Fulbright Reality Czech

Hannah Pontari is a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at Matiční Gymnázium in Ostrava, Czech Republic. A recent graduate from Villanova University, where she studied Political Science and Public Administration, Hannah is interested in education policy, specifically the equitable internationalization of the American school system. Hannah, the daughter of a first-generation college student who instilled in her the values of education and travel very early in life, eagerly pursued the opportunity to immerse herself in an international educational context through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Hannah plans to apply her knowledge from teaching abroad to her studies at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education when she returns to the United States in June. This past February, I had the incredibly exciting opportunity to attend the annual Fulbright EU-NATO Seminar in Luxembourg and Brussels as a representative for the Czech Republic Fulbright Commission. As a self-pr

Aidan Uvanni is an active-duty United States Coast Guard officer and currently a full-time master’s degree student of Water and Environmental Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague. He focuses on water management and rainfall-runoff modeling. Aidan is one of a few Fulbrighters who has stayed in the host country for over one year. In September 2022, he started his graduate program as a Fulbright U.S. student and chose to extend beyond his grant for this academic year. When not in school, Aidan enjoys indoor rock climbing and exploring the city by bike or on foot. He is an active volunteer at a local Czech middle school and practices English conversation with a group of Ukrainian teenagers. Prior to his Fulbright grant, Aidan served aboard USCGC Polar Star, deploying to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2022. After graduation, he will continue his service in the United States Coast Guard as an Executive Officer of a smaller icebreaker. This interview is the

Katarzyna (Kasia) Kordas is  an environmental epidemiologist. In the Fall 2023, she spent four months at Masaryk University in Brno as a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar, supporting teaching, mentoring and curricular development in the environmental epidemiology program. Originally from the State University of New York at Buffalo, she chose the Research Center on Toxicology (RECETOX) as her host institution. RECETOX is an independent department of Masaryk University's Faculty of Science, and it strives for excellence in environmental health. It is the only program of its kind in the Czech Republic. Born and raised in Southwest Poland, Kasia experienced air pollution and saw environmental damage growing up. This personal experience sparked her interest in epidemiology, specifically the harms to health caused by environmental pollutants. During her career, she spent three years in the UK and one year in Mexico. The recent four months in the Czech Republic were an exciting opportunity

Andrea Průchová Hrůzová je socioložka vizuální kultury, badatelka a pedagožka. Působí v Ústavu pro soudobé dějiny Akademie věd ČR. Vyučuje teorii a metodologii vizuální kultury a sociologii médií na Katedře sociologie FSV UK v Praze. V roce 2011 založila Platformu pro studium vizuální kultury Fresh Eye, kterou vedla do konce roku 2023. Její současné odborné zaměření na vývoj vizuální kultury, mediální komunikaci, migraci a digitální rasismus zásadním způsobem inspiroval i zahraniční pobyt v USA. Jako stipendistka Fulbrightova programu strávila v akademickém roce 2015/2016 sedm měsíců na Pratt Institute (Visual & Critical Studies Department) a Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development (Media, Culture, and Communication Department) na New York University a během pobytu postupně začala na vizuální kulturu nahlížet trochu jinak. Uvědomila si, že: "Studium vizuální kultury dokáže odhalovat a kriticky pojmenovávat sociální nespravedlnosti i ukazovat, proč si ve s

Kateřina Děcká is a teacher. In September and October 2022, she spent seven weeks in the U.S. as one of three Czech high school teachers selected for the Fulbright Teaching Achievement and Excellence Program. Kateřina teaches at a college-preparatory school Gymnázium Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, located in the south-eastern part of the historical region of Moravia. The major goal of the training was to equip participants with new skills and tools to encourage their students’ critical thinking and to develop their media literacy. The major part of the training took place in Madison, Wisconsin, and, at the very end, all participants traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet American policy makers, to discuss national educational strategies and to understand how education policy is created in the U.S. How transformative can a seven-week stay abroad be? Can one experience all phases of the cultural adaptation curve within that relatively short period of time? What lessons can a teacher expect to bring

Soňa Hříbalová je materiálová technoložka. V Ústavu skla a keramiky na Fakultě chemické technologie Vysoké školy chemicko-technologické v Praze se věnuje modelování rozptylu světla v transparentní keramice a bezolovnaté piezoelektrické keramice. V roce 2022/2023 vycestovala společně s manželem do USA s cílem prozkoumat mechanismy degradace bezolovnatých materiálů pro výrobu piezoelektrické keramiky, která se využívá třeba k výrobě ultrazvuků ve zdravotnictví, parkovacích senzorů v automobilovém průmyslu nebo v inkoustových tiskárnách. Vzhledem k tomu, že dlouhodobě působila v Akademickém senátu a ve studentské iniciativě pro podporu doktorandů, získala Fulbright-Masarykovo stipendium pro špičkové vědce a vědkyně, kteří jsou navíc aktivní v občanském nebo veřejném životě. Jejím americkým domovem se tak na osm měsíců stala Pennsylvania State University. Nyní už je zpátky v Praze a své vydřené zkušenosti a poznatky předává svým kolegům i studentům. Spousta z nás miluje cestování, prozkoum