Pittsburgh Review

Ten members of the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) community have been selected as grant recipients for the U.S. Fulbright Student Program's 2024-25 competition cycle. The program, in partnership with over 140 countries, allows grantees to conduct research, pursue graduate-level studies, or teach English abroad.

The grantees include Kristin Daniel, Ian Gimino, Katie Hart, Adrian Lapadat, Jose (Paul) Molina, Zeynep Ozkaya, Shaun Ranadé, Devon Renfroe, Ben Therrien and Matthew Turetsky. Since its inception in 1946, Carnegie Mellon has had over 100 students become Fulbright Scholars.

Kristin Daniel was inspired by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan to work in health research. "I decided to become a biomedical engineer to use my inclination toward health research to help people," she said. She will travel to Birmingham in the United Kingdom with her Fulbright to study preeclampsia at the Macrophage Therapeutics Lab.

Ian Gimino will research immunotherapy treatment devices in Munich at the Technical University of Munich and Klinikum Rechts der Isar. He aims to improve treatments for head and neck cancers. "The scholarship will provide invaluable insights for understanding the difference between U.S. and German health care systems," he said.

Katie Hart will study clean energy policy at Ostbayrische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden in Germany. She is interested in how Germany's transition towards renewable energy sources can inform U.S. policy.

Adrian Lapadat plans to conduct interviews on emigration from Bacău county in Romania. "Many Romanians leave to work abroad," he said. His goal is to understand the material and psychological impacts on those who stay behind.

Paul Molina received a Fulbright research grant for a public art installation project addressing family displacement due to Airbnb rentals in Mexico City.

Zeynep Ozkaya will study deep brain stimulation at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany. She hopes her work with magnetic nanoparticles can contribute to non-invasive treatments for neurodegenerative disorders.

Shaun Ranadé will implement continuous glucose monitoring for gestational diabetes patients in Nepal using telemonitoring technology.

Devon Renfroe plans on studying Korean language structure at Chonnam National University after teaching English and learning Korean herself while living there post-graduation.

Ben Therrien will complete his dissertation on agricultural nanotechnology risk communication across Europe by working with researchers from universities in Sweden, Germany and Poland.

Matthew Turetsky will conduct research on quinoa conservation and commodification during three months of fieldwork in Bolivia followed by seven months in Peru.