Fulbright Forum - Newsletter of the
Fulbright Academy - December 2009
I am pleased to share with you the
final 2009 issue of the Fulbright Academy of Science &
Technology (FAST) newsletter. -- Eric Howard, Executive Director
Contents
* Update on FAST Conference on
Sustainability
* First Fulbright Film Festival, organized by
FAST
* Other Upcoming Events
* News From the Community /
Action Items
Fifth Annual Conference - San Francisco -
March 11-14
More than fifty Fulbrighters will
give presentations about their work during the FAST Fifth Annual
Conference: Sustainability: Fulbright Scholars
Shaping Tomorrow's Future Today.
Coming from countries such as Brazil, Belgium,
Germany, India, Sweden, and Kenya, these current grantees and alumni are
researchers, professors, and senior executives at universities,
government agencies and corporations, and they will to share their
unique expertise and their ideas with other members of the Fulbright
alumni community. In the discussions, we will hear and share new
perspectives from the diverse group of multi-disciplinary and
multi-national participants.
The six
major topic areas at the conference are Energy, Natural
Resources, Government & Policy, Media & Communications,
Architecture & Urban Planning, and Research. The program also
includes full-day "Sunday Seminars"; the executive education
professional development seminars will lead to specific
recommendations and alumni collaborations on (1) Sustainability, (2)
Entrepreneurism, and (3) Global Health. A fourth group will be
addressing the expansion of the Fulbright Academy.
The variable registration
fee ($150-$450) makes the conference accessible to the full
range of Fulbrighters, and FAST has negotiated a discounted rate of
$129/night. The Hilton Hotel is the lead host for the 2010
Conference. As at prior conferences, our program includes
visits to other sites, such as the Golden Gate National Recreation
Area/Crissy Field Center, the
David Brower Center, the San
Francisco Cable Car Museum, the Delancey Street Foundation,
the Marine Mammal Center, the
Museum of African Diaspora, and the California Academy of Sciences.
If you can not participate, please support
the program with an on-line donation. Your $75 donation gives
a free one-day registration to a young Fulbrighter, or $300 for all
four days. Monsanto Corporation is
an Ambassador Level Sponsor of the conference, and several
businesses and universities at sponsors at lower levels. For the
current list of sponsors, please visit the conference's home page.
Film Festival
In
conjunction with FAST's Fifth Annual Conference in San Francisco,
FAST is hosting the First International Film Festival
dedicated to films made by Fulbrighters. More than a
dozen films, shorts and animations will be shown (about one-third of
the submissions), and the program includes audience discussions with
some of the directors. (Details about the Film Festival)
This year's festival
focuses on films relating to Sustainability (broadly defined). The
films cover topics such as farming in Montana, destruction of
nuclear weapon sites, illegal immigration, poverty in Brazil and
Africa, shaman healers, and restoration of rivers.
The festival is led by a
steering committee of distinguished alumni, and we hope that it will
be an annual event. FAST also will work with institutional members
who wish to show selected films at their campus.
Other Upcoming Events
January 20-21, Washington,
DC:
Earlier this year, FAST
participated in the second meeting of the AAAS Science &
Human Rights Coalition. This Coalition is a network of
scientific membership organizations that recognizes a role for
science and scientists in efforts to realize human rights. Launched
in January 2009, the aim of the Coalition is to facilitate
communication and partnerships on human rights within and across the
scientific community, and between the scientific and human rights
communities. The third meeting is in Washington, DC on January
20-21, 2010 (click here for details). If you wish to
participate with other Fulbrighters, please respond to this email.
There is not cost to attend.
January 20-22, San
Francisco, CA:
To spread the word about the
upcoming conference, FAST is organizing two networking events in San
Francisco in January. The events will be similar to the after-work
receptions that are held on a regular basis at sites around the
world and the "Distinguished Alumni Luncheons" held each fall with
the board of directors. If you
are in the Bay Area and wish to attend, please respond to this
email.
In April at Fairleigh
Dickinson University, New Jersey
FAST is working with the Institute
for Sustainable Enterprise at FDU on a day-long forum on
Human Values & Sustainability. The
forum will bring in speakers from the business and academic
community, including many Fulbrighters. If you wish to participate, please respond
to this email.
In April at the University
of Denver, Colorado
FAST is working with the
University on a Forum on International
Research. The forum will bring in Fulbright speakers
from the business and academic community. The target audience is
students, post-docs and younger faculty at UD and other academic
institutions as well as interested members of the public in the
greater Denver area. If you
wish to participate, please respond to this email.
