QUT News: Poet, mathematician and educator win Fulbrights

QUT News (22 March 2009) carried the following news story. The 3 Fulbright scholars across such varied disciplines reflect the divsersity of programs offered at QUT.


Poet, mathematician and educator win Fulbrights
QUT has accounted for half of the six Fulbright scholarships awarded to Queenslanders this year.
A total of 25 Australian scholars were named at the Fulbright's 60th anniversary presentation dinner in Melbourne on March 18.
•Sarah Holland-Batt, a poet, critic and QUT lecturer in creative writing and literary studies, will use her two-year scholarship to study for a Master of Fine Arts in poetry at New York University ...
•QUT PhD mathematics student Craig Costello will spend 12 months at the University of California undertaking research into maths-based security techniques for computers and other telecommunication devices ...
•Dr Hilary Hughes, a lecturer with QUT's Faculty of Education, will spend four months as a scholar-in-residence at the University of Colorado, Denver, developing an inclusive approach to online learning for students from varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds ...

Dr Hughes, of Upper Kedron on Brisbane's northside, said her Fulbright scholarship had sprung from her PhD research into how international students at QUT and another Queensland university use online information to learn. She had concluded that rather than the university catering for different cultural groups separately, an inclusive approach would benefit all students, domestic and international.
She said international students often felt disoriented on arriving at a new university but many domestic students felt exactly the same way. "We need to recognise all their different needs and provide enough varied responses so that people's needs will be met, and in a way that people won't be embarrassed to go and ask for help," Dr Hughes said. She said her research at QUT, which boasts 210 nationalities, had found, for example, that some overseas students were reluctant to borrow library books because they thought the sign "loans" meant they had to go into debt to do so. She said Denver also had a lot of international students, as well as a large Latino population and many disadvantaged students. "In Denver I will be working with academics and librarians to develop innovative curriculum, teaching methods and learning resources," Dr Hughes said. Dr Hughes, who has previous experience as an accredited Spanish-English translator, will also teach in the university's ethnic studies program.


For longer Fulbright scholar profiles go to: www.fulbright.com.au
Media contact: QUT media officer Elizabeth Allen on 07 3138 4494 or e1.allen@qut.edu.au
Content sourced from QUT News Web Service.

Fulbright orientation and presentation dinner

Just returned from the orientation and presentation dinner for the 2010 Australian Fulbright scholars in Melbourne. I feel deeply privileged and humbled - and so excited! - to be among this group of 25 amazing people who are featured on the Australian-American Fulbright Commisssion website.

The 2010 cohort includes Senior Scholars, Professional Scholars, Postdoctoral and Postgraduate Scholars - and one Scholar in Residence! 

 My colleagues are all highly talented, fascinating people from a wide range of fields: medicine, public heath, law, idigenous community development, VET, marine ecology, physics, maths, informatics, DNA sequencing, astronautical engineering, sustainable energy, agriculture - with the humanities nicely represented by a poet, a muso and a historian. All were generous in sharing their stories and their richly varied personal, professional and research experiences, their enthusiasms, their hopes for Fulbright and beyond ...

The Fulbright orientation was really inspiring and helpful. Everyone - current and previous scholars, the Fulbright Commission team and board members - are all so friendly and encouraging. I experienced a great sense of mutual respect and support that underpins the notion of the 'Fulbright family'.

The dinner was amazing, at the National Gallery of Victoria under the stained glass ceiling ...

The dinner was attended by heaps of people, including senior academics, previous Fulbright scholars, the US amabassador, and US Fulbright scholars currently based in Aus.
I was delighted that the QUT Vice Chancellor Prof Peter Coldrake was there - he seemed chuffed to have 3 QUT Fulbright scholars this year! Craig Costello (PhD student, cryptography), Sarah Holland-Batt (poet, critic and lecturer in creative writing) and mysef (lecturer/researcher).
It was also lovely to have my son Mark's company at the dinner, representing our family since sadly my husband David was unable to attend ...

During the orientation I came to realise that scholar in residence is a pretty rare breed among Australian Fulbrights. This year I am the only one. It seems that the majority of the 2010 cohort are dedicated researchers, while I'll be focusing on (informed) learning and teaching, whilst hopefully establishing some worthwhile research opportunities. It's nice, if daunting, to be a little different :-)

While in Melbourne I met several people who raved about Denver and the surrounding area. I'm even more excited now!