Iraqi Fulbright Scholars

In 2011, for a second consecutive year, 10 Iraqi Fulbright scholars spent their summer at Florida State University. They came to learn new research methods, use cutting-edge tools and equipment, hone their teaching and administrative skills and develop lasting collegial relationships. One of the scholars, physicist Wasan Saleh, spent most of her time at the Magnet Lab.

Iraqi scholar Wasan Saleh, a physics professor at the University of Baghdad, experiments with a buckypaper sensor at the Magnet Lab during the 2011 summer.

"Everything I dream of - research, equipment - I see it here," said Saleh, the only woman scholar in the group. "This is a very big chance for me, to work in the Magnet Lab. It’s a very good experience."

The 10-week Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program for Iraq is an academic and cultural-exchange program designed to help the grantees catch up with the latest research in their fields and, upon their return home, help advance the education of future generations of Iraqis. In addition to physics, the scholars conduct research in computer engineering, microbiology, geology, geographic information systems and more.

Before returning to Iraq, Saleh and the other scholars shared their research during a poster presentation at the Magnet Lab. For her research project, Saleh studied what happens to a tiny piece of buckypaper (a high-tech material that's one-tenth the weight of steel yet 500 times as strong) when it's put under stress.

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The FSU program was developed through the collaborative efforts of the Center for Global Engagement and the College of Communication and Information, in cooperation with the Magnet Lab and other FSU departments. Three other universities also hosted another 40 Iraqi scholars in 2011.

The Iraqi scholar program is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, on behalf of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

For more information contact Jayme Harpring.