Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awards announced for 2023-2024
Contact: Nicol Tinsley
VCU Global Education Office
(804) 828-6463
nctinsley@vcu.edu
Richmond, VA (June 15, 2023) - Virginia Commonwealth University is pleased to announce that Cristina Stanciu, Ph.D., director of the Humanities Research Center and associate professor in the VCU Department of English, and Edmund Acevedo, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, have received Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards for the 2023-2024 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Stanciu has been awarded a Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Studies. She will be in residence at King's College at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada in spring 2024. The position will allow Stanciu to lecture, research and work on her manuscript, "Indigenous Education and the Literature of Boarding Schools in the U.S. and Canada" (under contract with the University of Nebraska Press)." This is Stanciu's second Fulbright Award since joining the faculty at VCU in 2011.
As a Fulbright Scholar, Acevedo will work collaboratively with two distinguished investigators and their respective research teams from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) in Natal, Brazil, during the fall 2023 semester. His work will explore the “Psychobiology of Physical Activity: Brain Stimulation for Fatigue and Predictors of Affective Response.” Acevedo's Fulbright research activities are focused on gaining a greater understanding of the exercise experience to facilitate interventions for enhancing physical activity participation. His work with UFRN colleagues will entail a research study on brain stimulation and physical activity, a second study on implicit associations (attitudes) and affective responses to physical activity, and the coordination of a series of research seminars.
This Fulbright award also provides a unique opportunity for extending this shared expertise with students and colleagues, thus Acevedo will coordinate a research seminar series titled, “International Perspectives on the Psychobiology of Physical Activity.” The seminar will be offered in person to UFRN students and synchronized online for students from VCU.
"It is an honor to represent VCU as a Fulbright Scholar,” said Acevedo. “This professional opportunity supports not only my research interest but also my commitment to academic cultural exchange experiences that extend knowledge and can be transformative in how we address human challenges in society."
Stanciu and Acevedo are among more than 800 U.S. citizens who will teach or conduct research abroad for the 2023-2024 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.
Fulbrighters engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions.
“The Fulbright is one of the most important opportunities for faculty members to engage globally in a way that not only benefits their research agenda but also increases international collaborations for the institution,” said Jill Blondin, associate vice provost for global initiatives.
Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad.
More than 800 U.S. scholars -- faculty members, artists, and professionals from all backgrounds -- teach or conduct research overseas through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program annually. In addition, more than 2,000 U.S. students, artists, and early career professionals from all backgrounds in more than 100 different fields of study receive Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards annually to study, teach English, and conduct research overseas.
For information about the application process and previous VCU scholars, visit Fulbright U.S. Scholars.