EngD alumnus receives Fulbright Award
(5 June 2017) - Sarah Cotterill, an EngD alumnus from Newcastle University, has received a Fulbright All Disciplines Scholar Award to enable her to carry out research at Pennsylvania State University on one of the most well-regarded and impactful scholarship programmes in the world.
As a participant, Sarah has been selected to carry out research in the Logan Lab at Pennsylvania State University. Her research involves combining a technology she worked on during her doctorate at Newcastle University, as part of the STREAM programme, with an anaerobic fluidized bed membrane bioreactor (AFMBR). Only three laboratories worldwide are studying AFMBR, and the Logan lab is the only one to merge AFMBR with a bioelectrochemical system. Sarah will explore the effect of a low operating temperature on the performance of AFMBR hybrid systems.
Sarah, and the other 44 British grantees of the 2017-18 Fulbright cohort, will celebrate their success at a reception hosted by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office on Thursday 6 July.
Commenting on receiving the Award, Sarah said:
"This fellowship is a fantastic opportunity to expand my network and the breadth of my understanding in this field. I hope to gain a working understanding of membrane bioreactors, and develop as a researcher through the opportunities presented at Penn State. Logan’s group has a very international composition, with global connections, and I can’t wait to discuss ideas and experience other cultures. I hope that being a Fulbright Scholar will be both professionally and personally rewarding."
Penny Egan CBE, Executive Director, US-UK Fulbright Commission said:
"The impact of the Fulbright programme can change the world. Our Fulbrighters will return to the UK having been exposed to different cultures, value systems and schools of thought. They will have the capacity to be more empathetic global citizens and be better prepared for collaboration across borders, between the US and the UK, and beyond."
Amy Moore, Director of the Fulbright Awards Programme, added:
"No greater example of the continued importance of international education can be found than in the determination and drive of our 2017-18 grantees. These students, academics and professionals have identified the relevance of intercultural cooperation to their careers. As Fulbright alumni and future leaders, they will be able to foster personal and professional connections between nations."
The Fulbright Commission provides the only bi-lateral, transatlantic scholarship programme, offering Awards for study or research in any field, at any accredited US or UK university.
The Commission selects scholars through a rigorous application and interview process, looking for academic excellence alongside a focused application, a range of extracurricular and community activities, demonstrated ambassadorial skills, a desire to further the Fulbright Programme and a plan to give back to the UK upon returning.
Typical grants include a maintenance allowance and/or a contribution towards tuition fees. Fulbright scholars receive administrative support and a cultural education programme including: visa processing, a comprehensive pre-departure orientation, enrichment opportunities in the USA, a re-entry session and access to a global alumni network.
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Notes to Editors:
About the US-UK Fulbright Commission: The US-UK Fulbright Commission was founded by diplomatic treaty in 1948, to foster intercultural understanding between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland through educational exchange.
The Fulbright Commission is part of the scholarship programme conceived by Senator J William Fulbright in the aftermath of World War II to promote leadership, learning and empathy between nations through educational exchange. Award recipients will be the leaders of tomorrow and support the special relationship between the US and UK.
The Commission continues to support Senator Fulbright’s vision through our scholarship and summer programmes, enabling British and American citizens to study, research or teach at universities on either side of the Atlantic.
There have been over 27,000 Fulbright exchanges between our two countries so far. Prominent alumni of the US-UK Fulbright programme include poet Sylvia Plath; politician Charles Kennedy; journalist, author and Fulbright Commissioner Toby Young; and the economist and Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman.
