Description:

In this presentation, Dr. Nishi Rajakaruna (Fulbright US Scholar and Alumni Ambassador, and Professor of Botany at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo) will discuss the Fulbright US Scholar Program and the process of applying for Fulbright grants. Postdoctoral fellows, early to late career faculty from community colleges, liberal arts colleges and more research-focused universities, as well as botanists from state and federal agencies and the private sector (including retired and emeriti faculty and independent applicants with no US institutional affiliation), are all eligible for Fulbright US Scholar Awards and are encouraged to attend the session. Dr. Rajakaruna will give a short summary of his times as a Fulbright US Scholar, discuss opportunities for teaching and research in botany through the Fulbright US Scholar Program, and share his approach to the application process. Dr. Rajakaruna has taught botany for 20 years and received two Fulbright US Scholar Awards, to Sri Lanka and South Africa, as well as two Fulbright Regional Travel Program Grants, to India and Madagascar. During his Fulbright awards, he established long-term studies with his host country collaborators on the diversity and ecology of plants and lichens growing on understudied serpentinite rock outcrops and other ‘harsh’ soils, taught a course on Geoecology, and gave guest lectures in botany and ecology courses. He also visited high schools and universities across his host countries to share his research on rock outcrop plants and to promote opportunities for higher education and research in the United States. Since his Fulbright experiences, he has focused his efforts on promoting opportunities for cultural and educational exchange among his students and colleagues and in his professional circles and is excited to share his experiences as a Fulbright US Scholar with members of the Botanical Society of America. More information on Fulbright US Scholar Awards can be found here: https://www.fulbrightprogram.org/.

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