Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research program, 2011-12 alumna, Vidya Tirumurthy initiated a program following her Fulbright-Nehru fellowship, by which students enrolled in EDUC 205: Multicultural Perspectives in the Classroom, a course taught by her, mentor at-risk fifth graders in the Franklin Pierce School District to help them overcome barriers to college access. The fifth grade students served in this project are children from immigrant families or families with limited educational background. She has shared the findings of her Fulbright-Nehru research study by conducting a workshop for a small group of early childhood educators at the Washington Associate for The Education of Young Children on the topic of “Home and School: Interplay in Learning.” She also co-edited the 2012 International Theme issue of Childhood Education, the flagship journal of the Association for Childhood Education International. She has also authored an article which is a result of her Fulbright experience “Kolam: A Mathematical Treasure of South India”, in the journal.

Tirumurthy is an Associate Professor at the Department of Instructional Development and Leadership, Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. During her Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship, she worked on Cognitive Development of Children through Everyday Sociocultural Activities at Women’s Christian College in Chennai.

Vidya Tirumurthy (center) drawing a Kolam to explain mathematical principles to school children (Photo credit: Franklin Pierce School District)