Georgia State Faculty in Applied Linguistics, History, Named Fulbright U.S. Scholars for 2022-23

ATLANTA — Georgia State University is pleased to announce that Viviana Cortes, associate professor of Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language, and Allen Fromherz, professor of Middle Eastern, Gulf, and Mediterranean History, have received Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards in applied linguistics and in history, respectively, for the 2022-23 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Cortes, who is also associate director for Intercultural Communication and English as a Second Language (ESL) at Georgia State's Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Online Education (CETLOE), and Fromherz, who is also director of Georgia State’s Middle East Studies Center, are among over 800 U.S. citizens who will conduct research and/or teach abroad for the 2022-23 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

Fulbrighters engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad. As Fulbright Scholar alumni, their careers are enriched by joining a network of thousands of esteemed scholars, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Fulbright alumni include 61 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients, and 40 who have served as a head of state or government.

The faculty members plan to pursue the following research projects:

• Cortes will travel to Sao Paulo, Brazil in the spring to conduct a study on the teaching of English for academic purposes (EAP) at the Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP). The study will focus on three different types of EAP programs: a reading comprehension program, an academic multi-skills program, and a program with English as a medium of instruction (EMI). The core of the study is to describe the effectiveness of these programs as perceived by students and faculty at the university.
• Fromherz will conduct research this fall in partnership with his sponsor, Professor Bárbara Boloix-Gallardo, at the University of Granada, Spain. His topic is the life and times of the prolific writer, polymath, plague doctor, historian, general, and poet Lisan ad-Din ibn al-Khatib (d. 1374 C.E.). Ibn al-Khatib lived and worked in Granada's famed Alhambra Palace, writing poetry that ornamented its walls.

“As an urban research university connected to a diverse, international city, we are honored and incredibly proud of our Fulbright faculty,” said Nicolle Parsons-Pollard, Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. “The support through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program will allow them to engage in the research and scholarship that can only be accomplished through meaningful international collaborations.”

Georgia State is also welcoming its first-ever Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence. The Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence program allows U.S. colleges and universities to host academic professionals from outside of the U.S for up to a full academic year. These Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence may teach, develop curriculum, or study abroad and exchange partnerships, bringing a unique international touch to the institution.

• Aline de Souza Pagnussat, associate professor and leader of the Research Group in Movement Analysis and Neuromuscular Rehabilitation (GNeR) at UFCSPA, the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Brazil, will join the Department of Physical Therapy in the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions in 2022-23. Read more at https://news.gsu.edu/2022/05/27/lewis-college-physical-therapy-to-host-georgia-states-first-fulbright-scholar-in-residence/.

“Whether abroad or here in Atlanta, the faculty supported by the Fulbright Program will truly increase international engagement and understanding at Georgia State,” Parsons-Pollard added. “I look forward to seeing the results of their collaborations and scholarly work.”

Separately from the faculty Fulbright U.S. Scholars and Scholars-in-Residence, the university also recently announced the selection of three students, with two alternates, for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Student Program grants provide funding support for recent college graduates and current graduate students to live abroad while teaching English, conducting independent research, or studying at the graduate level.

The three selectees for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program will teach English abroad:

• Daria Dozier, Colombia
• Kristin Hemingway, Rwanda
• Emily Wilson, Spain

Alternates include:

• Dylan Fisher, who is a semifinalist for a research grant in the Netherlands
• Yasmina Dagher, who is a semifinalist to become an English teaching assistant in Belgium

More information about the students, including their majors, academic backgrounds and goals, is available at https://news.gsu.edu/2022/06/07/georgia-state-fulbright-winners-to-teach-english-in-colombia-rwanda-spain/.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program.

For over 75 years, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants - chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential - with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to challenges facing our communities and our world. More than 800 U.S. scholars, artists, and professionals from all backgrounds teach or conduct research overseas through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program annually. Additionally, over 1,900 diverse U.S. students, artists, and early career professionals in more than 100 different fields of study receive Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants annually to study, teach English, and conduct research overseas.

In the United States, the Institute of International Education supports the implementation of the Fulbright U.S. Student and Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, including conducting an annual competition for the scholarships.

For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright.

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