Record Number of Northeastern Students Propose Fulbright Projects

October 11, 2017 | by Andrew Karas

An impressive cadre of globally minded, civically engaged Northeastern students and alumni have have proposed a record number of sophisticated, diverse, and consequential international projects for this year’s Fulbright Scholarship competition. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is America’s premier international exchange fellowship, with a mission to promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Through the Fulbright, awardees can study, conduct independent research, or teach English in over 140 countries worldwide. This year, Northeastern students and recent graduates applied to pursue projects around the world and across a wide field of endeavor — read on to learn about these exciting projects.

Fulbright Study-Research Proposals

Fulbright Study-Research grants allow recipients to undertake independent research projects or enroll for a graduate degree in another country.

Sami Berrada, Business Administration (Finance); French minor, DMSB ‘18
Berrada proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Business/Management while in France. They hope to complete a project related to the impacts of terrorism on financial markets.

Bridget Bunda, Health Science and Biology, Bouve ‘18
Bunda proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Public Health while in Botswana. They hope to investigate the use of patient education materials in HIV clinics as way to improve early diagnosis of cancer.

Ryan Chaffin, International Affairs, CSSH ‘18
Chaffin proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Political Science while in Jordan. They hope to explore the relationship between tribal group identity and state institutional resiliency in the Kingdom.

Caroline Fried CSSH ’17 is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Asia Pacific studies at Chengchi University in Taiwan as a Fulbright Scholar. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Celene Chen, Economics; Women’s Gender Sexuality Studies minor, CSSH ‘18
Chen proposed to undertake a Fulbright Partnership Award project in Economics while in the United Kingdom. They hope to perform a case study on the UK’s financial disintegration from the global economy and impacts to the region’s economic stability while pursuing an MSc in Economics at the University of Warwick.

Christina Chen, Theatre Performance, CAMD ‘18
Chen proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Theater Arts while in the United Kingdom. They hope to complete a Master’s in Acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Mary Chen, International Affairs and Political Science; Criminal Justice minor, CSSH ‘18
Chen proposed to undertake a Fulbright Partnership Award project in International Relations while in the United Kingdom. They hope to pursue the one-year MSc in Security Studies at University College London, studying and researching multilateral solutions to transborder crime to improve domestic and international security policy.

Alicia Cook, NUSL ‘18
Cook proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Law while in Kosovo. They hope to examine the domestic influence of the Hague’s new tribunal through a comparative analysis of national and foreign aid perspectives, and a quantitative measurement of the domestic rule of law.

Alexandra Doudera, Marine Biology, COS ‘18
Doudera proposed to undertake a Fulbright Anne Wexler-Public Policy project in Environmental Studies while in Australia. They hope to complete a Master’s of Environment and Sustainability program at Monash University in Melbourne, focusing on sustainable coastal development.

Caitlin Ferguson, Communication Studies; Global Social Entrepreneurship, International Affairs minors, CAMD ‘13
Ferguson proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Interdisciplinary Studies while in the Kyrgyz Republic. They propose to study the social and environmental impacts of solid waste management (SWM) in Kyrgyzstan, with the goals of both documenting the impacts of SWM and recommending a scalable model to sustainably manage waste for a climate-resilient future in the mountainous country.

Carlos Fuentes, Mechanical Engineering and Physics, COE/COS ‘18
Fuentes proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Engineering while in Australia. They hope to earn a research-based Master of Engineering at Queensland University of Technology, focusing on the computer vision sensors used by robotic manipulation systems. The project would explore the effectiveness of 2D/3D sensor fusion from both global-sensing and local-sensing perspectives, combined with optical flow tracking, in autonomous manipulation.

Sarah Sherman, COS ’17, is evaluating the link between improvements in pathology labs and timely cancer diagnoses as a Fulbright Scholar in Botswana. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Mason Gersh, International Affairs and Political Science, CSSH ‘18
Gersh proposed to undertake a Fulbright Partnership Award project in International Relations while in the United Kingdom. They hope to pursue graduate study through the London School of Economics’ MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies, with the aim of becoming a humanitarian capable of addressing diverse needs in emergency settings.

Ian Kos, Mechanical Engineering, COE ‘18
Kos proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Energy while in Chile. They hope to create an education program to teach members of rural communities in Chile how to operate and maintain a compact renewable energy system developed by Dr. Alex Flores Maradiaga in Valparaiso, Chile.

Rayyan Mikati, Visual Design: Applications to Organismal Biology, CAMD ‘18
Mikati proposed to undertake a Fulbright Partnership Award project in Art and Architectural History while in the United Kingdom. They hope to pursue a Master’s degree in Conservation of Fine Art at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle, a program that enables specialization in works of art on paper.

