For Henry Hartzler, what started as a passion for both teaching and climate science eventually transformed into the opportunity of a lifetime. This August, he will be serving in the Peace Corps as an environmental education primary teacher in Nicaragua.

In December, 2016, a group of 12 UI faculty and students, led by Meena R. Khandelwal, an associate professor of anthropology and gender, women’s and sexuality studies at the University of Iowa, spent a month studying efforts to design and diffuse improved cookstoves in southern Rajasthan, India, thanks to a Fulbright-Hays GPA grant, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and supported by UI International Programs.

English courses that introduced Katherine Will to Spanish literature sparked her interest to develop her writing in two languages. As a language-learning assistant in Argentina, Will plans to use her Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to promote an appreciation for language and dialect diversity.

Samantha Westphal envisions starting a student health club in Argentina with her Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. Westphal also plans to promote peace and cultural exchange through education as a teaching assistant at teacher-training colleges.

A Fulbright U.S. Student Program Study/Research award will allow Scott Sulzener to conduct research critical to his dissertation on Protestant convents that existed in Germany more than a century ago. Sulzener plans to use his Fulbright grant to explore the intersection of gender and power in the German provinces.

Many different experiences with UI international students from China and Taiwan interested Kelsey O'Donnell to understand Taiwanese culture and language. She credits these deep relationships with providing new perspectives on life, education, and the world. With a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, O’Donnell plans to teach at local schools and volunteer with the Girl Scouts of Taiwan.

Hodna Nuernberg is a literary translator and voracious reader of North African literature. She is excited to expose students in Morocco to contemporary American authors and, in turn, become a more sensitive translator and advocate for Maghrebian literature.

Lisa Miles will travel throughout the Indonesian archipelago to study traditional beaten bark papermaking, printmaking, and natural dyeing still practiced in the region by contemporary artisans. She will create a series of one-of-a-kind bark paper artist books as a response to her experiences. To engage with the local community, she will offer free papermaking and bookbinding workshops to the public.

Recognizing that science, at its core, is an international effort, Nicholas McCarty will use his Fulbright Program Partnership Award grant to conduct research on a global stage and foster collaborations with European scientists in the United Kingdom. McCarty’s ultimate goal is to make intensive drug production processes much less expensive in an effort to expand access for cardiovascular disease patients.

The opportunity to decrease smoking rates in Romania and find creative ways to teach and engage with another culture are goals Jasmine Mangrum plans to achieve with her Fulbright Study/Research grant. The pharmacy/public health graduate also plans to integrate pharmacists into the global health workforce.