advocacy and practice in settings of widespread human rights violations. Next month, I’ll travel to New York to attend the Security Council debate on Women, Peace and Security at the United Nations.

The Human Rights Program has a number of direct links to Fulbright. It is a major recipient of Humphrey Fellows in the US. The Humphreys Fellowship program – named in honour of former US Vice-President and proud Minnesotan Hubert Humphrey – is a Fulbright exchange activity. Early- and mid-career professionals primarily from the global South are funded to study in the US for one year in order to support their professional development. I look forward to learning more from these fellows about their perspectives on my research questions.”

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The prestige associated with Fulbright is even more striking here than it is at home

Ruth Cormican is a graduate of NUI Galway, Ireland. Her 2016-2017 Fulbright-University of Notre Dame LL.M. Award in International Human Rights Law focuses on human rights issues arising in the context of international and internal armed conflict.

“One month into my time at Notre Dame, and I’m still finding it slightly surreal to see shamrocks, leprechauns, and “Go Irish!” emblazoned everywhere I go. And yet I’m actually the first Irish student to be admitted to the LL.M. programme in International Human Rights Law here, an opportunity made possible thanks to Fulbright’s support. There are 22 of us altogether, from a total of 19 different countries (our current class profiles can be viewed here.) Many of my classmates have already practiced human rights law in their home countries for several years, and the breadth of experience and variety of perspectives that they bring to the programme is just one of its many strengths.

This curriculum encompasses mandatory modules on core areas of human rights law and practice, along with elective modules in our particular interest areas. This semester I am taking mandatory courses in Foundations of International Human Rights Law, International Law, Accountability for Gross Human Rights Violations, and Human Rights Research and Writing, along with an elective in International Environmental Law. I will have the chance to take several more electives during the spring semester. My professors are at the tops of their respective fields: one is a former President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, for example, while another played a central role in negotiating the recent peace agreement in Colombia. US law schools tend to emphasise student engagement and interaction, so we are encouraged to talk to our professors one-on-one about their experiences and expertise. Interdisciplinary work is also prioritized, and we have the option of taking modules with other faculties over the course of the year such as the institutes for International Studies and for Peace Studies.

This is one of the longest-running and best-respected LL.M. programs in human rights law. It has an alumni network of over 300 lawyers in more than 85 countries all over the world, many of whom now hold senior positions in major human rights bodies. Beyond studying legal theory, it places a strong emphasis on developing the skills necessary to work in human rights in practice. I have wanted to study at a US law school for a long time, and the experience so far has more than lived up to my expectations. Not only is the law taught in a very different way here, but the level of resources and the range of events open to students is truly phenomenal. Just last week, the Law School hosted a conversation with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. There are also lunchtime seminars and debates almost every day of the week, at which the promise of a free lunch is just an added bonus!

Attending a US law school, and especially being at the Center for Civil and Human Rights here at Notre Dame, is already enhancing my understanding of human rights law and practice. I am gaining an awareness of the vast array of challenges to human rights worldwide, while also having the chance to focus on the specific areas most important to me. I hope that my time here will allow me to gain the skills necessary to become an effective practitioner, and to forge valuable academic and professional for the future. Although it’s only been a few weeks, I’m already starting to appreciate how important this award will be for advancing my career – the fact that I am here as a Fulbright student has already facilitated introductions with staff and other students at Notre Dame, and the prestige associated with Fulbright is even more striking here than it is at home.

It’s not all work, fortunately – I’m also trying to take advantage of the many social opportunities here, and already went to my first American football game! I will be sorry to have to come home next summer, but I know that this year will be of lasting value to me academically, professionally and above all personally.”

The application period for the 2017-2018 Fulbright-University of Notre Dame LL.M. Award in International Human Rights Law is now open for Irish and E.U. applicants, with a deadline of 28 October 2016. See www.fulbright.ie for more information.

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Where y’at Dublin? (New Orleanian for “How are you?”)

John Brown is a PhD candidate at Maynooth University, Ireland. As a Fulbright Irish Awardee to the Centre for Inter-American Policy and Research at Tulane University, New Orleans, he is researching the politics of contemporary democratisation in Latin America, focusing on Bolivian and Venezuelan processes.

