"The Multiplier Effect" -- poster presentation about the many projects resulting from my Fulbright to Macedonia -- Fulbright Welcome Reception 2018 USF World 2018

 

I enjoyed the Annual Fulbright Welcome Reception hosted by the Fulbright Association Mid-Florida Chapter and USF World for Fulbrighters along the I-4 Corridor.

It is always a pleasure to join in welcoming Fulbrighters from around the world (this year, I met scholars from Nicaragua, Indonesia, Peru, New Zealand, Morocco, Ecuador, Mexico, Russia...) as well as to welcome back US Scholars who were away on Fulbright last year (this year, from Canada, Bulgaria, Palestine, Poland, Malaysia...)

I appreciate the poster presentations that are a part of the reception.  This year, I presented a poster

The Multiplier Effect: How My Fulbright to Macedonia Inspired Many New Projects

Honestly, it was hard to capture all of the programs and activities that grew out of my Fulbright to Macedonia last year, but I included highlights:

--Joint Comparative Legal Research Project, linking my USFSP Constitutional Law class with Amb. Prof. Dr. Blerim Reka's (and my former) Constitutional Law students at SEEU and the presentations at the USFSP Research Conference/US Embassy's American Corner in Skopje

--welcoming Prof. Karolina Ristova-Aasterud of UKIM to USFSP for Women's HERStory Month keynote address and meetings with my Women and the Law students (and my students' poster presentations at the event)

--welcoming Amb. Prof. Dr. Blerim Reka of SEEU to USFSP, for a public lecture, visit with my Constitutional Law class, and meetings with USFSP leadership

--signing Memorandum of Understanding between USFSP and SEEU (April 2018)

--hosting the delegation of Macedonian political leaders for ACYPL and the US Embassy in Skopje (December 2017)

--elected to serve on the SEEU Board of Trustees (June 2018)

--presenting at the Pre-Departure Orientation for outbound Fulbrighters, Washington, DC (July 2018) and on the Pre-Departure call for the outbound delegates for the first exchange to Macedonia for ACYPL (August 2018)

--welcoming Macedonians to Tampa Bay, journalist Arta Tahiri (Edward R. Murrow Program, IVLP, May 2018) and Judge Olja Krstikjeska (IVLP, World Partnerships, April 2018)

--participated in meetings at the US Department of State, Washington, DC as part of Macedonian Assistance Review (November 2017)

--my presentations during International Education Week at USFSP about my Fulbright to Macedonia, "Rule of Law and Civil Society" and during International Women's Day Luncheon at the Athena Society ("Challenges and Opportunities Facing Women in Moldova and Macedonia"

I could go on and on and on with the ripple effect of my Fulbright to Macedonia (Spring 2017) ... this is only the sample that I could squeeze onto this tri-fold display board!  (And, of course, many projects still in the work....including return research trip later this Fall)

sharing my poster with the President of the Mid-Florida Chapter of the Fulbright Association, Prof. Darlene DeMarie

   

This year, it was a special treat to see my former student Lauren Shumate present her poster about her Fulbright ETA in Serbia:

 

Lauren was a student in my Moldova Study Abroad course.  And she brought this publication from ULIM that includes an article drafted by her during the course (thanks again to Prof. Larisa Patlis and our colleagues at ULIM!)

I also had the pleasure of serving on Lauren's MA Thesis Committee at USF. She recently had a law review article published that utilized some of her thesis research (regarding justice sector reform)

What is the Mid-Florida Chapter of the Fulbright Association?

 

 The Keynote Speaker:

Darlene DeMarie kicking off the event

Asst Vice President Kiki Caruson introduces the Keynote Speaker

 

Keynote Speaker (and Mid-Florida Chapter of the Fulbright Association Board Member), Fulbrighter from New Zealand working on her Ph.D. at USF -- Imogene Browne -- told us about her recent two-month research trip to Antarctica.  The expedition was able to drill into the arctic, retrieving sediment cores and evaluating them in order to understand Antarctic ice sheet history.

She asks -- why should we care about this ice sheet research? Imogene offered many reasons, but on this PPT slide you can see that among the top 30 cities that will be affected by sea level rise, 17 are in Florida -- including St Pete and Tampa!

so interesting to see the ship and to learn more about the international community of scientists who took part in this expedition. Go Bulls!