Guest Speaker during a Fulbright Webinar for Political Scientists

It was an honor to be asked to speak to potential Fulbrighters in Political Science about the extraordinary opportunities that a Fulbright award presents.

A few of the topics I discussed during the webinar:

--why I decided to apply? what are the benefits to my field of study?

--a brief overview of my projects

--how I adapted teaching materials to the classroom

--benefits of the grant to me, USFSP, and SEEU, SUT, ULIM

--tips for applicants applying for grants

--the long-term impact of my projects in Moldova
   At the time of my application for the Macedonian Fulbright (August 2015), I had already presented research conducted in Moldova at more than 10 conferences (regional, national, international -- e.g., in London, Budapest, Dublin, Gdansk), authored more than 6 articles and 2 book chapters; taught several joint courses (virtual and study abroad); was was awarded the medal from ULIM and a diploma from the Government of the Republic of Moldova to honor the significance of our international cooperation; hosted a Moldovan colleague as a Carnegie Fellow at USFSP; engaged in several service projects (through service learning study abroad course, my daughter's Kids projects); and my Moldova blog had more than 90,000 hits. My work with colleagues in Moldova is ongoing.  This fruitful collaboration started with my one-semester Fulbright Award in Moldova in Fall 2010 semester.

At the time of the webinar, I had been working in Macedonia for 8 weeks --teaching 3 courses at 2 universities with 3 faculties in 2 cities -- and presenting guest lectures all throughout the country --  and participating in conferences and meetings -- and learning more about the culture in Macedonia the Balkans. It felt too early to discuss the long-term impact of the Macedonian award, but I am optimistic that I will continue to find ways to collaborate with my colleagues in Macedonia for many years to come.

the view of the webinar from my laptop