Fulbright Visit Fulbrightonline.org
Fulbright Program for U.S. Students

Fulbright U.S. Student
Grantee Newsletter

Issue 35 | January 2012

Translating Public Health Practices, Research Strategies and Recipes
table of contents

 Program Updates

The Intersection of Health and Culture: Improving Aboriginal Health Services

by Lauren Yuriko Baba, 2011-2012, Canada

Lauren Baba, 2011-2012, Canada 
Lauren Yuriko Baba, 2011-2012, Canada, next to a Salish cedar totem and carved door in the First Peoples House at the University of Victoria 
I heard a colleague say, “We are guests on Coast and Straits Salish land” during my first week at the Centre for Aboriginal Health Research at the University of Victoria.  The statement was a perfect introduction to the differences between Western and aboriginal worldviews, differences I am trying to understand on my Fulbright grant so I can help improve the health of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Canada, as well as American Indians and Alaskan Natives in the United States.

The goal of my Fulbright project is to describe how public health practitioners in Canada and the United States can provide culturally appropriate health services to aboriginal communities.  Due to a long history of colonization and discrimination, many aboriginal individuals and communities feel a loss of cultural identity.  This lost sense of cultural identity contributes to many social issues and health problems, and as such, it is essential that public health practitioners who work with aboriginal communities acknowledge the cultural influences on health issues.  These public health professionals must also figure out how to integrate Western public health practices with aboriginal cultural traditions in order to serve community members' physical, mental and emotional needs.  To prepare public health professionals for this work, aboriginal public health core competencies need to be developed.  The core competencies can then be used to design public health curricula, training programs and evaluation standards to ensure that public health professionals working with aboriginal communities can address aboriginal peoples' unique needs.  The culmination of my Fulbright research will be a report containing recommendations on how Canada and the United States can begin to standardize cultural competency training for aboriginal public health.  I sincerely hope my report will be a valuable contribution to the public health dialogue on reducing aboriginal communities' health burdens. 

In addition to my research, I have spent time on Vancouver Island exploring the land and learning about Coast and Straits Salish art and culture.  I have hiked through gorgeous wilderness and seen majestic totem poles.  I have listened to Elders speak and met a traditional healer.  I have also visited, on many occasions, the First Peoples House at the University of Victoria.  Its architecture is influenced by the traditional Coast Salish longhouses and the hallways are lined with paintings from Salish artists.  Sometimes the smell of burning sweet grass permeates the air.  The First Peoples House showcases the rich aboriginal cultures of the Pacific Coast.  I have learned from the First Peoples House that cultural exploration is just as important as academic research.

A few months ago, I would have said I am living in Canada.  Now, I say I am a guest on the traditional land of the Coast and Straits Salish peoples.  To me, the difference in phrasing is symbolic of my Fulbright experience.  Not only am I sharing ideas across the U.S.-Canadian border, but I am also helping to promote mutual understanding between Western and aboriginal cultures throughout Canada and the United States. 

To comment on and interact with other Fulbrighters about Lauren Yurkiko Baba's article on the Fulbright Community on State Alumni, please click here.     



Back to Table of Contents
 

Studying Symbiosis and Gorging Myself on Goulash: My Scientific and Cultural Exploration in the Czech Republic

by Tara Ness, 2011-2012, Czech Republic

Tara Ness, 2011-2012, Czech Republic 
Tara Ness, 2011-2012, Czech Republic, looking at tree roots under a microscope 
I spend my days looking through a microscope, preparing glass slides of root samples and working with DNA to identify which fungi are living on which tree species.  My Fulbright project involves studying how fungi may be used to increase the chances of tree survival in reclaimed industrial land.  Overall, my research is part of a growing movement of bioremediation, using natural processes in the environment to clean up pollution and toxins.  Fungi are a wonderful candidate for bioremediation, as species have already been shown to break down toxins into harmless products or provide rare but vital soil nutrients to a plant.  My project hypothesizes that trees inoculated with a fungal mixture will have more access to nutrients and better soil stability than non-inoculated ones.  My Czech colleagues and I are currently working at a research site next to a factory that, as a byproduct, creates a large amount of sedimentation ash.  The ash is deposited around the factory, and although there are attempts to return the land to its natural state by planting native trees, the majority of the trees die because the soil and ash mixture is such a poor growing environment.  We inoculated some trees, bought from a nursery and planted at the site, with a fungal mixture to see if the addition of fungi can counter the poor growing conditions.  At this point in the research, I am trying to identify what fungi were present naturally in the soil, and what fungi persisted after the inoculation.  Back at the institute, my fellow researchers and I frequently go back and forth between the Czech and English words for the tree species.

