This year’s nine student and three faculty Fulbright winners, along with 13 deferred awardees from 2020–21, will teach and conduct research in more than a dozen countries around the world during the 2021–22 academic year.
The nine new University of Iowa students and alumni from a range of creative, academic, and scientific fields were chosen from more than 11,000 students nationally to receive a prestigious Fulbright award to conduct research, teach English, or undertake creative projects abroad in 2021–22.
Additionally, three UI faculty members (Christopher Merrill, director of the International Writing Program; Marian Muste, a research engineer and adjunct professor in the College of Engineering; and Jane Gilotti, professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences) and 13 deferred Fulbright awardees from 2020–21 are scheduled to go abroad in 2021–22.
Fewer Fulbright awards were issued this year due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and deferrals for awards given for 2020–21.
For the sixth consecutive year in 2020–21, the UI was named a top-producing institution of Fulbright students nationally. During that six-year period, nearly 100 UI students received awards to more than 30 different countries, supported by faculty and staff mentors with world region and country expertise. The UI tied for 12th place in the country nationally for its 24 winners in 2020–21.
“The UI and International Programs are especially proud of this year’s Fulbright recipients, as their awards display patience and determination in the face of COVID-19,” says Russ Ganim, associate provost and dean of International Programs, which oversees the university’s Fulbright programs. “These newest members of the UI Fulbright family were undaunted by the obstacles imposed by the pandemic and their persistence was rewarded in prestigious placements to teach and conduct research all over the world. We wish them every success as the latest ambassadors of Iowa’s commitment to global education.”