Fulbright Scholars in SE Asia meet in Manila

INQUIRER.net
14/03/2010

MANILA, Philippines—Over 60 American Fulbright scholars are expected to attend the 2nd mid-year enrichment conference to explore issues and concerns relating to contemporary Southeast Asia, Fulbright scholars said in a news release.

Funded by the US Department of State and organized by the Philippine American Educational Foundation (Paef), the conference, entitled “Southeast Asia in the 21st Century: Building a Community of Leaders,” will be held from March 18-19, 2010 at the Garden Wing Ballroom in Edsa Shangri-la Hotel located at 1 Garden Way, Ortigas Centre, Mandaluyong City.

The conference will address a wide range of multidisciplinary scholarship on the Southeast Asia region in the areas of social science and humanities, business and economics, science and technology, teaching and education, and global issues.

American Fulbright scholars, who have been awarded research and/or teaching fellowships through the Fulbright Program, will have the opportunity to share and present on their respective fields of study, research interests, and their roles as US cultural ambassadors in their host countries.

Scholars will be arriving from Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

"By providing an avenue for Fulbright scholars to showcase their research, not only are their leadership skills enhanced, but also their coming together can strengthen their sense of community while accomplishing the main purpose of the Fulbright Program—which is to promote mutual understanding and respect between the peoples of the US and other countries through educational exchange,” says Esmeralda Cunanan, Paef executive director.
The conference program will include plenary sessions and concurrent panels on topics such as marine biodiversity and preservation in Indonesia, post-colonial literature in the Philippines, public health issues in Vietnam, and the impact of tourism on wildlife in Malaysia.

The opening program on March 18, 2010 will feature messages by Richard W. Nelson, chairman of the Paef board and counselor for public affairs at the US embassy in Manila; Nalinee Cain, Fulbright program officer from the US Department of State; and Lourdes O. Yparraguirre, Assistant Secretary at the Office of American Affairs of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Antonio Contreras, Filipino Fulbright alumnus and De La Salle University full professor will give a lecture during the opening program.

The conference will conclude with guided tours of the Ayala Museum and the National Museum of the Philippines and an evening cocktail reception with a cultural show and live entertainment on March 19.

This year’s conference is the second in an annual series of conferences for American Fulbright scholars in the Southeast Asia region. The first, hosted by the Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange, was held at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 12-14, 2009.

Paef is a bi-national organization responsible for the administration of the Fulbright exchanges between the Philippines and the United States, the Hubert H. Humphrey fellowships, and the East-West Center scholarships. It also serves as a clearinghouse for information on educational institutions and programs in the Philippines and the United States.

The Fulbright US Student Program is now the largest US exchange program offering opportunities for American students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide. The US Student Program currently awards approximately 1,500 grants annually in all fields of study, and operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.