June 9th, 2011: €285,000 ($420,000) of Fulbright Awards Announced
Thursday 9th June 2011 – Fulbright Awards valued at €285,000 ($420,000) were officially announced today at an event hosted by the Deputy Chief of Mission from the US Embassy in Ireland Mr. John Hennessey-Niland. The awards are jointly funded by the Irish and US governments under the Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange. Fulbright scholarships have provided Irish and U.S. students, scholars and professionals with the opportunity to study, lecture and research at top universities and institutions in the U.S. and Ireland respectively since 1957.
The successful recipients have been accepted at leading institutions including Harvard, Berkeley, Cornell, Rice, Columbia and NYU. Out of the 25 scholarship awards, 8 are for research and study in the areas of science, technology, environment and health. This year 6 Irish awardees will spend time teaching the language and lecturing in Irish culture as Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants. The remaining 10 recipients will conduct study and research in the areas of law, music, writing, politics and other humanities and social science disciplines.
The U.S. recipients of Fulbright scholarships to Ireland have also been announced.
This year, Ireland stands out as one of the most successful countries internationally in the very prestigious Fulbright International Science and Technology Award Category with two successful candidates being awarded fully funded PhDs in the US worth $300,000 each. Ms Elizabeth O’Sullivan will undertake her PhD in Nutrition at Cornell University and Ms Ellen Roche will undertake her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Harvard Medical School.
Commenting on the awards, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Eamon Gilmore, T.D., congratulated the recipients and said: “The Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange represents not just a commitment to the best educational standards for the successful recipients but also a joint investment by both governments to ever closer ties between our two countries, supporting, as President Obama put it recently in Dublin, the people who make the future happen.”
Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. John Hennessey-Niland of the US Embassy in Ireland said: “The Fulbright Awards are one of the most important collaborative initiatives between our two countries. I wish this year’s 25 Irish recipients every success during their term in the U.S. In addition to the important academic and professional experience you are about to embark on, I trust you will make friendships that will remain long after you return to Ireland.”
Una Halligan, Chairperson of the Fulbright Commission of Ireland concluded: “Each of these 25 successful candidates was chosen not only on the basis of their individual merits but also because they displayed exceptional leadership ability which is inherent to Fulbright. Great ideas are borne out of people’s ability to think creatively, to collaborate well with others and to follow through in order to make things happen. These recipients are some of the finest in their disciplines; I have no doubt they will be outstanding representatives for this country and will thrive and make the most of every opportunity that comes their way.”
The Fulbright Awards are presented on an annual basis to Irish students, scholars and professionals to undertake postgraduate study and research at higher education, cultural and related institutions in the United States. Applications are encouraged in all disciplines including the visual and performing arts.
The next Fulbright Awards Competition 2012-2013 will open to applicants on Monday 5th September. For more information visit www.fulbright.ie.
ENDS
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