George Mason Celebrates Eight Fulbright Awards to Faculty Members

More than 800 individuals teach or conduct research abroad annually through the highly competitive Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, a program of the U.S. Department of State, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.

Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera

Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to conduct research and teach in Mexico as part of the Fulbright-García Robles Social Sciences and Humanities Program. Beginning in September, Correa-Cabrera will reside at El Colegio de a Frontera Norte in Tijuana, Mexico, where she will teach topics related to border issues, as well as conduct research on human smuggling and its impact on immigration policy and border security for a book she is writing on the topic.

 

Carolyn Drews-Botsch

Carolyn Drews-Botsch, a professor in the College of Public Health, received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award in Medical Sciences and will teach and conduct research with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) during fall 2024. She will collaborate with the faculty at RCSI on curriculum development for its new online master’s program in population health, particularly in epidemiologic methods. She will also conduct research on the impact of amblyopia, colloquially known as “lazy eye,” on children’s lives and health.

Amy Fowler

Amy Fowler, an associate professor in the College of Science, received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award to conduct research at the University of Turku in Finland. Working from July 2024 to January 2025, she will research an invasive crab species within the Archipelago Sea, located in the Baltic Sea, and complete field and laboratory experiments at the University of Turku’s Archipelago Research Institute. As part of the fellowship, Fowler will also teach a graduate-level course on invasive species in Scandinavia.

Chawky Frenn

Chawky Frenn, a painter and an associate professor in the School of Art of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, has received a Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award for research and teaching for the 2024-25 academic year. He will conduct international research on the role of art as a bridge between cultures while teaching studio art at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India. While abroad, Frenn will focus on creating his own art and collaborate with Banaras Hindu University’s faculty on art projects.

 

David J. Gerleman

David J. Gerleman, adjunct faculty in the Department of History and Art History at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to teach at the University of Debrecen in Hungary. An Abraham Lincoln expert and 19th-century American historian specializing in the Civil War era, he will teach two courses—Abraham Lincoln in American History and Memory, and U.S. Diplomatic History, 1776–1920—during his time in Hungary.

Jennifer Leeman

Jennifer Leeman, professor of Spanish linguistics in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences,  received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to teach and do research at the Universidad de Murcia in Spain. In the fall, she will lecture on topics in applied linguistics and sociolinguistics, as well as aid in the supervision of doctoral students. Leeman will also be working on an empirical study of language attitudes among international university students studying in Murcia, Spain.

 

Linda J. Mann

Linda J. Mann, executive director at the John Mitchell Jr. Project for History, Justice, and Race at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, received a Fulbright–Schuman European Union Affairs award to conduct research in the Netherlands and Belgium. This honor recognizes Mann’s dedication to advancing U.S.-EU transatlantic policy research, focusing on transitional justice. She will conduct research at the University of Amsterdam’s NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and the Human Rights Centre at the University of Ghent.

Risto Marttinen

Risto Marttinen, associate professor in the College of Education and Human Development, received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to conduct research in Finland. Beginning in January 2025, he will be collaborating with faculty at the University of the Arts Helsinki and the University of Jyväskylä to study the impact of the Harrastamisen Suomen Malli, also known as the Finnish Model for Leisure Activities, a program that guarantees a free out-of-school activity for every child in Finland.