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Learning from Redefined Expectations
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Infectious Disease and Laboratory Culture in Mexicoby Gloria Tavera, 2009-2010, MexicoStudying viruses like dengue fever in lab animals is never a simple undertaking. But the motivation for Mexicans to do it has never been stronger. I am spending my Fulbright year studying the effects of dengue virus on the nervous system using a mouse model. Along the way, I have gained valuable research skills and techniques but I have also become familiar with how research science is done in Mexico, what challenges Mexican scientists face, and how they continue to innovate in spite of those challenges.
Some scientists might wonder why one would choose to go to Mexico to conduct research that could be done in the United States or Europe where there are better laboratory conditions and access to experimental materials. Dengue fever is, however, a neglected tropical disease in U.S. and European research that adversely affects the less developed world. Like many other neglected tropical diseases, little research has been done on dengue fever in the developed world because it doesn't affect countries with major science funding. What’s more, it is an exciting time for the global research community, as countries like Mexico continue to develop their research capacity and notoriety. Empowering researchers in countries where the diseases actually exist provides motivation and opportunities for scientists to solve local problems and gain global recognition. I’ve spent my Fulbright year researching and learning from Mexican scientists so that I can continue my graduate work in tropical disease knowing not only what it’s like to work outside of the American research community, but also to link with future collaborators. Developing international partnerships in the research community is more important than ever as more countries reach higher levels of research and science education capacity.
A part
of my experience in Mexico has been waiting for
reagents and working with salvaged machinery, but
I have also witnessed creative problem solving
and mentoring of young scientists. Broken
machinery is not thrown out. It is
fixed. Prizes, awards and resources are
shared among laboratories and students so that
everyone can have the materials. Although
Mexican scientific research lacks funding, there
is not a lack of innovation. Despite the
odds, Mexican scientific leaders pursue their work
purely for the love of science. To comment on and interact with other Fulbrighters about Gloria Tavera's article on the Fulbright Community on State Alumni, please click here. |
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Relishing the Forest Meditation Experience in Thailandby Brooke Schedneck, 2009-2010, Thailand"This is the last place to come,” said Phra Ajahn Martin, a monk from Germany who teaches international visitors who travel to Wat Pa Baan That, a Buddhist temple in Udon Thani, Thailand. “Other places, meditation centers in Chiangmai and in the south, there, you have your own room, eat three meals a day, you can chat and have discussions. But here, it's just you, alone with the meditation.” What struck me the most when I first arrived here was how different the forest meditation retreat was from what I expected. I have read extensively about the forest lineage of which Wat Pa Baan That and Ajahn Martin are a part, and even wrote a paper about the Buddhist tradition's forest meanings. But still I didn’t realize the extent of the difference until I experienced it myself.
At Wat Pa Baan That, however, there is no such structured organization. When I arrived, I told some of the laywomen that I was here to meditate and that I had contacted Ajahn Martin through email. They told me to wait while they found Ajahn Martin and upon his arrival, he told me to meet him at 1:00 P.M. Then, I was taken into the women’s side of the temple and was led through a confusing maze of kitchens and kutis (hut-like accommodations usually found in forest temples) that comprise this area until arriving at the ‘foreign meditators’ kuti. The maechii, or nun, showing me my kuti asked me if I thought I would like staying here. Looking around at the tiny structure (and remembering the nice rooms with electricity and bathrooms I had stayed in during my time at international meditation centers), I answered with a weak, "Maybe." On my first day, I met with Ajahn Martin as planned. Even though everything had been so different already, I was still expecting to receive an introduction to the meditation technique and information about the schedule. I thought all my questions would be answered but I quickly realized that I would have to ask if I wanted to know anything about meditating at Wat Pa Baan That. Over the two weeks I spent at this monastery, I did learn to ask questions and to not expect the meditation centers' detailed structure. I became used to the forest way of life and obtained valuable information for my research project from Ajahn Martin. I learned his pedagogical strategies for teaching international visitors. He tries to let visitors develop their own understanding of Buddhism and meditation through living in the monastery and practicing meditation on their own. Ajahn Martin also helps international visitors by comparing Buddhist concepts to Christian ones, and adding examples to explain how to bring meditation into daily life in Western terms. The English-speaking guests learn about Buddhism and meditation through experience and observation, but Buddhist concepts are explained in familiar terms. After staying at Wat Pa Baan That, I now understand very clearly the value of physically experiencing something. Reading about the lineage of forest monks in Thailand did not compare whatsoever to being on my Fulbright grant, practicing the meditation techniques and living in the forest monastery. To comment on and interact with other Fulbrighters about Brooke Schedneck's article on the Fulbright Community on State Alumni, please click here. |
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Submitting Photos, Articles and Blogs to State AlumniState 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 http://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. For instance, if you are a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA), you may share your tips about assistant teaching English abroad. 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!
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A Call for Articles with PhotosWe 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 any relevant and/or unique musings you might want to share with your fellow Fulbright grantees and others interested in the Fulbright Program. The length of the article should be no more than 500 words and not require much editing in order to be published. 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. Please submit your articles with photos within two weeks of the release of this newsletter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to receiving your articles! |