Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education, the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program selects over 800 U.S. scholars to teach or conduct research in institutions around the world, building connections through international collaboration.
The prestigious honor recognizes professors’ academic excellence and leadership potential. Recipients’ time spent abroad is marked by groundbreaking research, innovative teaching and valuable international connections.
Shane Macfarlan
Shane Macfarlan has been awarded a scholarship to teach and conduct research in Mexico
at Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur. As a cultural anthropologist, Macfarlan
studies the relationships between environment and culture—both how the environment
constrains the development of culture and how one’s culture influences the ways they
interact with the natural world. He plans to spend his time in Mexico learning more
about the threats and opportunities to traditional ranching culture in Baja California
Sur (BCS).
His research comes at a time when many ranchers face environmental and economic hardship. Traditional ranchers in BCS live in a harsh desert without infrastructure, which means they live off their local environment. With recent changes to their environment, such as droughts, ranchers are migrating to urban areas, creating new developments in culture.
His teaching during this time will include topics such as cultural anthropology methods and the cultural history of the Baja California Peninsula, and many of his students will come from ranching backgrounds. “One benefit of being in Mexico in-person is that I will be able to deliver important information about local culture, ecology and sustainability directly to the people who are impacted by these topics the most, in the language they use,” says Macfarlan.
Spending time in Mexico will also open up new opportunities for University of Utah students and scholars. “The kinds of problems that ranchers deal with in Utah are very similar to the problems that ranchers deal with in BCS,” says Macfarlan. “I want to be a bridge who can help connect people with each other and share ideas.”
Tyler Faith
Tyler Faith will be working with the University of Witwatersrand to continue his ongoing
research in the Cango Valley of South Africa. As a paleoecologist, he studies interactions
between fossil organisms and their environment. Using fossils (and other geological,
archeological and chemical evidence), Faith tries to understand the relationship between
climate change, ecosystems and human evolution, specifically in Africa. For instance,
he wants to know more about how environmental change has shaped human evolution as
well as when humans began to have major impacts on the environment.
As Faith explains, “South Africa is the birthplace of human origins research in Africa,” but most of the fossil evidence comes from a handful of sites near Johannesburg, leaving the rest of the country relatively unstudied. Several years ago, Faith discovered dozens of caves located in the Cango Valley, and when he explored them, he found fossils everywhere.
His time in South Africa as a Fulbright Scholar will provide him with uninterrupted time to further explore these caves and delve more deeply into his fieldwork. He’ll work with local collaborators and students to expand the fossil records of these caves, and he’ll also simultaneously be helping to build a more formal paleo-science teaching and training program in the area.
“I’m excited to have an opportunity to spend half a year in South Africa, where I can build more meaningful connections with students, scientists and the local community,” says Faith. “Working together, I’m hoping we can get the ball rolling on the next 100 years of work!”
Jon Fisk
Jon Fisk will travel to Vaasa, Finland, to collaborate with the University of Vaasa
on research examining the governance of data centers—especially related to energy
and water consumption and innovation—and how this emerging infrastructure impacts
communities. His primary research interests center on energy and water policy, specifically
studying how we can deliver energy and clean water in ways that are efficient, affordable,
reliable and environmentally responsible.
Vaasa is considered the Nordic Energy Capital and is a leading site for clean energy and digital innovation. The university plays a pivotal role in this change and the broader energy policy ecosystem throughout the region. Much of this work is impacted by data centers. They can offer critical insights about how a proposed policy impacts energy and water use, but to do so, they consume large amounts of energy and water.
As Fisk conducts his research, he will be exploring data center governance issues relating to water and energy consumption and innovation, how environmental and affordability concerns are being addressed and how overall impacts on quality of life are being addressed. “For me, Vaasa represents a unique opportunity to learn from folks on the ground; to exchange ideas, research and information and to highlight what we do here in Utah,” says Fisk.
He hopes to spend his time in Finland not just learning more about environmental policy in the area, but also serving as a cultural ambassador and representative of the School of Public Affairs. “I’m hoping to lay the foundation for a long-term collaboration between students and faculty at the U with their counterparts at the University of Vaasa.”