Three faculty members from the Ann Arbor campus and one from UM-Dearborn have been awarded 2011-12 U.S. Department of State Fulbright Scholar grants to lecture or conduct research abroad.
For one faculty member, the award has been the fulfillment of a dream she has had since she was an undergraduate student.
“I had always wanted to apply for a Fulbright,” says E.J. Westlake, associate professor of theatre studies in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. “But as a student, I didn’t know where to go to find information on it.”
When she began planning her sabbatical, Westlake decided to see what other opportunities might be available through the Fulbright program. She soon found herself consulting with Fulbright advising staff at the International Institute (II).
“The International Institute has done a great job getting the word out about the various opportunities available through the Fulbright program,” Westlake says. “Its staff was enormously helpful in providing information about the application process.”
Westlake currently is teaching American drama at the University of Bucharest in Romania. Her interest in the Bucharest arts scene was heightened by her friendship with Romanian puppet director Irina Nicolescu, whom she met through the II’s Center for World Performance Studies.
The Fulbright Scholar Program sends 800 U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year. These prestigious grants provide funding for recipients to lecture or conduct research abroad for periods of two to 12 months in 140 countries.
The 2011-12 U-M Fulbright Scholars, their home departments, the countries and universities where they are working or have worked, and their projects are:
• Stuart A. Batterman, professor of environmental health sciences, School of Public Health.
Lecturing and research fellowship — University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; April-July 2012; “Linking Public Health, Energy and Sustainability.”
• Henry Greenspan, lecturer IV in clinical psychology, Residential College, LSA.
Research fellowship — Concordia University, Montreal, Canada; January-April 2012; “Beyond Testimonies: Developing the Collaborative Model in Oral Histories With Genocide Survivors.”
• E.J. Westlake, associate professor of theatre studies, School of Music, Theater & Dance.
Lecturing fellowship — University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania; February-July 2012; lecturing on American drama pedagogy.
• Jacob Napieralski, associate professor of geology, UM-Dearborn.
Research fellowship — Geological Survey Department, Republic of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus; January-May 2012; researching soil and water conservation and outreach in Cyprus.
