Fulbright Scholarships Awarded

Georgia Tech students received national scholarships for their academic prowess. Daniel Shorr, Halley Espy and Thomas Earnest all received 2008 Fulbright Scholarships.

Named after Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Scholarship was established in 1946 as a vehicle for promoting “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries of the world”. Fulbright grants are made to United States citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools.

Since the Fulbright Scholarship program was established, the program has had almost 280,000 participants—chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential—with the opportunity to exchange ideas and to contribute to finding solutions to shared issues.

Shorr, a psychology major is preparing a senior thesis about pictorial warning symbols. He plans to continue this study in a cross-culture context during his Fulbright experience. He participated in summer intensive language study programs in Japan the past two summers.

“Being awarded a Fulbright Fellow grant to Japan is incredibly affirming as to the feasibility of achieving my loftiest goals,” said Shorr. “The award is tantamount to telling me that a dream of mine – a life of academic research – is entirely within my reach. Moreover, I see Fulbright as the perfect link between my undergraduate and graduate schooling; the experience of conducting research in Japan will undoubtedly aid me in the future when I plan to collaborate with Japanese colleagues on empirically investigating other psychological questions.”

Espy, an international affairs major, plans on going to Germany to study international energy security policy as part of her Fulbright Scholar experience. Espy has conducted previous research on economic and security cooperation between France and Germany and she participated in a program at the Freie Universitaet in Berlin during the summer of 2005.

“Receiving the Fulbright Scholarship is a tremendous honor for me, and I only hope to live up to the international focus and accomplishments of those who have received the grant before me,” said Espy. “I am so excited about the opportunities in the upcoming year and to step outside of my comfort zone to experience another culture.”

Thomas D. Earnest, a 2007 graduate of Georgia Tech, has just received a 2008-2009 Fulbright award for research in Tunisia. Thomas majored in international affairs and spent the last few months studying Arabic with the American Research Center and the International Language Institute in Egypt. Thomas is currently working on Capitol Hill for Congressman Phil Gingrey and is living in Washington, DC.

Thomas plans research at the Center for Maghrib Studies in Tunis on the high levels of urban migration in Tunisia and the economic development challenges presented by this population shift.

“I am extremely honored and humbled by having been awarded the Fulbright grant,” said Earnest. “I consider it a great privilege to be given the opportunity to represent our institution and our great country as a citizen ambassador as I am living and studying abroad. While the true breadth of this honor will not be fully realized until I have completed the grant period, it is an honor to be giving the ability to directly pursue my research interests in international economic development.”