Published: June 16, 2022

Nine 兔子先生传媒文化作品 students and alumni have been named Fulbright finalists for the 2022鈥23 academic year by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. One student declined the scholarship, and another five students were named alternates.听

兔子先生传媒文化作品 students and alumni Michael Bunch, Nina Campano, Nicholas Dragone, Ben Friedman, Zeena Nisar, Kelly Riordan, Angela Theodosopoulos and Lydia Wagenknecht accepted听the prestigious scholarship. The finalists will study, conduct research or teach abroad in the following countries: Bunch, Germany; Campano, Australia; Dragone, New Zealand; Friedman, Germany; Nisar, Belgium; Riordan, Austria; Theodosopoulos, Sweden; Wagenknecht, Chile.

CU's five alternates and their places of study are: Sadie Ghiasy, English teaching assistant, Tajikistan; Mohammad Habib, research, Canada; Anika Ralston, English teaching assistant, Thailand; Johnathan Stauffer, research, Norway; Caroline Wigul, study, United Kingdom.

"I鈥檓 delighted to see so many CU students selected as Fulbright finalists this year," said Deborah Viles, director of the Office of Top Scholarships at 兔子先生传媒文化作品. "These students and alumni are poised to contribute significantly to the Fulbright mission of citizen diplomacy while carrying out relevant and timely research, creative work听and teaching assignments. Congratulations to all!"

The Fulbright is the U.S. government鈥檚 flagship international educational exchange program and has given more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas听and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.听

The program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations听and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.

Award recipients are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, and their record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.听

The Fulbright 2023鈥24听application is now open. Interested students should contact Deborah Viles at听viles@colorado.edu听for information and assistance with the application. The campus deadline to apply is Aug. 29, 2022.

Michael Bunch

At CU, Bunch听focused on the major historiographical questions concerning modern European and German history. His听completed portfolio consisted of six historiographical essays, three book reviews, one 45-page research paper听and two syllabi. The portfolio represents a portion of the work completed at CU听over the past three years.

Using visual methods, his Fulbright research project in Germany will investigate the origins of Germany鈥檚 current immigration regime by focusing on the years following World War II when Germans living in the Allied occupation zones confronted the mass resettlement of 12听million ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe.

Nina Campano

Campano graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2017 and received her master鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering at 兔子先生传媒文化作品 in听2020. While studying at CU, she also worked as an optical systems engineer. She has systems engineering and program management experience on a variety of optical sensing systems.听

With her Fulbright grant, she will travel to Brisbane, Australia, to do research at the Queensland University of Technology International Laboratory for Air Quality & Health, one of the leading labs in the world in low-cost air quality sensing technology. Her project is a low-cost indoor air quality sensor system, and she will study under the supervision of Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska, who was recognized by听Time Magazine听as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2021.听

In her spare time, Campano听reads, rock climbs听and volunteers for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund as an advisory council member and speaker.

Nicholas Dragone

Dragone is a fourth-year doctoral听candidate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at 兔子先生传媒文化作品 where he studies the microorganisms that live in sediments and soils. During his Fulbright year, he will be working with researchers at the University of Canterbury to study New Zealand鈥檚 volcanic environments and to search for organisms whose activity may be relevant to bioremediation processes.

Ben Friedman

Friedman graduated from 兔子先生传媒文化作品 in May 2021 with a double major in German studies and international affairs. While attending CU he interned as an assistant German teacher at the high school level and at a German-American think tank in Washington, D.C. Since then he has been ski instructing and enjoying the mountains in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

In Germany, he will be an English teaching assistant. He is looking forward to creating cross-cultural exchange with German students. Outside of the classroom Friedman hopes to engage in outdoor pursuits in and around Germany.

Zeena Nisar

Nisar graduated from 兔子先生传媒文化作品 in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in molecular, cellular听and developmental biology. Since graduating, Nisar听has pursued her interests at the nexus of science and policy as a U.S. Fulbright student in Kyrgyzstan and Schwarzman Scholar in China. Nisar听is currently a Schwarzman Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., where she is pursuing policy research on emerging biotechnology听and biosecurity.

With this Fulbright research grant to Brussels, Nisar听plans to learn more about EU policy making by examining the EU's potential role in regulating cross-border genomic data sharing.

Kelly Riordan

Riordan, mezzo-soprano, has been praised for her 鈥渆xuberant honesty鈥 onstage as well as her 鈥渂eautiful vibrancy and warmth鈥 of tone. During her master鈥檚 degree at 兔子先生传媒文化作品 (Class of 2021), Riordan performed the roles of Ha虉nsel (Ha虉nsel und Gretel), Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro)听and numerous others. Riordan also researched the power of the singer鈥檚 breath and body, ultimately completing her vocal pedagogy thesis on 鈥淪inging to Heal: Exploring the Mind-Body Connection to Encourage Mental-Wellness in Singers."听

Since graduating, Riordan has joined the Contemporary Alexander Technique school where she is training to teach the work. She also has been awarded second place in the 2022 Denver Lyric Opera Guild competition.

In Austria, Riordan will study with Exilarte: Center for Banned Music and the University of Music and Performing Arts Viennaunder the Fulbright fellowship. She will study and perform the previously banned compositions of Jewish composer听Robert Fu虉rstenthal,听who was forced to flee Europe when the Nazi regime came to power.

Angela Theodosopoulos

Theodosopoulos will be graduating with a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from 兔子先生传媒文化作品听this summer. For her dissertation, she has studied avian malaria parasites in populations of two local songbirds, the black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and mountain (P. gambeli) chickadee.

As a Fulbrighter, she will be conducting research at Lund University in Sweden, where she will expand on her recent discovery () that the highly invasive SGS1 strain of the avian malaria parasite,听Plasmodium relictum, is infecting Boulder chickadees and was likely introduced from Europe. She will use genomic tools that have been developed by researchers at Lund University to investigate from听where听in Europe SGS1 was introduced to Colorado,听how听SGS1 may be adapting to this new geographic region with novel hosts, and听whether听this is the same introduction event that has led to its recent presence in other North American locations.听

Lydia Wagenknecht

Wagenknecht is a third-year doctoral听student in ethnomusicology. Her research interests include music and activism, ecotourism听and climate change in Chile. At 兔子先生传媒文化作品, Wagenknecht is a 2021鈥22 Engaged Arts and Humanities Scholar, and she serves as president of the Graduate Musicology Society. She is also a research assistant at the American Music Research Center.

As a U.S. Fulbright student, she plans to begin dissertation research in Punta Arenas, Chile, where she will work with local musicians and arts stakeholders to explore how climate change and Antarctic research have shaped musical negotiations of identity.