Reminder
Most FAST activities are initiated
by FAST members. If you would like to help lead a forum, conference
or research initiative in partnership with FAST, please contact Eric
Howard, FAST's Executive Director. Expected program areas for 2010
and 2011 include Sustainability, Global Health, Entrepreneurism,
Counterfeiting, and Access to Digital
Information.
News from the Community / Action
Items
FAST mentions the following two
items in the newsletter as a reminder that our definition of
"science" includes social sciences, and therefore we cover topics
such as political science and economic migration.
- Germany's leading
foreign affairs periodical is now offering exclusive and
timely new articles online (and published in English).
IP-Global Edition is published by the German Council on Foreign
Relations. (Check it out)
- The Nation Magazine
published an essay
by Fulbrighter Laila Lalami titled "The New Inquisition" about the
spate of gloom-and-doom books on Muslim immigrants in Europe. (Click here for the article)
The Journal of Educational
Administration and Policy Studies (JEAPS) is a new monthly
multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal dedicated to increasing the
depth of the subject across disciplines with the ultimate aim of
expanding knowledge of the subject. JEAPS is seeking qualified
researchers to join its editorial team as editors, subeditors or
reviewers. Kindly send your resume to JEAPS@acadjourn.org. Academic
Journals (http://www.academicjournals.org/JEAPS)
"Change Your Climate, Change Our
World" is the theme of ExchangesConnect's Second Annual
Video Contest. In a video no longer than two minutes, tell
what you or somebody you know is doing to make your community a
better place, and in the process contributing to a healthier, safer,
cleaner, and more peaceful world for all of us. The winner receives
an all-expense-paid international exchange program. ExchangesConnect
(http://connect.state.gov)
is managed by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the
U.S. Department of State. People from all over the world, ages 14
and older, are invited to submit their videos to ExchangesConnect
from November 17, 2009, through January 12, 2010.
The White House has
launched a "Public Access Policy Forum" to invite
public participation in thinking through what the Federal
government's policy should be with regard to public access to
published federally funded research results. Currently, the National
Institutes of Health require that research funded by its grants be
made available to the public online at no charge within 12 months of
publication. The Administration is seeking views as to whether this
policy should be extended to other science agencies and, if so, how
it should be implemented.
To that end, there is an
interactive, online discussion and blog at www.whitehouse.gov/open
and will be open for comment on the OSTP blog at
blog.ostp.gov.
- Implementation (Dec. 10 to 20):
Which Federal agencies are good candidates to adopt Public Access
policies? What variables (field of science, proportion of research
funded by public or private entities, etc.) should affect how
public access is implemented at various agencies, including the
maximum length of time between publication and public release?
- Features and Technology (Dec.
21 to Dec 31): In what format should the data be submitted in
order to make it easy to search and retrieve information, and to
make it easy for others to link to it? Are there existing
digital standards for archiving and interoperability to maximize
public benefit? How are these anticipated to change?
- Management (Jan. 1 to Jan. 7):
What are the best mechanisms to ensure compliance? What would be
the best metrics of success? What are the best examples of
usability in the private sector (both domestic and international)?
Should those who access papers be given the opportunity to comment
or provide feedback?
About
FAST
FAST is a non-partisan, non-profit
organization that serves Fulbright scholars and alumni -
executives, educators, and researchers worldwide. This monthly
bulletin is sent directly to over 5,000 people. In 2009, FAST worked
on contracts funded by the US-Egypt Science & Technology Fund
and the US National Science Foundation, and FAST received major
support from Monsanto, Seavus, Google, the Hungarian Academy of
Sciences, and Saints Cyril & Methodius University.
FAST members and sponsors include
individuals and institutions such as universities, corporations,
government agencies and foundations. Membership is open to
institutions that support the FAST mission and to individual
Fulbright scholars and alumni, hosts of scholars and friends of the
Fulbright program.
FAST is an independent non-profit
organization. Because FAST is not affiliated with or funded by the
Fulbright Exchange Program or the US Fulbright Association,
partnerships and member
contributions are critical to FAST's continued success.
Please learn
more about the work of the Fulbright Academy by visiting our
website: www.FulbrightAcademy.org
If you have questions about
institutional or individual membership, please call FAST at
207-799-3098 or respond to this email.
Sincerely,
Eric Howard
Executive Director