“After three weeks living in the Big Easy (New Orleans), it is safe to say that the opportunity the Fulbright Commission has given me to live and study here will be something I cherish for the rest of my life. So, where to begin!

I am based in the Centre for Inter American Policy Research (CIPR), a part of the Stone Centre for Latin American Studies at Tulane University. Having attended a “get to know you” event in CIPR, a party for the Political Science department in the home of one of department heads, and the “Gran Fiesta” event hosted by the Stone Centre to welcome faculty, staff, and graduate students, I have been astounded by the quantity, quality, and diversity of research into Latin American issues  at Tulane. Research ranges from US-Latin American trade issues and migration to indigenous revolution to health care issues for Afro-descendant Latinos in rural regions. Studying in this environment is exciting and stimulating, and has opened my eyes, not only to the rigor and quality of US academia, but also to the fact that examining Latin America is considered of great importance, something which is not always apparent in Irish academic circles.

My research focuses on the impact of neoliberalism on the quality of democracy, and how radical-Left governments in Bolivia and Venezuela have attempted to move beyond the confines of liberal democracy to deliver a more inclusionary citizenship to those who had been excluded by previous regimes. I could not be in a better location than Tulane to work on this project; across the hall from my office are some of the leading academics in the world examining democratization processes in Bolivia and Venezuela. To be able to go for a coffee or a beer and discuss my project, and the Latin American region in general, with the most respected voices in my field is both thoroughly enjoyable, and invaluable for my research project. I am working with the likes of Eduardo Silva and David Smilde, and their advice on my methodology, in terms of data analysis, and the type of data I need to find in the field, has already streamlined my project. The networking opportunities are great, with monthly events and seminars attracting leading Latin Americanists from around the US, and beyond, to Tulane. On a daily basis I am engaging in debates that are at the forefront of academic research on Latin America, something that just is not possible in Ireland. The Latin American library here is incredible, one of the most comprehensive in the world. The director of CIPR has been most welcoming, offering me great advice on academia in the US, and Latin America. Understanding how academia works here is vital for me as the US is the center of research Latin America, and it is highly likely that I will try to return here for a post-doc.

I am working on a paper, under the guidance of my advisor Eduardo Silva, examining the impact of the Left-turn in Venezuela on local participation in working class barrios (neighborhoods) in Caracas. I will present this paper at a conference that I am organizing; CIPR has given me a budget to plan an event, which involves me designing a research theme and inviting academics to present, followed by a plenary discussion of contemporary Latin American issues which I will host. As part of the event, I am also organizing a workshop, where I discuss my overall project and get feedback from Tulane’s leading Latin American scholars. This is an incredible opportunity to identify strengths and weaknesses in my study. Following the discussions, I will take the presenters out for dinner, margaritas, and Latino music at a Mexican restaurant.

So, enough about the academic side of the Fulbright! All I can say is that New Orleans is amazing! I have been to listen to incredible jazz in the French Quarter; ferried across the Mississippi to wander old neighborhoods; watched the New Orleans Saints American football team with passionate fans in my local bar while having heated discussions as to whether NFL or hurling is a tougher sport!; gone to Armstrong Park to see the Mardi Gras Indians dance and play music; and eaten home-cooked barbequed shrimp with the most welcoming of locals. I have had the privilege of wandering the city with “Miss Doll”, an old woman who runs a local bar in a working-class part of the city. She gave me a history lesson on the city and introduced me to her social club friends who brought me home cooked fried chicken and rice and red beans. She also helped me understand a sadder side to the Big Easy; the poverty and race-segregation she has lived through, and the struggles of poor African-American communities to re-build their lives post-Hurricane Katrina. The city has embraced me with a warm welcoming hug, and shown how the simple things – good food accompanied by good music with friends and family - are the key to happiness.

Plans for this weekend include dinner in the house of the world’s leading commentator on contemporary Venezuelan politics, a trip down the Mississippi, the Fried Chicken Festival with the best local musicians providing the soundtrack, a visit to a local brewery for tasting of a new range of beers, and some warm delicious beignets with coffee! As they say here, “laissez les bons temps rouler”!”

