May 12, 2010
Contact:
Elizabeth Klipp, 404-413-1356
University Relations
Renee DeGross Valdes, 404-413-1353
University Relations
ATLANTA - Three Georgia State University faculty and one graduate student will join the ranks of prestigious Fulbright Scholars, studying and conducting research abroad in 2010.
Professor Vijay Vaishnavi of the Department of Computer Information Systems in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to teach and conduct research at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology in Delhi, India.
Besides giving lectures and offering a course on design research methods in information technology, Vaishnavi will collaborate with the Institute's research groups on topics such as information management, data analytics and software engineering.
"The Fulbright award to Vaishnavi is well-deserved and a testament to his leading edge works in design science research," said GSU Regents' Professor Ephraim McLean, department chair of the Department of Computer Information Systems. "He is the co-author of a leading text in the field and will be continuing his research in this important area in India."
From Georgia State's School of Music, David Marcus, a visiting lecturer in music theory, received a Fulbright scholarship to spend the fall 2010 semester in Cairo, Egypt.
Marcus, who is fluent in Arabic, has been invited to teach jazz performance and music theory at Helwan University's Faculty of Music Education in Cairo, while doing research on the teaching of improvisation in Arabic music. He will teach at GSU again in the spring 2011 term and hopes to present Arabic music to the university community.
"This opportunity will enhance my teaching directly because I will have a greater understanding of Arabic music and more examples to present to my students," Marcus said. "It's also likely to lead to institutional connections and increased international dialogue within my discipline."
In addition, Robin Y. Huff, senior lecturer in German and French in GSU's Department of Modern and Classical Languages, received a Fulbright grant to participate this summer in a seminar in Germany on the topic, "The German Sozialstaat Re-Visited: A System in Turmoil."
The seminar will focus on how demographic developments in Germany are challenging its social security system, employment trends and political development, said Huff, who teaches international business to German majors at GSU. It will also include panel presentations by academics and policy makers and visits to relevant government and cultural centers in Berlin, Schwerin and Hamburg.
"This seminar will not only broaden my own perspectives and enrich my understanding of the current societal challenges, but through intellectual exchange with other participants, will also provide the opportunity for the sharing of ideas in curriculum across the disciplines," Huff said. "My overall goal is one of education, reeducation, and perhaps unlearning to allow for sustainable growth in my profession."
Phoenix Savage, a graduate student in the Georgia State's Fine Arts Program, also received a Fulbright award. Savage will study and create sculptures at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile, Ife, Osun State in Nigeria, as part of the U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program, beginning in March.
Georgia State art faculty have been impressed with Savage's work and say she is worthy of the award.
"She has been an industrious and ambitious graduate student in the sculpture area. One thing that makes her stand out is that she exhibits her work nationally," said Cheryl Goldsleger, academic director of the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design. "She is very professional in all she does."
Studying under three leading scholars and sculptors at Obafemi Awolowo University, Savage hopes to learn more about the traditional religion of the area's "Yoruba" people and research the indigenous art forms and traditions in development of a new body of sculptures.
"Beside this being an amazing opportunity for me, it can only improve my art by leaps and bounds," Savage said. "The enriching factors that will take place between me and the people I will bring back trustfully to the students I teach and share that cross pollination."
The Fulbright Program is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide. Approximately 1,500 U.S. students and 3,000 foreign students receive Fulbright scholarships each year.