International Education Week 2024: Join Fulbright Canada in Celebrating Global Connections
Celebrate International Education Week with Fulbright Canada Nov 18-22!
International education is about expanding horizons, making connections, and establishing mutual understanding between people in Canada, the United States, and beyond. This week, we celebrate the impact of global education and international exchange in growing mutual understanding, promoting peace, and supporting progress.
Follow along for stories from Fulbright Canada scholars, research chairs, and fellows who bridge borders through research and collaboration, attend a special webinar with Education USA, and more!
As a proud Fulbright alum, I am honoured and privileged to lead Fulbright Canada and witness the awesome transformative power of international education. Over the past 20 years, I’ve seen how cross-border academic exchange fosters collaboration, advances knowledge, and builds understanding between Canada and the United States. During International Education Week, we celebrate the scholars, researchers, and community leaders who embody these values and contribute to a more interconnected world. Thank you for joining us in recognizing the crucial role of global education in shaping the future.
Michael Hawes
Dr. Michael Hawes, Fulbright Distinguished Chair, UC Berkeley, 1999-2000
What is International Education Week?
International Education Week (IEW) is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. Supported by the U.S. Department of State, IEW promotes cross-cultural dialogue, mutual understanding, and academic exchange. This week, Fulbright Canada highlights the inspiring journeys of scholars contributing to diverse fields across borders.
International Education by the Numbers
Fulbright Alumni
350,000+ Fulbright alumni in 160+ countries.
Research Chairs and Fellowships
400+ scholars actively engaged in cutting-edge research
International Students in US
1,126,690 ( 7%)
Academic year 2023-24 (All time high)
Source: Open Doors
Top 5 States
CA
140,858
NY
135,813
TX
89,546
MA
82,306
AZ
30,054
International Students in Canada
1,040,985 ( 29%)
Academic year 2023-24 (All time high)
Source: ICEF
Top 5 Provinces
ON
526,015
BC
202,565
QC
117,925
AL
63,425
MB
28,190
opportunities & connections created
boundless
Meet Our Fulbright Canada Grantees
Explore the stories of some of this year’s Fulbright scholars and students. From groundbreaking research in environmental science to innovative teaching and learning in the arts, these profiles showcase how international exchange fuels knowledge-sharing and strengthens U.S.-Canada relations.
Follow along for daily stories that highlight each scholar’s journey!
Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholar
Nunavut Arctic College
Dr. Heather Gordon
An Iñupiaq Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholar and advocate for Indigenous sovereignty, Dr. Gordon’s project “Indigenous Sovereignty & Arctic Security: Human Rights & Environmental Justice in Governance” integrates Indigenous knowledge into global environmental frameworks. Dr. Gordon’s work addresses conservation, land and water management, and climate change, and highlights the connectivity between Indigenous cultures and educational outcomes, health, well-being, and reduced substance use.
Fulbright Canada Student
Stanford University & UC Berkeley
Margaret de Leon
A Fulbright Canada Student focused on equitable access to education, Margaret’s project “A Comparative Study of Working Learners: Insights from Canada and the United States” explores how student employment shapes academic outcomes in Canada and the United States, advocating for policies that support working learners.
By studying how different policies affect working learners in both countries, my research aims to enhance support systems, especially for underrepresented students.
Killam Fellow
Université de Montréal
Albert Sauermann
Albert, a Killam Fellow and clinical social worker with experience across Latin America and the United States, explores how education and communication bridge cultural gaps. Having worked with Spanish-speaking families in New York and Dallas, and studied at Sciences Po in France, Albert understands the challenges faced by immigrants adapting to new environments.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair
University of Regina
Sarah Schmalenberger
A Fulbright Canada Research Chair, musicologist and environmental advocate, Sarah’s project “Creating Sound and Music in a Throwaway Culture” project focuses on transforming discarded materials into instruments, promoting ecological sustainability through collaborative music-making. Sarah’s work redefines music creation while championing environmental and social stewardship.