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Attending Penn on a Fulbright Scholarship has opened many doors for me

Rosemary Hennigan is a Trinity College Dublin Graduate & a Solicitor with McCann FitzGerald. As a 2016-2017 Fulbright Student Awardee, Rosemary will complete a LLM at Penn Law.

“The first few weeks here at the University of Pennsylvania have been a whirlwind! I arrived in Philadelphia the night before my first class, found my dorm room where I’d be living for the next year, dumped my suitcases and immediately went out to explore the campus, taking it all in for the very first time. Despite the long day of travel and the dead heat of the city, setting my eyes on the Law School for the first time was thrilling - the culmination of a lot of hard work and the beginning of an incredible opportunity made possible thanks to Fulbright.

I’ve always dreamt of studying law in the US. The US legal system is very politicised and, as a consequence, the way that law is taught is often quite different to Irish and European law schools. There’s much more recognition of the political context in which laws are made and the effect of politics on the development of law. For me, it is the perfect opportunity to combine my interests in law and politics and focus my research and study on the overlap of the these two disciplines. This Fall term, I’ll be studying Administrative Law, Regulatory Law, Comparative Law and Public Corruption & the Law. Next term, I hope to study Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence and Public Policy and the Law. I hope to focus my studies on the legal structures of governance and measures for maintaining oversight of those structures, with a view to learning as much as possible about the US system to bring back to Ireland with me.  

Alongside the academic opportunities at Penn Law, there are numerous options for getting involved with public interest and pro bono projects.  Penn Law has a particular ethos of public service which was a big draw for me in choosing to study here. The Toll Public Interest Centre offers a broad and diverse program of activities to take part in and I hope to do so as much as possible while I’m here.

So far, attending Penn on a Fulbright Scholarship has opened many doors for me. The Fulbright name is instantly recognised here and I have found it really helpful in creating opportunities to network and make contacts in the US. I’ve been invited to programs and events and I’ve met interesting people I might not otherwise have encountered. I plan to take full advantage of the opportunity which Fulbright provides and to enjoy every moment of my year studying in the US.”

The 2017-2018 Fulbright Irish Awards application period is now open, read about Fulbright Law opportunities here.

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Be the Best YOU Can Be

Rosa Shine is a PhD candidate in the Biomechanics Research Centre at NUI Galway. As a Fulbright-National University of Ireland Student Awardee, she is performing advanced experimental testing on bioresorbable polymeric stents at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“As my Fulbright adventure in Boston begins, it’s great to be able to reflect on the experience to date and to take the chance to revisit the goals I’ve set myself for the next 8 months. So far - it’s been amazing, and I am immensely grateful and honoured to have received this fantastic opportunity to study in the U.S. 

As a recipient of a Fulbright-NUI Award, I’m undertaking a research placement at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which involves using a combination of experimental and computational methodologies, to investigate the long term mechanical behaviour of next generation bioresorbable polymeric stents.

While at MIT, I’m based in the highly acclaimed Edelman Laboratory, part of the Harvard-MIT Biomedical Engineering Centre and the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science. The research group in the Edelman Lab have developed advanced experimental techniques for evaluating the mechanical performance of bioresorbable polymeric stents, which along with developed computational modelling tools, will help to address the current lack of understanding that surrounds how the structural integrity of the stent changes as the polymer material degrades in the body. I’ve only just completed my first week in the lab and I am already learning so much. Following this research placement, I will return home to complete my doctorate studies in Biomedical Engineering at NUI Galway.

I arrived in Boston on the 1st of August, ready to take part in a Gateway orientation programme, organised and hosted by Suffolk University. Gateways are organised to bring Fulbright student awardees together at the start of their respective programmes and allow them to engage in cultural and educational activities. Through the Gateway event, I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people, who were all embarking on Fulbright’s to different parts of the US, and to share stories of why we were excited to pursue academic studies in America and what we wished to achieve. During a very enjoyable week, we attended sessions on leadership and professional networking skills, cross-cultural understanding, as well as enjoying lunch on Boston Common, and a clam bake dinner on George’s Island, where we watched the sun set over Boston and were treated to s’mores around a campfire.

