Fullbright fellowships builds a bridge between OSU and the world

coordinator of the educational psychology program — at Columbia

Fulbright U.S. Student Grants were awarded to:

Grant Currier, English Teaching Assistant Award

Michael Yough sees his work tasks as a fun challenge and puzzle to solve, and the Fullbright U.S. Scholar Fellowship increased that feeling.

Two OSU faculty members and four OSU students were awarded the Fullbright Fellowship and will teach or conduct research abroad for the 2023-24 academic year.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is supported by the people of the U.S. and partner countries around the world.

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Fellowships (faculty) were awarded to:

Anne-Marie Condacse, professor of vocal studies —

Austria

Michael Yough, associate professor and program

Hungary

Sarah Kirk, English Teaching Assistant Award —

Germany

Abigail Lesnick, English Teaching Assistant Award —

Germany

Calvin Schaefer, Open Study/Research Award —

Morocco

Yough said he is looking forward to the work he will get done with the fellowship in Barranquilla, Colombia, where he will partner with teachers to understand how they relate to their students or understand student perspectives and the impact that has on student success.

“The idea is that teachers who are really good perspective takers can better support their students, and can better assess where their students are,” Yough said. “But ultimately, that’s kind of hard to determine whether a teacher is good at that or not, right? Ultimately, the student is the judge.”

Yough said he believes humans are in good spaces when they look to grow and develop and different experiences help him be who he is and the fellowship is a way to do just that.

“I really don’t think that anybody ever has to stop developing,” Yough said.

OSU President Kayse Shrum said this prestigious recognition in international education amplifies OSU’s scholars’ work to advance research and academic pursuits that impact society.

“Oklahoma State University is proud to have these outstanding faculty and students selected as Fulbright scholars,” Shrum said. “As a land-grant institution, OSU stewards a timeless responsibility to extend critical knowledge and expertise to our state, the nation and the world.

Randy Kluver, dean of OSU Global, said the Fulbright program is one of the premier intercultural exchange programs in the world and OSU increasing success in getting these awards shows the high quality of students and faculty at OSU.

Cara Menasco Eubanks, associate director of development at the OSU Foundation and former academic programs coordinator at the School of Global Studies, said OSU students and faculty stand out in the pool of other Fulbright applications because of our unique position as a land-grant university in middle America. “OSU students, especially those from Oklahoma and surrounding states, provide unique American experiences and insights that foreign audiences are not typically exposed to,” Eubanks said.

Eubanks said being a Fullbrighter impacts more than OSU, because as a Fullbrighter the person is serving as an ambassador to their home institution, their home state and their country.

Notable Fulbright alumni include 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients, 78 MacArthur Fellows, 62 Nobel Prize laureates and 41 who have served as a head of state or government.

The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program. In the U.S., the Institute of International Education supports the implementation of the Fulbright U.S. Student and Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, including conducting an annual competition for the scholarships.

Learn more about the Fulbright Program here.

Zoo...

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The zoo partnered with Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, a program started in 1999 to promote sustainable seafood purchasing and consumption. Zoo experts will be available during the World Oceans Day event to answer questions about sustainable seafood and how Oklahomans can join and benefit.

“By choosing sustainable seafood and learning more about the Seafood Watch program, you can have a direct positive impact on 70% of the planet,” according to the OKC Zoo. The zoo’s efforts to care for oceanic animals span beyond the education of its guests.

“As a leader in animal care and wellbeing, the Oklahoma City Zoo, has announced plans for its next expansion project, a new marine mammal habitat that will be home to the zoo’s California sea lions, harbor seals and potentially other species,” according to the OKC Zoo.

The new habitat will be in the eastern section of the park overlooking Zoo Lake and encompass 3.5 acres, including existing sites for the Zoo’s Noble Aquatic Center, which has been closed to guests since 2017. The project will repurpose the Pollinator Garden, but the zoo plans to establish additional pollinator gardens throughout the zoo to ensure habitats for native pollinators. news.ed@ocolly.com

The improved marine mammal habitat will include an outdoor amphitheater for educational presentations and caretaker chats, beach areas for the animals, “nose-to-nose” views of the sea lions and seals, an interactive sand area for kids, event space and more. An 8-foottall underwater viewing window will offer opportunities to watch sea lions and seals swim and glide through the water.

All event activities are free with regular zoo admission. Guests who can’t attend World Oceans Day in person are encouraged to tune in to Facebook for two live chats at 9:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. with expert caretakers.

The zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with the last entry at 4 p.m. Regular admission is $16 for adults and $13 for children ages 3-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free.

Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online at okczoo.org/ tickets.

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Global food security, or the Zero Hunger Goal, is OSU’s highest ranking at seventh globally.

“Our scientists focus on research, extension and academic programs that serve the needs of Oklahoma agriculture, food and natural resource sectors,” said Thomas Coon, vice president of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and dean of the Ferguson College of Agriculture. “Yet their impacts reach well beyond Oklahoma’s borders. It is heartening to see their impact ranking for food security continue to be in the top 10 universities evaluated from around the world.”

OSU’s dedication to global development started in the 1950s, when the president at the time, Henry G. Bennett, took a leave of absence from the university to head the Point IV program, an agency created to improve technological capacity in foreign countries.

Over the years, the university took on a number of vital and noteworthy projects, including founding an agricultural university and high school in Ethiopia, development projects in

Thailand, Brazil and Bangladesh and other projects around the globe.

“As a land-grant university, it’s our mission to solve society’s most pressing problems,” OSU President Kayse Shrum said. “In October of last year, we unveiled a systemwide university strategy that focuses on the intersection of our research strengths and society’s grand challenges. Our rankings in the UN Sustainable Development Goals are a testament to the work of our faculty, staff and students to address these needs in impactful ways.”

OSU’s current strategic plan calls for the university community to focus on four interdisciplinary “priority areas.” They are innovating to nourish the world, leading in aerospace innovation and application, enhancing human and animal health (One Health) and powering a growing world population sustainably and responsibly.

For more information on the rankings, the SDGs guidelines and OSU’s position within those goals, visit timeshighereducation.com or news. okstate.edu.