UC Recipients of Prestigious Fulbright Awards Make an Impact around the World

The newest University of Cincinnati recipients of the distinguished Fulbright Awards for teaching and research are making traveling plans to Europe, South America and Africa.

The Fulbright Program sponsors U.S. and foreign participants for exchanges in all areas of scholarship – from science, technology, engineering and medical (STEM) fields to business, education and the arts – to build bridges of understanding and expertise between U.S. scholars and the people of other countries. 

The Fulbright Program

lists among its alumni the largest number of Nobel Prize laureates of any educational program in the world.

UC Faculty Awarded Fulbrights for 2014-15

The Fulbright Specialist Program sends U.S. faculty and professionals to serve as expert consultants on curriculum, faculty development, institutional planning and related subjects at overseas academic institutions.

Richard Beck,

a UC associate professor of geography in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), received a Fulbright Specialist Award. He is studying gorillas in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. Beck made his first trip in March and will return in December and January.

Ephraim Gutmark

, an Ohio Eminent Scholar and UC distinguished professor of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS), is the recipient of a Fulbright Specialist Award.

During his visit to the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, he will provide the keynote lecture at the Fifth International and 41st National Conference on Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power in Kanpur, India. The conference explores state-of-the-art topics related to fluid mechanics and fluid power.

Marianne Lewis

, associate dean of undergraduate education and director of the Marvin P. Kolodzik Business Scholars program in the Carl H. Lindner College of Business, will conduct research in Cambridge, England, at the Cardiff Business School and the London Business School.

UC awardees of the 2014-15 Fulbright U.S. Student Program

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers fellowships for U.S. graduating college seniors, graduate students, young professionals and artists to study, conduct research and/or teach English abroad.

Michelle Dietz,

a recent graduate of A&S, was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Germany. Her master’s research focused on German Holocaust memoirs.

Trishia Mudd,

a recent graduate of the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH), was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to the Czech Republic.

Cheryl Nachbauer

, an alumna of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), was awarded a Fulbright Student Study/Research Grant to Chile.

Fotina Naumenko

, a UC alumna (MM, 2012) and a musical arts doctoral candidate in the College-Conservatory of Music’s (CCM) voice studies program, will spend the 2014-15 academic year in St. Petersburg, Russia, for her Fulbright project. A soprano of Russian descent, Naumenko has long dreamed of reconnecting with her heritage while pursuing her passion for Russian art, song and opera. She will spend her time in St. Petersburg developing a program to aid American singers in learning how to sing in Russian. Her goal is to make Russian music more accessible for American singers, thereby increasing the performance of Russian music in the U.S. and helping to build cultural connections between the two countries.

Cincinnati Smart: UC’s Office of Nationally Competitive Awards

Pam Person, director of the UC Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, says 10 UC students were finalists for the 2014-15 Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Applicants for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program may be graduating seniors or recent graduates, master’s degree and doctoral students, or young professionals.

The Fulbright Scholar Program is under the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program now operates in more than 155 countries worldwide. Every year, roughly 1,600 U.S. students, 4,000 foreign students, 1,200 U.S. scholars and 900 visiting scholars receive awards, in addition to several hundred teachers and professionals.

Arkansas Sen.  J. William Fulbright, the longest serving chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the legislation creating the program, which was unanimously passed by the U.S. Senate in 1946.

UC students interested in awards such as the Fulbright Awards can find out more about those awards and additional scholarship opportunities through

UC’s Office of Nationally Competitive Awards

. The office not only serves as a resource for these national awards, but also supports students as they navigate the application process.