As an end to the orientation, we were asked to reflect on the goals we had for our time in the US. My own personal goals are to help provide new knowledge and ideas in my research area and to further drive the advancement of technologies used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. I also aim to help spread a belief I hold that people are people and that all should be treated equally, regardless of race, class, ethnic background, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or physical or mental abilities. Another challenge I’ve set my self is to try my utmost to make the most of everyday, and to meet and connect with as many people as I can, sharing my own culture and values while learning more about those of others. This attitude has already led me to have some interesting experiences, including: attending a local pub trivia night with two friends from Palestine, taking over an Irish bar with everyone from the Gateway orientation (who represented over 20 different nationalities, me being the sole Irish person), playing Jenga on the beach with some South American friends, witnessing first-hand the insanity of Boston comic con, and almost accidentally ending up en route to Cape Cod, with another Fulbright student from Morocco, when a taxi driver misunderstood our directions.

I definitely think that the Fulbright connection has stood to me so far. Alongside the recognition it receives when I’m being introduced to people, when I’ve reached out to people and groups about possibly getting involved, people have been extremely responsive. I’ve been in contact with the MIT women’s club soccer team and am joining up with their practices next week. I’ve also been invited by the Director of the LBGT Services at MIT to attend a weekend retreat in September on LBGT Community Leadership, as a result of an email I sent expressing interest based on my involvement with similar LGBT groups in Galway. During a panel session organised at our Gateway, I got to meet another Irish Fulbright who is partially through his research placement, and who is organising a fundraising event for the Boston Children’s Hospital; which I’m very much looking forward to attending at the end of next month. It already looks like the next seven and a half months are going to be non-stop, but as I’ve heard said before, every challenge we encounter is just a new opportunity in disguise.”

The Application Period for 2017-2018 Fulbright Irish Awards is now open with a deadline of 28 October 2016. These Awards provide grants to research, study, or lecture in the U.S. on an annual basis, visit www.fulbright.ie for further information.

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My Fulbright experience has been more enriching & informative than I ever imagined

Ciaran McFadden is a 2015-2016 Fulbright-National University of Ireland Awardee based in the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy at UCLA. He is a PHD candidate at Maynooth University.

“I’m halfway through my Fulbright experience and the plane back to Ireland is looming on the horizon. I’m conducting research at the Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy, at UCLA. My research project measures if discrimination against transgender people in the US labour market exists, and supplements my current PhD research on the careers and workplace experiences of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The Williams Institute is the foremost research institute for LGBT research, and I am shocked daily at the scope, reach and impact of their work.

Pictured above: Fulbrighters at NYC Pride (L-R) Bahrain, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Ireland

As I write this, Pride season has just ended; Pride festivals have been held all over the country (and back in Ireland), and I was lucky enough to fly to the East Coast for New York City Pride. I celebrated with Fulbright friends I met at the Enrichment Seminar in Washington D.C. Together we represented four continents and spoke seven languages – we did Senator Fulbright proud!

Although many say that Pride has become overly-commercialized or an excuse to drink to excess, recent events have helped highlight its original purpose. The night before the LA Pride parade, the horrific attack in Orlando against LGBTQ people of colour and their friends and family took place. A couple of hours later, the LA parade took a somber note, as the LGBTQ community reeled in shock at what happened. In New York, 49 people dressed in white clothes, with shrouds over their faces, walked along the parade route, representing the innocent lives lost that night. The Pride festivals, however commercial or drunken they might be, are at their core reminders of the solidarity, belonging and collective power that the community has, despite the physical, psychological or legislative attacks that it continues to endure.