Benjamin Moran, Marine Biology, COS ‘18
Moran proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Biology while in Germany. They hope to analyze whole genomes from six species of hamlet fishes (genus Hypoplectrus) to create a marine model for species divergence, working under Dr. Oscar Puebla, the world expert in hamlet genomics, at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

Mary Morrison, Mechanical Engineering, COE ‘18
Morrison proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Law while in Belgium. They hope to earn the Master of Space Studies degree at KU Leuven.

Tara Mou, International Affairs and Economics, CSSH ‘18
Mou proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Energy while in Rwanda. They propose research on the economic sustainability of off-grid renewable energy technologies and their related funding initiatives by way of stakeholder interviews and a targeted consumer feedback survey.

Nicholas Napolio, Political Science, CSSH ‘18
Napolio proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Political Science while in South Africa. They hope to study the performance of South Africa’s mandatorily representative bureaucracy.

Amy Romanello, Behavioral Neuroscience, COS ‘18
Romanello proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Interdisciplinary Studies while in the Czech Republic. They hope to investigate more effective mental health interventions for addiction.

Daniel Russotto, Computer Science, minors in English and Philosophy, CCIS ‘18
Russotto proposed to undertake a Fulbright Human Science & Tech project in Business/Management while in Spain. They hope to complete the Master’s in Business Analytics and Big Data at Instituto de Empresa.

Kelsey Burhans, CSSH ’16, received a Fulbright Scholarship to research barriers to financial inclusion in Bolivia and Peru. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Hannah Sattler, Sociology; Political Science, International Affairs, Urban Studies minors, CSSH ‘18
Sattler proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Political Science while in Germany. They hope to highlight international impact on post-atrocity areas and develop comprehensive atrocity reactive procedures, a gap in international policy.

Amanda Schwartz, Political Science and Communication Studies, CSSH ‘18
Schwartz proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in International Relations while in the United Kingdom. They hope to complete one year, post-graduate degree in Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of Birmingham.

Christopher Tannock, Electrical Engineering and Mathematics, COE ‘18
Tannock proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Engineering while in Germany. They hope to complete Master of Science in Communication Engineering degree at TU Munich.

Gabrielle Ulubay, History, CSSH ‘18
Ulubay proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Cultural and Intellectual History while in Ireland. They hope to complete the M.Phil. in Public History & Cultural Heritage at Trinity College Dublin.

Olivia Van Benschoten, Behavioral Neuroscience, COS ‘18
Van Benschoten proposed to undertake a Fulbright Open Study-Research project in Public Health while in the United Kingdom. They hope to complete a Master’s of Public Health degree at the University of Aberdeen.

Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Proposals

Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships allow recipients to spend a year teaching English, sharing insights into American culture, and engaging with local host communities.

Esther Laaninen, CSSH ’16, spent a Fulbright year teaching English and contributing to violence prevention efforts in Colombia. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Olivia Allen, International Affairs; Business Administration and Social Entrepreneurship minors, CSSH ‘18
Allen proposed to teach English in Colombia.

Raevan Henderson, Human Services and Criminal Justice, CSSH ‘18
Henderson proposed to teach English in Vietnam.

Matthew Kokkinos, Political Science and International Affairs, CSSH ‘18
Kokkinos proposed to teach English in Greece.

Anika Krause, English, CSSH ‘18
Krause proposed to teach English in Spain.

Vera Lee, International Affairs; Spanish minor, CSSH ‘18
Lee proposed to teach English in Colombia.

Deborah Pano, Chemical Engineering, COE ‘18
Pano proposed to teach English in Italy.

Michelle Reichman, Political Science and International Affairs; Chinese, History minors, CSSH ‘18
Reichman proposed to teach English in Taiwan.

Lila Sevener, Political Science and Environmental Studies; French Minor, COS ‘18
Sevener proposed to teach English in Thailand.

Nina Angeles CSSH ’15 used her Fulbright Scholarship to study social enterprise among refugees in Jordan. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Saloni Shah, Biology and Psychology, COS ‘18
Shah proposed to teach English in India.

Marta Surrillo, Biology, COS ‘18
Surrillo proposed to teach English in Vietnam.

Alexander Vanarthos, Business Administration (Entrepreneurship and Finance), DMSB ‘18
Vanarthos proposed to teach English in Colombia.

Alexander Velto, Criminal Justice & Psychology; Chinese minor, CSSH ‘18
Velto proposed to teach English in Taiwan.

Michelle Yang, Political Science and Business Administration, CSSH and DMSB ‘18
Yang proposed to teach English in Taiwan.

Amy Zhao, Chemical engineering; Writing minor, COE ‘18
Zhao proposed to teach English in Thailand.