Eleven U students nominated as semi-finalists for Fulbright awards for 2023-24
The national Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department, has selected 11 University of Utah students as semi-finalists this year, a record number for the U. Last year’s total of 10 semi-finalists was also a record number. This year’s list has eight undergraduate students and three graduate students, including five English Teaching Assistant semi-finalists, two Study semi-finalists (seeking an M.A. degree) and four Research Grant semi-finalists. Countries include Germany, Taiwan, Spain, Czech Republic, Vietnam, Croatia, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Canada and Greece.
Making it to the semi-finalist round is a significant accomplishment in the Fulbright competition and means that the applications have been forwarded by the Fulbright National Screening Committee to the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in the host country for final review. Finalists will be notified later this spring, with the timing of notifications varying by country.
University of Utah’s 2023-24 Fulbright semi-finalists:
Evie Atkinson, Ph.D., literature and creative writing, Fulbright Research Award to Croatia. Evie’s research is entitled “Oral Histories and Futures: Building a Speculative Novel with Trans Croatians.” She will write a verse novel (a novel written in poetry) that makes creative use of interview responses from trans Croatians, with the stated intention of imagining alternative trans futures in Croatia.
Rilie Atkinson, B.S., peace and conflict studies, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to the Czech Republic.
Susan Burnap, B.F.A., modern dance, Fulbright Study Award to the United Kingdom. She seeks a graduate degree from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire. Her project is entitled “Dance Science Creates Healthy Performers” in which her degree focuses on how biomechanics, physiology, and psychology relate to dance in order to improve the overall health of dance professionals.
Corinne Clarkson, M.A., Latin American studies, Fulbright Research Award to Portugal. This research project (“Three Generations of Female Political Attitudes in Portugal’s Democratic State”) will analyze how Portuguese women’s political attitudes have evolved since Portugal transitioned from an authoritarian regime to a democracy. This unique position of having three generations of women raised in the same family yet in radically different political environments promises to reveal interesting and potentially groundbreaking patterns about democracy and gender equality.
Vasiliki Karahalios, M.A., art history, Fulbright Research Award to Greece. For this project (“From Classicism to Contemporary: Greek Art Today”), Vasiliki will explore how living Greek artists negotiate the contemporary era through the context of antiquity. Her proposed research involves two central questions: How do artists use the Classical period to grapple with modern ideas about national and cultural identity? How does such art define contemporary Greek subjecthood?
Jens Nilson, B.A./B.S., health, society & policy, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to Taiwan.
Nolan Phan, B.S., finance, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to Vietnam.
Anna Tang, B.S., applied mathematics, Fulbright Research Award to Germany. Anna’s project (“Mathematical Models to Understand Cancer Heterogeneity in Acute Myeloid Leukemia”) will explore the cancer cell population heterogeneity and mutational landscape of acute myeloid leukemia using mathematical oncology.
Leila Tatarevic, B.S., psychology and political science, English Teaching Assistant to Croatia.
Sarthak Tiwari, B.S., biomedical engineering, Fulbright Study Award to Canada. Sarthak seeks a master’s degree in molecular genetics from the University of Toronto and to conduct research on “Using Artificial Intelligence to Advance the Field of Genomics and Personalized Medicine.”
Nina Zavala Gonzalez, B.S., psychology and economics, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to Spain.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. The program currently awards approximately 1,900 grants annually in all fields of study and operates in more than 140 countries worldwide.
The Fulbright Program at the U is sponsored by the Office for Global Engagement and the Graduate School. For more information, students can contact Howard Lehman, Director of the Fulbright Program.