#MarineScience - The Marine Institute and the Fulbright Commission are once again offering a unique opportunity for an Irish PhD candidate or scholar to travel to the USA to research in the fields of marine science or a marine-related business sector.

The Fulbright Commission is seeking applicants with academic and personal excellence, strong leadership potential and a commitment to being a Fulbrighter. The commission is particularly interested in receiving applications for this award from candidates who are exploring:

• Marine Sensor Technologies and Observation Systems
• Maritime Economics
• Marine Spatial Planning
• Maritime Law and Security
• Renewable Ocean Energy
• Marine Biotechnology (including Functional Foods)
• Marine Environment
• Oceanographic Modelling
• Shipping
• Seafood Safety
• Ecosystems-based Fisheries Management
• Big Data, and Sustainable Development

The 2018-2019 Fulbright Irish Awards supporting Irish and EU citizens to study, research or teach in the USA are now open for application. All applications are due by 4pm on Tuesday 31 October.

These globally-recognised and prestigious awards, operating between the United States and 155 countries, were founded by Senator J William Fulbright in 1946 “to expand the boundaries of human wisdom, empathy and perception” through educational and cultural exchange.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Dr Triona McGrath — a post-doctoral researcher at NUI Galway — visited Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego in 2013 on a trip funded by the Marine Institute to develop her analytical skills in ocean carbon chemistry.

Dr McGrath has been researching ocean climate change since 2008 and highlights the value of her experience in the USA, saying: “The opportunity provided me with a wealth of information of how others work and increasing my knowledge at an international level.”

Dr McGrath’s team continues to monitor levels of carbon dioxide in Irish marine waters to determine the level of carbon in the ocean and subsequent increase in ocean acidity.

Along with her colleagues, Dr McGrath published the first rates of ocean acidification for Irish offshore waters and the first baseline dataset of carbon parameters in Irish coastal waters.

This data is crucial for our understanding of the future health of our oceans, and can provide information to determine the impacts of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems.

The Fulbright Commission in Ireland recently launched its new website and a promotional video called ‘Across the Water’ created by IADT student Gary Boyd, which also features Dr McGrath.

#MarineScience - The Fulbright Commission and the Marine Institute are offering a unique opportunity for an Irish PhD candidate or scholar to travel to the US to research in the fields of marine science or marine-related business sector.

The commission is particularly interested in receiving applications for this award from candidates who are exploring:

• Marine Sensor Technologies and Observation Systems
• Maritime Economics
• Marine Spatial Planning, Maritime Law and Security
• Renewable Ocean Energy
• Marine Biotechnology (including Functional Foods)
• Marine Environment
• Oceanographic Modelling
• Shipping, Seafood Safety, and
• Ecosystems-based Fisheries Management

Fulbright Irish Awards offer funding and administrative support for Irish citizens and EU citizens (resident in Ireland for more than three years) to study, research or teach/lecture in the USA for a period of four months or one semester, up to one year.

The application period is now open with a deadline is 4pm on Friday 28 October.

Details of the 2017-2018 Fulbright-Marine Institute Award to conduct postgraduate research in the US in all fields of marine science or marine-related business sector are available at the Marine Institute website HERE.

Fulbright staff will hold a webinar giving general information on the Fulbright Irish Awards at 1pm next Tuesday 13 September – email [email protected] if you would like to register.

Fulbright award managers can be reached on 01 660 7670 or at [email protected] to answer application queries. Fulbright Ireland ambassadors are also available to give on-campus support.

#marinescience – Thirty-seven Fulbright Awardees were officially announced at an event on MS The World, which was sponsored by a U.S. Fulbright alumnus, Dr. Jack Pinkowski and his wife, Mrs. Monica Pinkowski, as part of The Gathering recently (12th July 2013).

Since 1957, the Fulbright Awards are given annually by the Irish and U.S. governments and provide Irish students, scholars, and professionals with the opportunity to study, lecture, and research at top universities and institutions throughout the United States.

Among the 37 awardees were two Fulbright-Marine Institute Awardees:

Dr. Brendan Cahill is a Fulbright-Marine Institute Scholar Awardee. As a recent PhD graduate of University College Cork's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Brendan will travel to Oregon State University to undertake research on ocean wave energy test sites to assess how accurately they replicate sea conditions.

Dr. Triona McGrath is the Fulbright-Marine Institute Scholar Awardee who is also from Ennis. Triona will go to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego to research ocean acidification in coastal water environments.

This year's other Fulbright Awardees, from fourteen Irish higher educational institutions, will travel to America on their awards, to study at Rice University in Texas, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and to Oregon State University.

Speaking at the launch of this year's Fulbright Awards, Mr. Patrick McDermott, Chair of the Fulbright Commission Board, said, "year after year, the Fulbright Awards attract Ireland's top researchers, professionals, and graduates. With the breadth and expertise seen in this year's winners I know that these current and future leaders will gain invaluable experience that they can share upon their return to Ireland."

Welcoming the presentation of the Fulbright Marine Institute awards, Ms Caroline Bocquel, Director at the Institute said "research, technology and innovation are key drivers of the economic development and recovery in Ireland, as outlined in the National plan of Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth - An Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland (www.ouroceanwealth.ie). We are therefore delighted to see the Fulbright Awardees' benefit from this funding opportunity to explore innovative ways in developing excellence in marine research and sciences so as to further encourage sustainability in Ireland. I know that their contributions to the future of Irish marine policy will be informed by their time in the U.S."

A number of other agencies sponsor Fulbright Awards including CRH plc, Enterprise Ireland, the Marine Institute, and Teagasc. As well as the sponsored awards, the Department of Arts, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht and the National Lottery support the Irish Language Awards for scholars and teachers.

Ms. Colleen Dube, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission, said, "the Fulbright Awards continue to reflect the diversity and depth of Irish academia. Although this year's awardees have a definite science and technology angle, the arts also feature prominently, with awardees going to the School for Improvisational Music in Brooklyn, New York and the California Institute of the Arts. I look forward to seeing, and hearing, the wonderful outputs from each of these 37 awardees at the end of 2014."

Dube continued, "In this Gathering year we are especially delighted with the Fulbrighters' role as cultural ambassadors while in the U.S. With 37 Irish awardees going to the U.S. and 13 Americans coming to Ireland this autumn, we are thrilled to be a part of the ongoing cultural and educational exchange between the two countries."

The next round of applications for Irish Fulbright Awardees will open on Wednesday, August 28th, 2013. Interested applicants in all disciplines are encouraged to visit the Fulbright Commission's website, www.fulbright.ie, for more information. All applications for the 2014-2015 academic year will be due on Wednesday, November 13th, 2013.