City boasts of five Fulbright scholars this year

HYDERABAD: Among this year’s Fulbright scholars headed to the United States of America, five will represent Hyderabad. The orientation for the candidates selected for Fulbright-Nehru scholarships for 2012-13 in progress in the city will conclude on May 15. Speaking at a press conference conducted by US-India Educational Foundation (USIEF), the executive director of USIEF, Adam J Grotsky said that the scholar programme in India is the largest in the world with a participation of over 400 candidates.  “This year, 177 Indians will participate in the Fulbright program. We have consistently had a representation from outstanding universities in Hyderabad, including Osmania University, English and Foreign Language University (EFLU), Indian School of Business (ISB), among others. We have also been receiving a large number of applications for pursuing higher studies in applied sciences such as agricultural sciences, sustainable development, public health and climate change.”Selected for a visiting lecturer fellowship to Utah Valley University, Dr Premakumari Dheram from EFLU is one of the seven Fulbright-Nehru scholars from the state. “In my teacher’s training programme, I am looking forward to building collaborations between American and Indian educators and in studying the impact of multicultural voices in education,” said the professor of the department of materials development at EFLU. A Fulbright-Nehru student researcher in Hyderabad, Virginia LeBaron also shared her experiences as a US grantee in the country. “My work at collecting public health data on cancer pain management at MNJ Cancer Institute and Regional Cancer Centre over the last nine months will form a part of my doctoral degree,” said the researcher from University of Utah College of Nursing.Two American Fulbright fellowship grantees will be visiting Hyderabad for 2012-13 session. The process for submitting applications for 2013-14 Fulbright scholarships and Fulbright-Nehru fellowships are in progress and last date for submission is July 16.