Mohsen Razzaghi, a Fulbright scholar at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the Technical University of Civil Engineering in Bucharest, was invited by Professor Alina Alb Lupas, Head of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Oradea, to visit the university, present a seminar on his research, and also give a presentation. The research talk presented at the beginning of March was entitled "Numerical solutions for calculus of variations problems by Taylor series and hybrid functions.” Dr. Razzaghi used the opportunity to also give a presentation on Fulbright opportunities in the USA for students and faculty members in Romania.

"The Fulbright scholarship was a great opportunity to work with some of my most cited researchers. Thanks to it I got the chance to conduct my research in a research environment at the highest standards, specifically the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

During my stay in the U.S, I conducted research on the collaborative efforts undertaken in case studies of environmental conflicts from the U.S. and Romania. I looked over a wide range of such available cases that can match with the Romanian ones so that I can compare and contrast them. In my search for cases I met leading experts in the field as well as well-known authors and researchers and I had the opportunity to frequently exchange ideas with them. During my stay I attended some public workshops about how to enhance public understanding of the health risks associated with climate change by engaging the participants in a role play simulation game. I also ‘played’ a role in this game before it was publicly held and it was a great experience.

Dr. Michael S. Jones, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University and 2014-15 Fulbright Scholar at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Bucharest, presented his research on “Epistemic Peer Disagreement and the Problem of Religious Pluralism” at the annual meeting of the Society for Philosophy of Religion in San Antonio, Texas. This work began as a series of lectures while he was at the University of Bucharest. He then condensed the lectures into a single presentation delivered at Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca. On Feb. 26 he presented it for the first time in America. Dr. Jones commented that without the Fulbright year in Bucharest he probably would not have been able to work on this particular intersection of philosophy and religion and that the presentation was very well received.

On February 23, the Fulbright-EducationUSA Advising Center team visited the “Sf. Sava” National College for an information session on our newly launched Opportunity Funds program and U.S. study opportunities in general. We were happy to chat with the 50-strong audience, providing them with detailed information on the path to applying to the program and eligibility criteria, as well as an overview of the U.S. education system, types of institutions they can choose from, and financial aid.

As our friend and part-time U.S. Embassy intern Eden Stern kindly agreed to join us for this presentation, our audience could find out more about the liberal arts college experience, academics and life on campus straight from the source.