 “Can you pass me the javor (maple) roots?” 

 “Ne, nemam maple koreny tady.” (No, I don’t have the maple roots.)

In my laboratory, there are a number of scientists who are also wonderful bakers.  I walk frequently into the kitchen to find a delicious plate of Czech cookies or strudel to munch on.  I’ve tried to bring in some American specialties as well, such as pumpkin pie, chocolate chip cookies, or cinnamon rolls to share with everyone.   On Halloween, I explained the concept of “trick or treating” and why Americans carve pumpkins.  The researchers laughed and told me about their St. Mikulas Day, when adults dress up and go around as either angels or devils and make children promise to be good. 

Apart from swapping research strategies and cooking recipes, we’ve also gone to see Russian playwright Chekov's “Three Sisters” (in Czech), and often have lunch together.  We laugh at the strange, literal translations that sometimes occur between our languages and the different idioms we use.  My favorite is the Czech equivalent of the American saying, “Let’s not beat around the bush,” which is an idiomatic way of saying, “Get to the point.”   In Czech, the phrase is, “Nebudeme chodit kolem horke kase,” which literally translates into, “Let’s not walk around the hot porridge.”

Tara Ness, 2011-2012, Czech Republic 
Tara Ness, 2011-2012, Czech Republic (right), and two Czech colleagues collecting root samples at the experiment plot 
It’s also been amazing to witness the differences and similarities between our approaches to science and cultural history.  Since the Czech Republic was under a communist regime until about twenty years ago, there are lingering aspects of this era that permeate their current culture.  My favorite metaphor for this period is the large, concrete apartment buildings built under communist rule.  When they were built, they were cold and grey, and every building looked the same in its simplicity and lack of architectural decoration.  Today, the buildings have been painted bright colors to give them a vivid exterior, but the underlying simple architecture still stands out through the colorful, new paint.

Overall, I’ve loved working in a laboratory in the Czech Republic and collaborating with other researchers as passionate about fungi and plants as I am.  This experience has been life changing and I don’t doubt that I’ve made some lifelong relationships with spectacular individuals.  To be in a post-communist country and to study an area of science that I love so much is almost indescribable.  This experience has given me a chance not only to learn more about my field, but also to explore a culture that very few people truly get to know.  When my Fulbright grant ends, I know that I’ll be leaving a country that has become a second home to me and that I’ll never forget the goulash.

To comment on and interact with other Fulbrighters about Tara Ness's article on the Fulbright Community on State Alumni, please click here.     



Back to Table of Contents
 

New Fulbright Google+ Page Launched!


Google+ 
  

 

At the beginning of 2012, the Fulbright Program launched its Google+ page as a way for students, young professionals and Fulbright alumni to stay in touch while having access to unique content, news and updates.  This Google+ page is the official Fulbright Program presence on Google, and keeps public circles for official U.S. Embassy, Fulbright Commission and educational institutions pages. 

+1 The Fulbright Program to stay in touch with all the latest news on Fulbright and international education and to connect with other Fulbrighters around the world.



Back to Table of Contents
 

Connect and Share Your Experiences with Fellow Fulbrighters on State Alumni, Facebook and Google+


State Alumni

If you are not already familiar with State Alumni, it is a social network sponsored by the U.S. Department of State exclusively for all current and past participants of State Department-sponsored exchange programs, including the Fulbright Program.  To register for State Alumni and gain access to the Fulbright Community, go to https://alumni.state.gov.

