Denise Y. Yates, Senior Research Scientist at the University of Texas El Paso, was selected as a 2022-2025 Fulbright Specialist. In her role as a Fulbright Specialist, Denise traveled to France to engage in her first Specialist project to build strategic relationships with French national science education administration, local government education officials, and higher education institutions to explore the feasibility of an international student research exchange program for underrepresented students in STEM.
The immersive experience resulted in the development of an 8-week pilot student research exchange program that will be launched in the Summer of 2023. The LSAMP International Center of Excellence (LSAMP-NICE), in partnership with Universite Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier, will facilitate the opportunity for 20 LSAMP students to participate in the pilot internship program to conduct scientific research in various STEM disciplines at the University of Toulouse, and 10 Master’s level French students to come to the U.S. to conduct research at U.S. institutions.
“The Fulbright Specialist experience has, in fact, given me the opportunity to continue the work of those who laid the groundwork for international collaborative research experiences for underrepresented minority students in the United States.” – Denise Y. Yates, 2022-2025 Fulbright Specialist
The outcomes of this pilot exchange program will be used to inform future iterations of the program, as well as serve to support the proof-of-concept to position the team for further funding to expand this program globally. Watch the video to learn more about Denise’s amazing experience as a Fulbright Specialist.
Figure 1 Image of a student holding up a banner that reads “Fulbright” which, when clicked, links to the YouTube video https://youtu.be/4JrAxPCVFx8