Fulbright Canada Student
University of Victoria
Hannah Feng
A Fulbright Canada Student dedicated to mental health accessibility, Hannah partners with local organizations to design and implement youth support groups that reduce mental health stigma among immigrant and refugee communities. Hannah’s project “Dismantling Stigma: Youth Mental Health Ambassadors for Newcomer Youth in Canada” aims to create culturally responsive interventions, enhancing care-seeking attitudes and community resilience.
As an aspiring doctoral student, this community-partnered research project has been the culmination of my career aspirations. Not only do I get to fill a key gap in our academic understanding of immigrant and refugee mental health, but I also get to spend time in diverse communities, witnessing firsthand the power of community outreach and intercultural collaboration. Without Fulbright Canada, I could never have had such a rich and unique experience at the intersection of psychological theory and practice.
Fulbright Canada Student
Montclair University
Camryn Dewar
Camryn, a Métis vocalist and Fulbright Canada Student combines a diverse performance background with a commitment to amplifying Indigenous voices in classical music. Camryn’s project “Harmonizing Truth and Reconciliation: Vocal Performance, Indigenous Representation, and Community Engagement in Music” examines Indigenous representation in Canadian opera, focusing on the evolution of female Indigenous roles from the 19th century to the present. Through a lecture-recital featuring operatic works and live performances, Camryn aims to educate audiences on Indigenous culture, address historical misrepresentations, and bring greater awareness to Indigenous operatic art in the United States.
The first time I sang an Indigenous opera, I felt my soul pouring out of my body, and I felt my ancestors with me as I figuratively cried out for empathy and understanding. I look forward to repeating this experience in my lecture recital, and I sincerely thank Fulbright Canada for making this a possibility for me. Chii miigwetch (thank you very much).
Fulbright Canada Research Chair
Florida Polytechnic
Dr. Jalal Ahamed
The “Wearable Inertial Sensor-based Control Systems for Treatment and Rehabilitation Strategies in Parkinson's Disease” project led by Dr. Ahamed in collaboration with Dr. Chris Kelley at Florida Polytechnic, advances wearable technology for Parkinson's Disease (PD) care. By developing high-accuracy inertial sensors for real-time motor monitoring and tremor suppression, the project aims to improve quality of life through personalized, at-home PD therapies. Their innovative sensor technology could reduce healthcare burdens, increase access to care in underserved areas, and enable early intervention. Their ongoing work includes publishing research findings and securing funding for future PD-focused technology.
The Fulbright experience has been extraordinary as it allows me to expand and diversify my research beyond boundaries by closely interacting with an American institution, learning from them through research, and teaching and exchanging ideas in an extremely collaborative environment.
Fulbright Canada Student
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nathan Collett
Nathan, a student in MIT's Technology and Policy Program, researches the political economy of sustainable building design. With the building sector contributing 40% of global emissions, yet lacking significant investment, Nathan’s work highlights the need for innovative, scalable solutions in sustainable construction. Focusing on workforce development and capital access barriers, Nathan examines how sustainable technologies can align with economic and resilience goals to support the clean energy transition. This research links innovation with the financial conditions necessary to advance sustainability in building practices.
Before starting this program I was focused on understanding democracy and cooperation by studying human decision-making. Exposure to policy-making in practice has convinced me that fundamental questions of social progress depend on the outcome of far more pragmatic and technical issues. Democracy depends on people being able to come home to a safe shelter at the end of the day. The goal of my research is now to find solutions that provide basic needs such as these in a way that aligns with the broader imperatives of our time.
Fulbright Canada Student
University of Washington
Scott DeJong
Partnering with the University of Washington, Scott is developing an innovative board game to enhance media literacy among children. Designed to counter disinformation, the game encourages critical thinking, self-reflection, and collaborative play. By engaging players in open discussions rather than dictating answers, this project seeks to address the limitations of existing disinformation games. The game will be tested in Seattle communities, and then adapted for Canada, fostering cross-border solutions to a global challenge in media education.
