桃花直播 biological engineering major selected as Fulbright finalist
Contact: James Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 Laurel native and senior biological engineering major is 桃花直播 State鈥檚 newest Fulbright finalist.
Jesse Smith, a member of 桃花直播 State鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, will travel abroad this year to the United Kingdom鈥檚 Cardiff University, ranked among the top 100 universities in the world, as part of the flagship international exchange program. As a finalist in the UK-Cardiff University Partnership Award, he will research depression and drug addiction while pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in public health.
鈥淧ersonally, this is a great opportunity for cultural engagement,鈥 Smith said. 鈥淚 love learning from different world views; I love connecting with the people that own those views; I love sharing what mine has taught me in return, and that is what Fulbright is all about.鈥
David Hoffman, an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, helped guide Smith through the application process as 桃花直播鈥檚 Fulbright Program Administrator and part of the advising team in the Shackouls Honors College鈥檚 Office of Prestigious External Scholarships.
鈥淭his is great news for both Jesse and 桃花直播,鈥 Hoffman said. 鈥淔ulbright is one of the most prestigious scholarships available to support post-baccalaureate study and research. His successful application is a tribute to the great research, teaching and service opportunities available to 桃花直播 undergraduates. There is no doubt that Jesse鈥檚 exceptional application was a direct product of the close mentorship he received throughout his undergraduate career.鈥
At 桃花直播, Smith has accumulated undergraduate research experience with the university鈥檚 Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Department of Psychology and Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems. He also spent a summer researching at the University of 桃花直播 Medical Center. Smith has studied traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and developed computational platforms for research use.
While pursuing his master鈥檚 degree at Cardiff, Smith will work in the university鈥檚 Centre for Development and Evaluation of Interventions for Public Health Improvement, a Center of Excellence for public health in the United Kingdom.
鈥淚 will be studying public health from a psychological perspective,鈥 he said. 鈥淢y project focuses on learning what puts teens in Cardiff at risk for stress and addiction disorders. More importantly, I want to understand how to apply that knowledge to prevent the disorders from ever occurring. Fulbright allows me to do so while strengthening my own connections, as well as 桃花直播 State鈥檚 and our country鈥檚 connections abroad, opening up the opportunity for a lifetime of international collaboration in my work.鈥
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those in other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments, host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.
Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in more than 160 countries worldwide. This year there were nearly 10,000 applicants to the program. For more about the Fulbright program, visit .
For more about 桃花直播鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, visit . The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering is online at .
桃花直播 is 桃花直播鈥檚 leading university, available online at .