Three members of the Southern community have recently been acknowledged by the Fulbright Program for their cutting-edge research and academic prowess.
Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. government, that affiliates faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals with institutions abroad. Upon returning to their home countries, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange.
Dr. Kelly Mabry, professor of communication disorders, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Croatia for the 2024-2025 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Mabry will be conducting research in craniofacial disorders with her colleagues at the University of Zagreb. She will also be teaching an advanced instrumentation class to the graduate students and faculty at the University of Zagreb, which will advance critical care of children born with craniofacial disorders in Croatia.
“I am a passionate advocate for equitable global health initiatives and have worked consistently over the years to advance care for children born with craniofacial disorders,” said Mabry. “I am looking forward to developing new partnerships at the University of Zagreb in Croatia through research activities and clinical instruction at the graduate level and to bring these experiences back to our students at SCSU.”
Dr. Radu Bogdan Zamfir, director of the Center for Educational and Assistive Technology, has been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2024-2025 for Romania. The goal of Zamfir’s project is to investigate media literacy practices at Transylvania University of Brasov, to collaborate on media literacy strategies through faculty dialogue, and to share that accumulated knowledge with faculty and students there through workshops.
As immersive technologies increasingly present students and faculty with visual information that closely resembles both reality and fabricated inaccuracies, Zamfir aims for his research to differentiate between authentic visual content and fake or misleading sources.
“The goal of the project is to combine the knowledge of faculty from universities in both Romania and the United States, to help develop the strategies necessary to navigate the intricate media landscape of today and tomorrow, and to bring that accumulated knowledge to inform the activities of both my teaching as well as what we do at the Center for Educational and Assistive Technology,” said Zamfir.
Dr. Joyce Taylor, an assistant professor for the Department of Social Work, has just been named to the Fulbright Specialist Roster. A program of the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Specialist Program is a unique opportunity for U.S. academics and established professionals to engage in two- to six-week, project-based exchanges at host institutions across the globe.
Presently, Taylor is Interim Deputy Commissioner for Administration for the Connecticut State Department of Children and Families and holds a position as an external research collaborator at the Hellenic Mediterranean University for Applied Social Research and Social Work in Crete, Greece.
“I am honored to have this opportunity to contribute to international child welfare systems improvements and leadership consulting,” said Taylor. “[I am] looking forward to sharing my expertise and learning from others as we work together towards better outcomes for children and families.”
Dr. Jonathan Weinbaum, associate professor of biology, is traveling to Argentina in June to share his expertise in paleontology as a Fulbright Specialist.
Weinbaum will be based in Argentina for three weeks to conduct a series of short courses and lectures, addressing topics such as conducting paleontological fieldwork in the Southwest of the U.S.; biostratigraphy of the Late Triassic Period of Arizona; fossil preparation, collection management, and curatorial techniques in paleontology; and the anatomy and biology of fossil reptiles. Weinbaum will be hosted by the Museo de La Plata, a national history museum connected with the National University of La Plata. He also will be working with the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Argentine Museum.
