The Chronicle of Higher Education: New Fulbright Grant Brings Scientists to U.S.

Program aims to improve country-region’s ability to recruit foreign graduate students

By JJ Hermes
- from the issue dated October 26, 2007

Academics and federal officials alike have been wrestling for a while over how to improve the United States' ability to recruit foreign graduate students in science and technology. Now officials at the Fulbright Program are putting money behind that mission with a new grant to bring international Ph.D. students to the United States.

This fall 29 students from 27 countries began graduate studies supported by a new International Fulbright Science and Technology Award. Each Ph.D. student will receive $160,000 in federal support for their studies, as well as a five-year student visa.

Science and technology have always been a substantial part of Fulbright", says Thomas A. Farrell, deputy assistant secretary for academic programs at the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which oversees the Fulbright Program. "But this new award is meant to send a signal about our desire to keep U.S. higher education at the pinnacle of research in these key fields."

As for the new science-and-technology Ph.D. program, Mr. Farrell said that American universities chipped in about $1.3-million, which allowed for four more awards to be granted, and that he hoped to have similar cooperation for future grants. His department has committed to awarding at least 40 international Ph.D. scholarships next year.

To read the full article, including the profiles of two of this year’s recipients of the new science award and data on this year’s winners, please visit: http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id=mvj87r1bdrh9066778t3cj8wb2cj79qv