The provost’s office hosted an inaugural welcome event for the Fulbright Scholars studying at UCI this year. The five visitors are from Ukraine, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and India. Although these are not the first Fulbright Scholars to come to UCI, this is the first time that the university has hosted a welcome event. Since the early 1970s, UCI has hosted nearly 200 scholars from the prestigious program, which is known for its rigorous and competitive selection process.

“We wanted to give the scholars an opportunity to meet each other and learn more about UCI,” said Roxanne Cohen Silver, vice provost for academic planning and institutional research. “Our hosting these types of scholars also gives us an opportunity to showcase UCI and increase our international reputation.”

The Fulbright students are:

Duc Viet Nguyen of the Directorate of Water Resources, in Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, who will study in the engineering school under Phu Nguyen and Soroosh Sorooshian;

Chiung-hsuan Chiu of Taipei Medical University in Taiwan, who will study in the business school under Gerardo Okhuysen;

Natasha Frolova of Dnipro State University in Ukraine, who will study in the social ecology school under Roxane Cohen Silver;

Abdulilah Mayet of King Khalid University in Saudia Arabia, who will study in the engineering school under Fadi Kurdahi; and

Kashif Hanif of CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute in India, who will study in the engineering school under Naomi Chesler.

Each year, about 900 faculty members and professionals from around the world receive Fulbright Scholar grants for advanced research and university lecturing in the U.S. Individual grants are available to scholars from over 100 countries. Those who meet the eligibility requirements apply for grants through the Fulbright Commission/Foundation or public affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in their home country. After a thorough selection process in the home country, final approval for awards is issued by the presidentially appointed Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in the U.S. Visits range in length from three to 12 months.