Fulbright Canada gave me a chance to explore disinformation responses across borders. Getting a chance to partner with American Institutions, learn and share with existing researchers and centres on these issues, and then create an intervention with the support of an organization like Fulbright, means that this work is more grounded in the concepts but also has better reach.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair
Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Yanet Valdez
Dr. Valdez’s research on Chagas disease, a parasitic illness affecting millions in Latin America, seeks to uncover the mechanisms behind severe gastrointestinal complications like Chagas megacolon. Working with international colleagues, Dr. Valdez aims to identify biomarkers in intestinal tissue that could improve diagnosis, patient monitoring, and treatment strategies for late-stage disease. This work addresses the global health challenge of neglected tropical diseases, with the potential to benefit underserved communities and help healthcare systems prepare for shifting disease patterns due to migration and climate change.
I am incredibly grateful for this extraordinary opportunity to leverage this prestigious fellowship for the improvement of health care for individuals in need. This experience will allow me to immerse myself in the research community of one of the world’s leading institutions, engage with brilliant minds, and contribute to ground-breaking research.
Fulbright Canada Student
New York University
Zach Polis
Zach is conducting thesis-based research at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, focusing on disability representation in film, TV, and literature. As a writer-director, Zach aims to expand neurodivergent visibility in media and foster discussions around disability in popular culture. Zach’s work seeks to provide a voice and catharsis for those navigating autism within a neurotypical world, using art as a medium to reflect the unique challenges and experiences of neurodivergent individuals.
Curiosity, integrity, artistic risk and innovation, and academic inquisitiveness with global collaboration in mind. These are my guiding values and principles. I’m looking for room to dream. To fuel my imagination. It is an incredible honour to be working with Fulbright Canada, an organization that champions the success of its scholars. I am grateful to pursue this creative thesis with Fulbright's support.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair
University of Calgary
Dr. Adrienne Krone
As the Fulbright Research Chair in Religion and Pluralism at the University of Calgary, Dr. Krone is writing a book, tentatively titled “Jewish Community Farming, the Climate Crisis, and the Future of Judaism”. Dr. Krone’s upcoming book will explore the history of Jewish agricultural movements in North America and analyze sustainable practices within Jewish communities in the United States and Canada. Through this work, Dr. Krone examines how these communities integrate environmental values into their cultural and religious practices, offering insights into the intersection of faith, sustainability, and social action.
I have been working on my ethnographic and historical study of the Jewish community farming movement for a decade but it was hard to find time to write at my home institution. I am thrilled with the progress I have been able to make this fall and I am extraordinarily grateful for the time, space, and access to archival resources that I have had here thanks to Fulbright Canada. I have also enjoyed getting to know my colleagues and the opportunities I have had to share my research on Judaism at the University of Calgary.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair
Trent University
Dr. Holly Karibo
Dr. Karibo is conducting a study on women’s roles in cross-border illegal economies along the United States-Canada border during Prohibition. Dr. Karibo’s project, “Ladies, Liquor, and the National Line: Gendering Prohibition in the Great Lakes Borderlands”, explores how women in the Great Lakes borderlands participated in illegal trade, challenging traditional narratives of Prohibition as a male-dominated era. By examining this transnational space through gender, race, and labour, Dr. Karibo reveals the complex social boundaries these women navigated and their significant role in the era’s illicit economies.
Fulbright Canada’s support has enabled me to return to the northern border and to work to uncover the lives of women whose stories are truly fascinating but have yet to be told. I’ve very much appreciated the generosity and collegiality of both faculty and students in the School for the Study of Canada at Trent University.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair
University of Alberta
Dr. Kanika Batra
Dr. Batra’s proposed research focuses on South Asian and Black diasporic women’s writing (SABLA). SABLA, a Hindi and Punjabi word for ‘empowered’, directs attention to how writing is a means of empowerment for women. This research will be in collaboration with the Orlando Project in Women’s Writing, a digital project developed at the University of Alberta.