Tribute to Orlando Shooting Victims at NYC Pride

July 4th – Lee Greenwood’s ‘Proud to be an American’ floats over from the speakers as I, my boyfriend, and his wonderful family lay on a large blanket in the sports field of a local high-school. It’s my first July 4th, and our faces are painted with American flags (I’ve got an Irish one too, naturally), as we wait for the fireworks. I was delighted to get the chance to spend the holiday in true American style. If there’s one thing Americans know how to do, it’s celebrate, and I’m still full from the lovely BBQ food earlier. I’m struck by the warm familial atmosphere, and the pride that the people around me show in their country. While Irish people show their patriotic love in more nuanced ways (mammy jokes and flat 7-Up), Americans are, like the Greenwood song, very brash and upfront in their declarations. The whole day, including the fireworks, is amazing.

My Fulbright experience has been more enriching and informative than I ever imagined it would be. As well as getting a grounding in the intricacies of living in a foreign country (the US English/UK English language barrier is a lot bigger than you’d think!), I’ve seen firsthand the huge differences in viewpoints, income, status and political outlook that make up the American melting pot. West Hollywood, the pricey and glamorous gay haven where I’m AirBnB-ing for the rest of my Fulbright, and the neighboring Beverly Hills and Bel Air, are only a short car-ride from Skid Row, which has one of the largest populations of homeless people in the US. The shootings in Orlando, and earlier on the UCLA campus, have reignited the gun-control battle, with each side as fervent in their beliefs as the other. However, despite the many problems that the US has (the ongoing gun violence, the racial tensions, and the painstaking legislative process, for example), the thing that draws all of these groups of people is the fierce pride they hold for their country. This is another aspect of the Fulbright experience that has to been felt rather than seen, and shows how living and integrating into another country will uncover aspects you ever knew existed.

I am counting down the days until I get on the plane to Dublin, with excitement about seeing my friends and family again, trepidation about settling back in, and sorrow about leaving behind what has been a life-changing, wonderful and unforgettable experience. I can’t wait to come back.”

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The Fulbright connection has served me very well

Dr Daniel McCrum is a lecturer in structural engineering at Queen’s University Belfast and a 2016-2017 Fulbright-CRH Scholar to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCLA.

“I am currently in UCLA to study the effects of earthquakes on tall buildings. Understanding how structures are affected by earthquakes and how we can improve their response under earthquake loading has been a passion of mine ever since I first started my PhD in 2008. Tuesday 5th of July was my first day in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCLA as the university was closed for the 4th of July holiday. I met with Prof Henry Burton, whom I will be working closely with during my time here. I also met with Prof Jonathan Stewart, the Head of Department and other staff and students.

Researchers in California are at the forefront of earthquake engineering science and how to minimise the impact of earthquake events on people’s lives. Hence why I decided to come here (the weather is an added bonus). More specifically, the work I am doing here aims to understand the effect of earthquake shaking on tall steel framed buildings. I will be researching ways to improve the overall resilience of tall buildings (greater than 20 stories) and subsequently the occupant’s resilience to future events. I will be undertaking computer modelling of tall buildings response to earthquakes during my time here. The model simulates the physical structural elements of the building and then subjects them to real recorded earthquake ground motions. We hope to validate the computer models with recorded real world data from existing tall buildings.

After only a couple of days in the department new opportunities and discussions have taken place. I will be giving a talk to the department on a test method I worked on in the past. I have discussed this with Prof Burton and this may form a future funding proposal together. The research that I will be doing over the summer will be transferred to one of Prof Burton’s new PhD students starting in October. That will be a great way for me to stay involved in the project once I return home.

The Fulbright connection has served me very well so far. Aside from the recognition when being introduced to people, it has also been great socially. I arrived late on Friday last week and the following day I contacted Ann Kerr, the Fulbright Co-ordinator at the International Institute at UCLA, to see if there were any upcoming Fulbright events. I was in luck! Ann was holding a 4th of July party for friends and Fulbrighters at her home. The photo is the view from her home overlooking Los Angeles towards Santa Monica and Malibu. We had a barbeque and watched the fireworks over LA. I met a number of current Fulbrighters studying at UCLA. They were from the Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Spain and England. It was fascinating to hear everyone’s stories as to why they were there. In particular, the people from Libya and Egypt where they were essentially escaping civil wars.

