The Fulbright Academy of Science & Technology (FAST) is an independent organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging Fulbright scholars and other leaders in partnerships that advance science and society. We help innovative ideas come to fruition by building ties, by supporting individual growth and by advocating for science and technology. It was established by alumni of the Fulbright Exchange Program.

The theme for the conference is the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. These goals call for global action in areas such as partnerships for development, environmental sustainability, health and education. We will discuss the work of Fulbright scholars in these four areas - approaching the issues from a variety of disciplines and cultural backgrounds.

Twenty-four countries will be represented at the Academy’s 2008 Conference: Australia, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Columbia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Singapore, Spain, St. Lucia, United Kingdom, and the United States.

The geographic diversity is due, in part, to the Academy’s successful request for a grant from Panama’s SENACYT –La Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación through the United Nations Development Program. The $10,000 was split into sixteen smaller awards, which provided free registration and/or up to $300 for accommodations to Fulbrighters in the region.

The purpose of the award is to build stronger ties among researchers in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Fulbright Commission in Mexico formally nominated several of their alumni for these awards, and so that country is well represented. Other attendees were nominated by their national Fulbright alumni organization or they self-nominated themselves.

In addition to attracting individual alumni (as well as some married couples), the conference attracted several groups of Fulbrighters. In each instance, one or two individuals were responsible for bringing the group together and creating a program that (we hope) will interest and inform the other attendees when we meet in three weeks. Some of these groups are outlined below.

Global Health Experts. Dr. Tanya Popovic is a Fulbrighter and the Chief Scientist (acting) at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and Dr. Marianne Hattar of Azusa Pacific University is chair of the expert panel on global health and nursing for the American Academy of Nursing. Their presence led to a strong showing by the health and medical community, with medical experts coming from countries such as Germany, Jordan, Israel and Pakistan, with the last one funded by the US Educational Foundation in Pakistan.

Education. About 40% of each year’s Fulbright grants are awarded to professors and established researchers at academic institutions (most of the rest go to graduate students, recent college graduates, teachers and administrators). Therefore, it is not surprising that the sessions on Excellence in Education would attract many interested speakers. Last year, we had four high-school and community-college teachers on the panel, and we are pleased that the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program will again be represented by Jennifer Nupp – the program director – and four of Fulbright exchange teachers.

Marine Conservation. The world’s oceans have been in the news recently – over-fishing, marine protected areas, and sea-level rise. Dr. Robert George of the George Institute for Biodiversity & Sustainability helped assemble a special workshop for the first day of the conference. This special program on Thursday will include speakers from Australia, Croatia, Mexico, Panama and the United States.

Partnerships for Development. The Millennium Development Goals recognize the importance of linkages among national and regional institutions. The lead presentation for this program is Mr. Philip Yeo, who has been instrumental in moving Singapore into a leading position in the world for scientific research and high-tech manufacturing. We also will have a presentation by Dr. Tom Wang, the Director for International Cooperation at the AAAS.

DNA, Forensics and Human Rights. Dr. Cindy Smith, a recent Fulbrighter to Turkey and Chief of the International Center at the National Institute of Justice, and Dr. Karl Reinhard, a member of our Board, were responsible for this group. Through the National Institute of Justice, the Fulbright Academy received $5,000 to support travel and accommodations for a group of experts on DNA research, and Dr. Reinhard was able to assemble a fascinating program on forensics through his connections in the entomology department at the University of Nebraska and as an advisor to the Nebraska Institute of Forensic Sciences.

Film. The fifth group is our film team. We have four professional filmmakers coming to the conference to interview participants and collect footage for a short documentary. The team is led by an American Fulbrighter to Israel, Ken Winikur, who recently created a one-hour show for the History Channel. He is joined by an assistant from his film company and by Erica Bagnarello, a Costa Rican filmmaker who earned her film degree as a Fulbrighter at Florida State University, and Thorin Meyer of the University of Nebraska. Their mission is to (1) create a permanent record of the meeting and (2) create a shorter piece that will help explain the Fulbright Academy and its mission to other audiences.

Registration is $400 for the four-day program, and discounts are available to students, members, employees of institutional members and people from low- and middle income countries. The deadline for registration is February 16.

February 12 - Washington, DC: “The Roles of Higher Education and Science & Technology in Building a Moderate Islamic Society” This program is hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy and the AAAS International Office in cooperation with The Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF). (Note: The Center of Science is headed by a Fulbrighter who was scheduled to be our keynote speaker last year in Berlin and the CRDF is one of the Academy’s newest institutional members.) Event Time: 4:00 PM. Event location: AAAS Auditorium, 1200 New York Ave, NW

February 17 – San Francisco, CA: “Career Development Workshop at the AAAS Annual Meeting” This workshop is sponsored by FAST and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), which administers some of the Fulbright exchanges. The speakers are Debra Egan, Assistant Director, Fulbright Scholar Program Sub-Saharan Africa and Western, and Catherine Myser, a recent Fulbrighter to Turkey and founder of a program for cross-cultural & international partnerships for democratic bioethics. Dr. Myser is taking the place of Eric Howard who is unable to attend due to a death in the family. Event time: 4:30 PM. Event location: AAAS Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

February 22 – International: “Internet discussion on the U.S.'s efforts to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic” A program on the Alumni.State.Gov website with Ambassador Jimmy Kolker, Deputy U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Director for Diplomatic Outreach in the Coordinator’s Office. Event Time: 9:30 am to 10:30 am EST (14:30 - 15:30 GMT). Event location: http://State.Alumni.Gov

The Academy's Board of Directors has unanimously agreed to hold our 2008 Conference in the Boston area. Our meeting will be held in conjunction with the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The theme for the AAAS meeting is “Science and Technology from a Global Perspective,” and we feel that the Fulbright alumni community can offer some very useful perspectives on this theme.

Our meeting will be distinct from the AAAS meeting, but co-registration will be possible so that FAST meeting attendees can also participate in the excellent programs that AAAS organizes. If FAST members would like to propose a symposium under the auspices of the AAAS meeting, the deadline for submissions is May 2. The deadline to propose a symposium or panel at the FAST Conference will be three months later – August 2.

The Fulbright Academy was started in 2003 by people like you, and at the end December 2006, we had individual and institutional members in 37 countries and 41 states and Washington, DC. Our 4th Annual Report, which covers the year 2006, has been posted on the "about us" section of our website.

FAST is a non-profit 501-c-3 membership-based organization that serves scientists, executives, and scholars worldwide. Our sponsors and supporters include individual and institutional members such as universities, corporations, government agencies and foundations. The Fulbright Academy is not affiliated with the US State Department, the US Fulbright Association or the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. We are independently funded, and so your support is very important to us.

By joining the Academy, you will be supporting our work - our conferences, the study committees, and our Fulbright Forums. You will receive invitations to special events, and we also help members link up with other Fulbrighters in their respective fields. Individual memberships start at $60, with reduced rates available for students, retired individuals and those living in low- and middle-income countries.

Institutions in the US and elsewhere are collaborating with the Academy on several projects and programs. As described above, these collaborations typically are funded by a grant or contract from a foundation or agency. The first step is in this process typically is joining as an individual or institutional member. Please join today.

As a fellow grantee of the Fulbright program (Germany '89), I look forward to having you as a member and participant.

Sincerely,

Mr. Eric S. Howard, Executive Director