Meetings in Worldwide, as well as in Denver, Chicago & Houston

Many Fulbright scholars worldwide will be gathering this week for the Eid holiday, which represents the end of Ramadan and for Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year.  On behalf of FAST and its members, we send our wishes to our members worldwide.

DENVER: As part of the Eid celebrations, Eric Howard will be travelling to Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado to meet with visiting students from Libya, FAST members and friends on October 1-2, 2008.  While there, he will also meet with four institutions of higher education and Fulbrighters at six area businesses. We anticipate that FAST will be conducting additional programs in the Denver area in the coming year.

CHICAGO:  Each fall, the FAST board of directors holds a weekend retreat. Members, donors, and guests are invited to some of the activities in order to expand our outreach to Fulbright scholars and institutions. Activities during the November 14-16 retreat will be held at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Chicago, and local museums. Our lunch on Friday will be for around 30 people. Alumni and FAST friends interested in meeting with the board and FAST members should contact FAST as soon as possible. 

HOUSTON:  A famous Fulbright scholar will speak at a luncheon on Monday, October 6 at noon in the Ballroom of Americas at the Hilton Americas Houston - Dr. Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, who is one of the twelve humans to have walked on the moon.  His talk: "Questions About the Earth the Moon Told Us To Ask”.  The program is open to all – not just Fulbright scholars. The cost is $25, payable at the door.

The talk is part of a five day program "Celebrating the International Year of Planet Earth," hosted by several geology and soil science societies. They joined together for a joint meeting to highlight and stimulate discussions in areas of common interest across the diversity of disciplines and organizations represented by their members.  Thousands of scientists will be attending this unprecedented joint technical program featuring papers from all geological disciplines and the soil, agronomic, and crop sciences. 

 Seeking Your Input on These Projects

NURSING:  There are thousands of alumni in the health/medicine community, including many in nursing. Several leaders in the nursing community met at the second annual FAST conference, held in Panama in 2007. After the meeting, they approached FAST, asking for our help in advancing the nursing profession in the Middle East. This led to a workshop/ conference for nearly 100 people in Qatar in 2008, and FAST is now working on the next steps, such as research publications, legislative change and several multidisciplinary initiatives. We are now seeking researchers, collaborative institutional partners and funders to carry the project forward.

MARINE RESOURCES:  Many scientific disciplines address the ocean environment: geology, biology, chemistry, physics, climatology, law, regional planning, etc. At the request of one of our members, FAST was a sponsor of the June 2008 International Coral Reef Symposium, where we held a reception for dozens of Fulbrighters. This yielded fruitful discussions about marine conservation, climate change/coastal regions and coral reefs.  

ANTARCTICA:  An international summit on Antarctica will be held at the Smithsonian in November 2009, and FAST is working with the organizers on bringing a Fulbright delegation to this meeting, which has a focus on the intersection of science with policy and law.   

DIGITAL ARCHIVES:  In 2007, FAST partnered with UNESCO, the US National Science Foundation and the Government of Morocco to host a multinational workshop on digital archives for science, cultural preservation and education. A follow-up meeting was held for Morocco earlier this month, and FAST is now seeking partners for an international conference in 2009 focusing on the broader Mediterranean region.  

URBAN ENVIRONMENTS:  FAST partnered with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology & Research to host a unique conference on the Future of Cities, to be held in Singapore on October 21-22. Speakers include current or past senior researchers and managers from UN Population Program, the World Green Building Council, CEMEX (a leading cement company), Vestas (a leading wind-energy firm), Google, Microsoft, Nokia, and Sony.  Also government executives and academic experts from Singapore, El Salvador, Canada, USA and Australia. We have a strong media presence through our partners: Time Magazine, Scientific American and The Discovery Channel, and we are now seeking researchers, collaborative institutional partners and funders to carry these forward, perhaps through an experts meeting at our March 2009 conference in Macedonia. 

Suggestions as to how FAST can work with Fulbright scholars in the following disciplines are requested: (1) City Management & Long Term Planning: The Challenges for Global Metropolises of the Future, (2) Next Generation Networking: Wiring the Global Citizen (3) Futuristic Living Spaces: Where We Live, Work and Play (4) Engineering & Construction: Transportation and Water in the Next 50 Years and (5) Alternative Energy Usage: Powering our Future.

Services to Our Members

We are open to suggestions from our members and constituents. You know what is needed to advance work in your discipline. You also know the joy of interacting with fellow Fulbright scholars. Please consider the offer of your time or your services to help FAST grow and be an effective for advancing the Fulbright mission in your local community or in your professional community.  Send your ideas and requests to info@FulbrightAcademy.org

As an example, Carrie McIver, Fulbrighter working on the Charco del Ingenio - a nature preserve in the semi-arid drylands of San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico - is seeking other Fulbrighters to work with her on a conservation initiative for the botanical gardens and the historic town (which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site).  

A UNESCO World Heritage Site will also be the location for the Fulbright Academy's 4th Annual Conference. The town of Ohrid is one of the oldest human settlements in Europe. Built mainly between the 7th and 19th centuries, it has the oldest Slav monastery (St Pantelejmon) and more than 800 Byzantine-style icons dating from the 11th to the end of the 14th century. After those of the Tretiakov Gallery in Moscow, this is considered to be the most important collection of icons in the world.

The theme for our March 23-27 2009 Conference is "Small Places Can Change the World - economic development and innovation in smaller countries."  Abstracts for papers and panels can be submitted through the FAST website. (www.FulbrightAcademy.org). If you are interested in participating, please send your name to FAST, and we will add you to the conference update list.

 LINKS - FAST PROGRAMS & INFORMATION:

·         List of Upcoming Programs (FAST homepage)

·         Board of Directors – List of all directors

·         FAST Member Books

·         Institutional Members List

·         International Advisory Council – List of members (seeking nominations for more!)

·         Minorities in Science - $180,000 to FAST Press Release

·         Nursing, Health & Environment Workshop Results Press Release

·         Science Diplomacy Initiative: US-Libya Press Release

·         Video: FAST is a Blast !! (filmed at 2007 Conference)
 

LINKS - CONTRIBUTION OPTIONS:

·      Mail a check (click here for the address, or look to the bottom of this email)

·      Contribute Online with your credit card

·      Individuals who contribute $1,000 or more become members of the "Director's Circle"

·      Institutional memberships ($1,000 for corporations, $500 for higher education) 

·         Facebook - Fulbright Science & Technology 

·        Linked-In - Invite to join the Fulbright group

·         Xing - Invite to join Fulbright Alumni Around the World

[Note: this week's issue of the Economist Magazine discusses Linked-in & Xing - rating them as highly effective tools for business and social networking.