Four faculty members from UC Davis have been awarded Fulbright Scholar grants for 2008-2009 to teach and conduct research in different countries. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the program aims to build a better understanding between people in the U.S. and other nations through education.

The following scholars will be visiting countries in Europe and Africa:

Andres Resendez, associate professor in the Department of History, will be a visiting professor at the University of Helsinki in Finland. He will teach classes and conduct research on North America with academics and students in Finland and elsewhere in Europe.

Halifu Osumare, associate professor of African-American and African studies, will work at the University of Ghana’s Department of Dance. She will teach a graduate seminar in dance anthropology and an undergraduate course in the history of African-American dance. She will also conduct research on the hip-hop movement in Accra, Ghana’s capital city.

Pamela Ronald, professor of plant pathology, will be lecturing on rice genetics, bioenergy, and genetic engineering at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. Most of Ronald’s research is focused on rice, a staple food for more than 50 percent of the world’s people.

Gregory L. Miller is a lecturer in the Department of English and the University Writing Program. He will be lecturing on contemporary American drama and comparative representations of poverty in film at the University of Lodz in Poland.

Campus hosts scholars, too

A number of foreign scholars have received Fulbright grants to study at UC Davis in this academic year. They are: Benjamin Mensah, Ghana, biological sciences; Hiep Nguyen, Vietnam, environmental sciences; Voja Radovanovic, Serbia, physics and astronomy; Natalia Sabelnikova, Russia, psychology; Susanna Sahakyan, Armenia, biological sciences; Gabriela Salvador, Argentina, medical sciences; Farzana Shaheen, Pakistan, chemistry; and Chuanmin Shuai, China, economics.

Fulbright hopefuls can visit the University Outreach and International Programs office or its Web site at fulbright.ucdavis.edu for more information on how to apply.

Danai Sakatukwa is a News Service writing intern.