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Fulbright Arctic InitiativeFinlandia Prize to Fulbright Alumnus Jussi Valtonen

A Northern Look on Global Change

Stipendit arktiseen tutkimukseen

Finland – an Arctic Expert

From the Executive DirectorThe vision of the Fulbright Center in Finland is to empower the minds that will find global solutions to tomor-row’s challenges by fostering academic and professional expertise and excellence in leadership. The program was established to create global citizens – those who dare to address universal problems with innovative solutions, and create meaningful change.

One of the most critical global questions facing us today is how we deal with the Arctic. What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic: it has global implications. At the Arctic Circle 2014 Assembly in Reykjavik in October, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö poignantly reminded the audience that not only is the future of the Arctic in our hands, at the same time our own future is in the hands of the Arctic (p. 5).

This Fulbright Center News focuses on the Arctic, and we are so pleased to have Finland’s Arctic Ambassador Hannu Halinen as our invited columnist (p. 2). Our grant-ees and alumni talk about their careers in pursuit of Arctic questions, and we are announcing several new initiatives that address the Arctic.

The new Fulbright Arctic Initiative provides interdisci-plinary research opportunities to both established experts and early career specialists from all eight Arctic Council countries (p. 4). Using a collaborative model to translate theory into practice, program participants will address public policy research questions relevant to the challenges Arctic nations share. Finland has a special role in this new program as it will host a plenary meeting of the Arctic Ini-tiative scholars in early 2016.

The Fulbright Center has also founded a new Travel Grant program for key strategic research areas, including the Arctic (p. 4), and is actively looking into other possi-bilities to join forces with institutions and organizations in Finland and abroad to find new ways to advance the research and teaching of this critical area. Currently, the Center assists in the planning of a summer school on Arctic cooperation and cross-border expertise at the Lapland University of Applied Sciences (p.6).

In a globalized world, cross-border and multilateral cooperation is increasingly important. Respectively, the Fulbright Center in Finland seeks to complement its traditional bilateral programs by developing an increas-ing number of collaborative, multilateral initiatives. The new Fulbright Arctic Initiative is an excellent example of regional cooperation. Another one is the ongoing Fulbright Inter-Country Travel Grant Program that the Fulbright Center in Finland helps to coordinate to facilitate U.S. scholar mobility in all of Europe. There are other examples, and even more are in the planning.

None of this would be possible without our numerous partners in Finland, in North America, and around the world. Thank you for joining us for Fulbright Finland… for the future!

Terhi Mölsä

Hannu HalinenArctic Ambassador of Finland

Finland’s new Arctic Strategy

was adopted a year ago. Besides

a clear-cut strategy, it includes

an extensive set of objectives

for Finland’s Arctic policy and

concrete actions to reach those

objectives. The strategy addresses

education, research, social issues

for local residents, the economy,

infrastructure, the environment,

stability and international coop-

eration in the Arctic.

Finland’s role in the funda-

mental change currently ongoing

in the Arctic is to promote sustain-

able development and stability,

both nationally and internation-

ally. Simultaneously, Finland is

engaged in efforts to exploit the

economic opportunities emerg-

ing in the North. These two goals

are not mutually exclusive, as

long as the economic activities in

the vulnerable Arctic regions take

into account the environmental

concerns and are sustainable also

in terms of local communities.

In short, Finland’s Arctic Vision

states: “Finland is an active Arctic

actor with the ability to reconcile

the limitations imposed and busi-

ness opportunities provided by

the Arctic environment in a sus-

tainable manner, while drawing

upon international cooperation”.

To give some examples of the

Finnish Arctic expertise: our

airports stay open even during

heavy snowstorms (because of

our snow-how) and all our ports

are ice-covered during winter,

but neither are they ever closed,

thanks to our ice-breakers. Sixty

percent of all ice-breakers in the

world are built in Finland and we

are busy with new innovations

in ice-breaking and ice manage-

ment technologies. Furthermore,

to live and work in a cold climate

is natural for all Finns. Machinery

and houses are built to last even

the coldest temperatures, cars are

winter-tested in Finland, cloth-

ing is high-tech; comfortable but

always keeping you warm. Con-

cepts such as renewable energy,

cleantech and green mining are

routinely applied in our Arctic

activities. You know that Santa

Claus comes from the Arctic

Circle in Finland, but did you

know that 90 percent of all hotel

beds in the Circumpolar Arctic are

in the Finnish Lapland; we are an

Arctic superpower in tourism. And

finally, one third of all citizens

living in the Arctic – above the 60

degree of latitude – are Finns.

The Arctic Council is the pre-

eminent forum for Arctic issues,

recognized by all. The Coun-

cil’s institutional role has been

steadily growing following the

establishment of a permanent

secretariat, the adoption of bind-

ing agreements and the extension

of the Council’s agenda. Finland

promotes broadening the Arctic

cooperation towards economic

and business issues, including

the work of the recently estab-

lished Arctic Economic Council.