The Fulbright Library

The Fulbright Library on State Alumni is a new way to share, connect and collaborate with other current and former Fulbrighters.  It offers a platform, categorized by subject area, for you to share your articles, blogs, classroom materials and other media related to your areas of interest and research, particularly work related to your Fulbright grant.

If you are already a member of State Alumni, you may access the Fulbright Library at https://alumni.state.gov/fulbright/library.

Share your photos with the Fulbright Community!

  • Step 1: If you haven't done so already, please register for State Alumni at https://alumni.state.gov.
  • Step 2: Once your account has been verified, login to State Alumni and navigate to the Fulbright Community from your community menu on the home page, or go directly to https://alumni.state.gov/fulbright.
  • Step 3:  Click on "Multimedia Gallery" to view existing photo albums, podcasts and videos. 
  • Step 4: To add your own photo album, click on 'Create a New Album' on the right hand side of the multimedia gallery page.
  • Step 5: Create your album by adding a title and description.  Please be specific.  Adding your name, home country, Fulbright country, field of study and year will help others to easily identify you and your photos.  Click "Save."
  • Step 6: Click "Add Photos" to begin adding photos to your album.  Photos may be added one at a time (Single File) or as a group (Zip Archive allows uploads of .zip, .gzip, and tar files). 
  • Step 7: For each photo or group of photos, enter appropriate titles, captions, keyword tags and a location. 
  • Step 8: Edit your album or the individual photos in your album, if necessary.
  • Step 9: The Fulbright Community Manager will be alerted of your new album and will approve materials before they appear live on the site.  Until they are approved, photos will display a "pending" status.
  • Step 10: Enjoy the Fulbright Community galleries and articles!

    Note: In addition to adding photos to the Fulbright Community Multimedia Gallery, you may also upload photos to the general Photo Gallery for all State Alumni members or to your user profile.  If you have a podcast or video to share, please email it to Fulbright@alumni.state.gov.

The Fulbright Program Facebook and Google+ Pages

The Fulbright Program has an official presence on Facebook and on Google+ where you can join discussions, comment on wall posts and learn more about the program's many facets.  We encourage you to visit the Fulbright Program's Facebook page and Google+ regularly to read about Fulbrighters in the news, ask questions, and engage with fellow Fulbrighters from around the world.



Back to Table of Contents
 

A Call for Short Videos


Have you made a short video about your Fulbright experience?  Submit it to the newsletter! 

We are looking for informative interviews about your Fulbright experiences overseas.  The video should run no longer than 10 minutes and highlight the positive impact the Fulbright U.S. Student Program has had on you, your host affiliation or campus (if applicable) and local community.  Please request publication permission from anyone featured in your video.

Acceptable formats include: electronic files such as wmv, Quicktime, DV, mini tapes, DVDs, etc.  All videos will be edited and screened for their relevance and appropriate content. 

The footage can show you:

  • Giving a tour of your day-to-day activities
  • Engaging in a cultural activity 
  • In the classroom assistant teaching
  • Talking about what it's like to live in your Fulbright country or other Fulbright experiences
  • Engaging with the local community
  • Interacting with other students
  • Visiting sites, monuments, buildings, etc.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the format or content of your videos.  We look forward to reviewing them! 

Back to Table of Contents
 

A Call for Articles with Photos


We welcome articles with accompanying photos for future issues of the Fulbright U.S. Student Grantee Newsletter.  Articles should ideally be about your experience of being abroad as a Fulbright grantee (and cultural ambassador), and discuss your research, classroom or teaching experiences, as well as any personal examples about how you’ve achieved the goal of the Fulbright program: to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. 

The length of the article should be no more than 500 words and not require much editing in order to be published.  If the nature of your Fulbright project is very technical, please describe it using language that a layperson can understand.  The accompanying photos (preferably high resolution, 300 dpi or above) should show you engaged in program activities, be illustrative of your article's content and include captions.  Publication permission should also be requested from anyone included in your photos.

Please submit your articles with photos within two weeks of the release of this newsletter.  If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.  We look forward to receiving your articles!



Back to Table of Contents