Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Greetings from the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF).  We hope this message finds you healthy and safe.

After a long hiatus due to the pandemic, USIEF is looking forward to welcoming U.S. Fulbright Fellows back to India beginning in January 2022.  Between January and June 2022, we will host close to 300 U.S. Fulbright-Nehru and other Fulbright students and scholars in India.  These Fulbrighters represent the 2019, 2020 and 2021 cohorts.

Currently, there are over 150 Indian Fulbrighters in the U.S.  These Fulbrighters are also from the 2019, 2020 and 2021 cohorts and include Fulbright-Nehru students and scholars and others from programs like the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program and the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program.

As you know, this year we have been celebrating the Fulbright Program’s 75th Anniversary.  On November 12, 2021, USIEF celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Fulbright Program with the opening of the art exhibit “Reciprocation - American Fulbright Artists and India/Collaborations & Connections.” This show focuses on the works of ten American Fulbright artists who have had significant interactions with Indian artists that were initiated through their Fulbright programs and, in some cases, continued long after.  This exhibition demonstrates the impact the Fulbright experience had on American artists that included cross-cultural engagements and relationships that created an ongoing cross-cultural dialogue between Indian and American artists. The exhibition is being held at one of Delhi’s leading galleries – Ojas Art.

You can visit our Facebook and Twitter Pages for more information on events and our alumni, and also visit the Fulbright75 website to learn more about the global programs.

We request you to please promote our news and events by sharing them with your friends and colleagues or promoting them on social media.  We welcome your feedback and suggestions on who might appreciate receiving this newsletter.

Thanks and best wishes,
USIEF Communications Team

Learning Through Technology: ILEP Alumna Strives for Technology Integration in Classrooms

Charu Mathur was a 2011 International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP) fellow. She launched ‘Socrates Foundation for Enhanced Learning,’ a ‘not – for – profit’ organization dedicated to serving the community at large, including parents, students, teachers, administrators, and policy makers.

To mitigate the hardship and disruption caused by the pandemic, Charu launched the online initiatives ‘Transiting from Physical to Virtual Classrooms’ and ‘Classrooms of the Future - A Blended Online Instructional Approach’ in April 2021.  These workshops helped thousands of teachers from dozens and schools and colleges around India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Nepal.  She has conducted programs on media and digital literacy that have equipped students to acquire critical thinking skills and creating awareness on the advantages and disadvantages of the digital platform.

U.S. Fulbright-Nehru Alumnus Recognized
by U.S. Department of State

Travis Glynn was a 2013-14 Fulbright-Nehru English Teaching Assistant at the Kerala Education Society Senior Secondary School in Delhi.  His interest is in international security with a focus on cultural diplomacy.  Currently, Travis is a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China.  Travis leads the economic section's economic diplomacy, engaging with Chinese government and provincial officials to promote clean energy, maintain access to critical supply chains, and support U.S. energy companies operating in China.  Travis was awarded the 2021 Hayden G. Brown Award for Outstanding Leadership in Energy Diversity, Security and Access by the U.S. Department of State for his reporting on China's energy transition from fossil fuels and his efforts to promote U.S. engagement with China on tackling climate change.

Fulbright-Nehru Scholars from India and U.S. Collaborate on a Solar Power Project

2018 U.S. Fulbright-Nehru Distinguished Chair Randolph Beaudry, along with his collaborator, 2017 Indian Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Scholar Sangeeta Chopra, has developed a solar-power refrigeration storage system for marginal farmers in the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.  The two-ton storage unit can be used by the farmers to refrigerate perishables.  The product is undergoing year-round evaluation under USAID's Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) project lead by Dr. Chopra.  The project will improve the ability of marginal farmers to control marketing of dairy and horticultural produce and thereby increase their income.

Indian Fulbright-Nehru Alumnus Promotes Social Cause through Cartoons

Satwik Gade was a 2019 Indian Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellow at the Maryland Institute College of Arts (MICA).  He is a political cartoonist at The Hindu and enjoys illustrating children’s book.  During his Fulbright Fellowship, he created a virtual arts network to advocate for social change.  Some of the books which he has illustrated for children include, Srinivasa Ramanujan: Friend of Numbers, which won the 2020 Neev Book Award in the Emerging Readers category; Uncle Nehru, Please Send an Elephant; and Bhimrao Ambedkar: The Boy Who Asked Why, which received several awards, including the Best of Indian Children’s Writing (BICW) Award in 2018, Darsana National Award 2016, and the South Asia Book Award 2016.

Hubert Humphrey Alumna Designs Strategies from a Gender Perspective in Natural Resource Management

Suvarna Chandrappagari, a 2005 Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at Cornell University, is an Indian Forest Service officer.  She is the Chief Executive of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Government of India.  She has contributed to policy formation and implementation in the forest, rural development, and fisheries sectors with a special focus on issues of equity and women’s empowerment. She was awarded the “State Excellency Award” in 2018, which is the highest-level award of appreciation by the state government of Telangana for delivering an outstanding performance in enhancing fisheries production and improving the livelihoods of fishermen communities.  She served as a policy lead and gender expert for the Australian Council of International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) projects and is now a member of the executive committee of NEDAC (Network for the Development of Agricultural Cooperatives in Asia and Pacific).

USIEF Celebrates Fulbright India Day

For the Fulbright’s 75th anniversary, the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) celebrated “Fulbright India Day” on November 12, 2021, by hosting a reception and art exhibition opening at the Ojas Gallery in New Delhi.  The exhibition entitled, “Reciprocation - American Fulbright Artists and India/Collaborations & Connections,” highlighted the importance of visual arts in building mutual understanding.  The show focuses on the works of ten American Fulbright artists who have had significant interactions with Indian artists that were initiated through their Fulbright programs and, in some cases, continued long after.  Patricia A. Lacina, Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy India, delivered the opening remarks and inaugurated the exhibition. 

USIEF Hyderabad hosted a reception for Fulbright India Day at the residence of U.S. Consul General Joel Reifman. The event was attended by prominent Fulbright alumni from the Hyderabad consular district, U.S. Consulate officials, and government officials from the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

USIEF Kolkata also celebrated Fulbright India Day on November 12. The U.S. Consul General Melinda Pavek spoke to the attendees about the contribution of Fulbright program, followed by a classical dance performance by Fulbright alumna Priyadarshini Ghosh. The event was attended by Fulbright alumni and U.S. consulate officials and friends of the Fulbright program.

U.S. – India Educational Foundation, 12, Hailey Road, New Delhi

www.usief.org.in