UF faculty, staff members use Fulbright grants for teaching, research

March 10, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Two University of Florida faculty members and one former staff member have been awarded Fulbright Scholar grants to study and conduct research overseas this year.

Mark Thurner, an associate professor of history and anthropology, is in Peru researching the country’s museums. He will also lead a graduate seminar at Lima’s San Marcos University on history and memory.

Shibu Jose, an associate professor of forest ecology, is spending this spring in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he is teaching forest ecology to seniors in environmental management and conducting research in the conservation of biodiversity at the Independent University of Bangladesh.

Thomas Halasz, a former associate director at UF’s Career Resource Center, is doing research in Germany as part of the Fulbright International Education Administrators Program.

The recipients are three of about 800 U.S. faculty and professionals that the Fulbright Program sends to universities around the world. The program also makes it possible for about 800 international faculty and professionals to study in American universities and contribute to U.S. research projects.

“The Fulbright scholars program has never been more relevant to the University of Florida,” UF Provost Joseph Glover said. “Participants in the program provide us with a remarkably enhanced global perspective that strengthens our ability to do research and teach on this campus.”

In addition to sending three scholars abroad, UF is hosting six Fulbright scholars from other countries.

Viktor Cerny of the Czech Republic is a courtesy associate professor in UF’s anthropology department. He is studying DNA to trace early human migration between Africa and South Arabia.

Petr Rumpel, also of the Czech Republic, is the head of the department of social geography and regional development at Ostrava University. Rumpel is conducting research with geography professor Grant Thrall at UF.

Liva Gabrane is a doctoral candidate at the University of Latvia in Riga. Gabrane is researching leadership with UF management professor Timothy Judge.

Nasr Hassan, of Egypt, is a lecturer at Assiut University. Hassan’s research is in botany.

Anastasia Kalyuta is a senior researcher at the Russian Museum of Ethnography in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She is conducting research in UF’s anthropology department.

Maria Castro is a senior teaching assistant at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. She is researching in UF’s chemistry department.