I am eager to learn how diasporic women understand and narrate stories of struggles and successes encountered on their educational journeys, and to integrate these experiences carefully, respectfully, and ethically in literary and cultural studies.
Fulbright Canada Research Chair
University of Guelph
Dr. Mariam Thalos
Dr. Thalos is developing a comprehensive theory of human reasoning to better understand both ordinary decision-making and reasoning deficits, such as in Capgras syndrome. Dr. Thalos’ work also explores the limitations of reasoning in AI models, aiming to clarify distinctions between human and AI cognitive processes. Dr. Thalos is presenting this research across various Canadian institutions, engaging scholars in interdisciplinary discussions on how reasoning operates individually and in social contexts, with implications for assessing AI's reasoning capacities.
Being able to present and to get feedback from scholars from Philosophy and cognate disciplines has been key to helping me complete my book Reasoning in the Wild, which is now under contract with Routledge.
Fulbright Canada Student
University of Toronto
Madison VanWyngarden
Madison is an astrophysicist at the Canadian Institute for Astrophysical Research at the University of Toronto, specializing in gravitational waves. Madison’s research aims to use these waves to measure the Hubble constant, a key factor in the debate over the expansion rate of the universe. Madison is refining the "dark siren method," which combines gravitational wave data and galaxy catalogues to measure the Hubble constant while addressing potential biases and exploring the relationship between gravitational waves and galaxy types. This work is crucial in determining whether gravitational waves can resolve this fundamental question in astronomy.
Gravitational wave detections have been possible for less than a decade, and as a burgeoning field of study, collaboration on an international level is required to discover their full potential. Fulbright Canada has allowed me to contribute to this global effort while growing my skills as a scientist at the world's only national theory centre for astrophysics. Only a few months into my Fulbright year, I have already learned more than I could have possibly imagined.
Killam Fellow
McGill University
Meaghan Caron
Meaghan is conducting research at McGill University's Bernard Lab, studying how changes in the Gαs protein affect reproductive signalling. Their work focuses on the role of GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone), which is crucial for regulating hormone production and ovulation. Meaghan is investigating how the Gαs protein influences GnRH signalling, which could help expand knowledge in reproductive health and endocrinology.
Both the Killam Fellowships Program and McGill University have presented me with the opportunity to pursue my dream of creating a better future for victims of infertility.
Fulbright Canada Student
Concordia University
Vinicius Sanchez
Vinicius is conducting a research project on how Québecois, Indigenous, and immigrant knowledge shaped a unique film language in Canadian animation. This work explores the impact of cross-cultural exchange, particularly the contributions of immigrant filmmakers and experimental animation. Vinicius is researching film archives across Canada, including the Cinematheque Quebecois and the National Film Board, and will create animation films and visual works reflecting the diasporic history of Canadian animation.
As an artist, filmmaker and first-generation American citizen from the Brazilian diaspora in North America, it is especially meaningful to examine the commonalities across immigrant communities and highlight their cultural contributions to the expansion of animation beyond cinema in the region. I appreciate the invaluable support of Fulbright Canada in pursuing research in an underrepresented field, and the opportunity to unearth forgotten animation works by diaspora artists that amplified the reaches of Canadian Animation production to international audiences.
Special EducationUSA Webinar
Discover Educational Opportunities in the U.S.
Join us for an exclusive webinar in collaboration with Education USA! Discover how Fulbright Canada and Education USA support Canadian students pursuing academic dreams in the U.S. The session will cover application tips, scholarship opportunities, and firsthand insights from alums. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect and learn!
Thursday, November 21, 2024 · 6:30 p.m. EST
Register Now