For the first few days, I have been travelling around on the buses, but you spend a lot of time waiting around for one to come. So, I was keen to get a bicycle so that I can commute to work, but also explore Los Angeles with a bit more freedom. I bought a bicycle a few days ago second hand through Craigslist. Since then, I have been asking around for routes to cycle and have been given some good tips. I plan to get out on my bike as much as possible before it gets too hot in August!”

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Fulbright One Week In

Andrew Jackson is an Associate Professor in Ecology & Evolution at Trinity College Dublin and a 2016-2017 Fulbright-Marine Institute of Ireland Scholar to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego.

“I have just started my Fulbright - Marine Institute of Ireland funded sabbatical visit to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California San Diego. This post is the first in a series about the experience.

Over the last ten years I have been enjoying working on an ever-evolving project developing new statistical models to use naturally occurring chemical elements in living organisms to say something about what they are doing ecologically and how the organisms are interacting with one another. What started as a Ireland-UK consortium expanded over the years to include the USA and Canada after I held an international workshop in Trinity College Dublin, Ireland that signaled the end of some potential competitive acrimony and the start of a highly productive trans-Atlantic partnership. Collectively we have created some of the most commonly used computational and statistical methods used in the analysis of stable isotope data for ecology.

My current project seeks to develop new models that are capable of tracking the changing status of ecological communities in response to impacts and perturbations. One of the main areas in which these models might be applied is in marine fisheries, where access to the tissue samples required to generate the stable isotope data is readily available from landings and the impacts of fishing in the first place are inherently present. Fisheries are now managed under an ecosystem based management approach that requires an understanding of the impacts on not just the target species but also all the species that are connected through ecological interactions.

Coming to work at one of the world's premier research centres at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography gives me access to some of the best thinkers in this field on a daily basis such as my host Dr Brice Semmens, and gives me a flavour of fisheries far beyond the north-eastern Atlantic waters of Ireland and the EU.

I am actually quite philosophical about my aspirations for the project while I'm here. I have plans for some specific coding that I want to accomplish, but ultimately I am here with an open mind and have already been enjoying the freedom to think about new ideas and projects with a new set of people. So far I have allowed myself to be distracted by a new project with Dr Semmens trying to explain the movement ecology of spawning Nassau Grouper fish through their individual behavioural strategies. Ideas that are totally new to me are being kicked around the lab in which I am working, and its hugely stimulating.

This Fulbright trip has already put me in touch with so many new people including the ecology and evolution department at UCSD where I will give a seminar in a few weeks time; and I bumped into Dr Hao Ye, a postdoc in Prof Sugihara's lab just downstairs from me whose models we were playing around with 5 years ago on a project that i will look to reignite while I'm here.

Beyond work, the best thing I did on this trip was bring my wife and 3 kids with me who have been leading the way in "on the ground diplomacy" as they pester the neighbours incessantly with their stories and questions! The second best thing I did was bring my beloved road bicycle with me: I have been enjoying the challenging commute up and down the local canyons, and have met lots of interesting chatty cyclists along the way who have given some great tips on new routes to really push the challenge!”

Keep up to date with Andrew’s Fulbright on his blog

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Sad to end my Fulbright year, but delighted to have achieved so much.

Niamh Nic Ruairí was a 2015-2016 Fulbright FLTA to UCONN

“As I slowly adjust back into Irish life, and the morning struggle of not having Dunkin’ Donuts’ iced coffee to magically wake me up, I still can’t believe that my year in the United States is actually over. I set out for Connecticut last summer as a relatively quiet young girl, rather nervous about what was in store, and with no concept of how much my Fulbright year would change my life.

Making friends with countless new people, from so many interesting backgrounds, helped to immediately put me at ease when I first reached America, and subsequently created thousands of memories of laughs and adventures that I will never forget.

Stepping outside of my own culture for an extended time really prompted me to think about Ireland and our culture in a different way.  Having grown up in the North of Ireland, it was only when I left that I realised how much so many things at home revolve around the difficulties the North has faced in recent decades. I have learned a lot from spending the year in such a multi-cultural environment, and as a teacher, I feel that my American experiences can definitely help me to promote the importance of mutual understanding amongst the pupils I will teach at home.

Teaching Irish in the United States was a fascinating experience, and one that continues to bewilder a lot of my Irish friends. “Why are Americans learning Irish?” seems to be a question I face with every new person I speak to at home, but one that I never encountered in the United States. Lighting up my heart anytime an American spoke Irish to me wasn’t the only way I quickly felt at home on the other side of the Atlantic. University of Connecticut’s Irish dancing club, hurling team, Cumann Gaelach and Irish Studies Alliance all played a vital role making my year as fun-filled as possible. My friends still laugh at the fact I have never danced in my whole life, but came back to Ireland with my first pair of soft shoes, ready to find an Irish dancing teacher.

My Fulbright experience wasn’t just confined to Connecticut. I seized every opportunity I could to travel, and managed to fit in visits to 12 vibrant cities and three breath-taking national parks. I don’t even think I’ve even been to 12 counties in Ireland in the one year! A few tiny tears managed to slip down my cheeks as I left Las Vegas and headed for Dublin, sad that I was ending my Fulbright year, but delighted that I had achieved so much during it.”

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Would I recommend a semester in the US? Absolutely. And to do it via Fulbright? Without hesitation.

Gerard Wall was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Wyoming in 2015

”I spent 4 months at the University of Wyoming (UW) – Laramie – from August to December 2015. The idea of spending time in the USA came from a chance meeting with a UW professor of chemical engineering at a conference and we decided to try to work together. Our idea was to combine our respective expertise in protein engineering and sensor technology to build a novel, handheld device that could be used to detect marine toxins, pathogens … almost anything. But we realistically needed some time on the same continent to do some pilot studies and write grant applications together if we were to establish the longer term collaboration that we wanted.

A couple of colleagues of mine had previously been to the US as Fulbright Scholars and so I applied in 2014. The subsequent induction for successful applicants was amusing: “So where is everyone going?” Stanford, UCLA, Harvard, Berkeley, Notre Dame, Chapel Hill … Wyoming. Some puzzled looks around the table! Once I got to Wyoming, work was really good from the start and the planned synergy worked out well. I got back into a lab for the first time in years, albeit with more instrumentation and fewer bacteria than I was used to. I also found time to write grants and papers, go to seminars, and to generally immerse myself in daily academic life at UW – without the teaching. It was a great opportunity to reflect on my research, plan projects, write grants, and catch up on all kinds of work things.

And Wyoming itself was a great experience. Laramie is a city of 30,000 people and, to my eyes at least, largely defined by the university (the only single-site state university in the USA) and, I guess, oil. Oh, and its altitude of about 2,200 m. Thankfully my office was only on the 2nd floor of the Engineering building because even those stairs took getting used to. The University gave me an ex-President’s house to stay in (really!) and I walked and cycled everywhere around town, at least until the snow arrived. This can happen any time from September and persist/recur on and off to, well, May. Which means there was skiing literally 20 mins from work! I went to a bunch of other sports too – college football and basketball, pro soccer “down the road” in Denver – and had the incredible experience of a weekend camping in Yellowstone National Park, courtesy of UW’s Outdoor Program. I even got over the altitude enough to go hiking and join in the occasional trail run.

Best of all, the people were incredibly warm and welcoming. I was invited to welcome parties, trick or treat parties, Thanksgiving parties, pot luck parties, white elephant parties, no-apparent-reason parties in friends of friends’ homes and was – without exception – warmly welcomed.

Would I recommend a semester or year working or studying in the US? Absolutely. And to do it via Fulbright? Without hesitation.”

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Teaching the Irish Language in the US

Méabh Ní Choileáin is a current Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) to the Catholic University of America, Washington D.C.

A graduate of NUI Galway and St Patrick’s College DCU, she worked as Children’s and Education Editorial Assistant for Penguin Books in London before going to the U.S.

Méabh recently discussed her #Fulbright FLTA experience with Ryan Tubridy on his March 17th RTÉ Radio 1 programme, you can listen back here. She also wrote a great article about her time as an FLTA for the Irish Times newspaper, you can read it here.

If you are interested in applying for a Fulbright FLTA Award to teach the Irish language and take courses in a US college, please see out website for further information.