Both the U.S. and Finland stress

further strengthening of the

Council. We support the Council

being open to global cooperation

and enhanced interaction with

observers. Finland fully supports

the U.S. proposal to arrange the

Arctic Summit in 2016, if circum-

stances permit.

The U.S. will chair the Arctic

Council on 2015–2017 and Finland

will follow thereafter. Together

we are aiming at more focused

alignment of interests between

chairmanships. This will involve

active dialogue and longer-term

thinking between our two coun-

tries and partners in the Arctic.

We are seeking for an informal

bilateral Arctic framework – a

partnership, if you will – to inten-

sify the already existing good

cooperation on Arctic issues, and

to widen bilateral relationships

in new areas. We are thinking

of extended cooperation in par-

ticular in science, technology and

research; in climate and envi-

ronmental issues; in information

and communications technology;

and in safety and security related

sectors, as well. The Finnish

Fulbright Program is already a

partner

in this

strategy

through its

grant and

outreach

programs.

Fulbright Center News on Fulbright Centerin sidosryhmälehti, joka ilmestyy kaksi kertaa vuodessa painettuna ja verkkoversiona. Artikkeleissa ilmaistut mielipiteet ovat kirjoittajien omia. Aineisto vapaasti lainattavissa, lähde mainittava.

The Fulbright Center News is a biannual magazine published by the Fulbright Center Finland in print and online. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Fulbright Center. Reproduction allowed, source must be cited.

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the material in this publication, the Fulbright Center does not accept liability for any errors or omissions.

www.fulbright.fi/en/fulbright-center/fulbright-center-news

Päätoimittaja/Editor-in-ChiefTerhi MölsäExecutive Director

Toimittajat/EditorsJohanna Lahti (toimituspäällikkö)Tanja MitchellSuzanne Louis

Ulkoasu ja taitto/LayoutTanja Mitchell/Fulbright Center

Avustajat/ContributorsLouisa Gairn

The Fulbright CenterHakaniemenranta 6FI-00530 HelsinkiFINLANDTel. +358 44 5535 286E-mail: office@fulbright.fi

ISSN-L 1456-0461ISSN 1456-0461 (Painettu)ISSN 2242-4245 (Verkkolehti)

Cover paper: Maxigloss 200 g/m2

Paper: G-Print 115 g/m2

Circulation: 1 300Printed by Erweko Oy

Editorial CounCil

Anitta Etula Director of International, Relations University of Eastern Finland Outi Hakanen Counsellor, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Department for Communications Sirpa Holmström Head of International Services, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences Erika Holt Principal Research Scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Sanna Kangasharju Press Counselor, Media and Cultural Affairs, Embassy of Finland, Washington D.C. Ossi V. Lindqvist Professor Emeritus

2 Kolumnit

4 Fulbright Arctic Initiative

4 New Research Travel Grants

5 Deputy Assistant Secretary Curtis in Finland World-Famous School System and Arctic Cooperation

5 Fulbright at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik

6 Fulbright in Finland Launched the Fulbright Speaker Program

6 Summer School on Arctic Cooperation and Cross-Border Expertise

7 Fulbright Bicentennial Agreement Renewed

7 Researching State Strategies towards the Arctic

7 Finland Fulbrighter Teaching Nursing Educators in Kazakhstan

8 A Northern Outlook on Global Change

12 My Life Changing Experience as a Fulbright Fellow A Career in Pursuit of Arctic Questions

14 First Finnish Fulbright Grantees for 2015–2016 Selected From Peace Mediation to Cleantech and Startups

15 Research on the New Fulbright Flex Award: Helping Cities Adapt to the Impacts of Climate Change

15 Fulbright Center and Vanderbilt Cooperate to Provide Unique Opportunities for Finnish Undergraduates

15 Alumni Vice-Chair Laura Hirvi to Lead the Finnish Institute in Berlin

16 Highlights of the American Fall in Finland

18 Voices Across the Atlantic – Campus Perspectives

20 Fulbright Alumni Find Creative Ways to Give to the Program

21 Alumni News

21 Fulbright-alumni Jussi Valtoselle kirjallisuuden Finlandia-palkinto

22 News / Uutisia

23 Fulbright Center

24 Kalenteri / Calendar of Events

In This Issue

Cover: After dismantling their ‘chums’ (tents), members of the

Serotetto extended family with Bruce Forbes (in front) have

a tea/coffee break before moving their large reindeer herd

to the next camp. As year-round nomads, the tundra Nenets

of the Yamal Peninsula in West Siberia migrate hundreds of

kilometers each year between winter lichen grounds in the

northern boreal forest and summer pastures along the Kara

Sea. Although children attend boarding school on southern

Yamal for the academic year, large nuclear families remain the

norm, with all ages active in herding during the summer and

over long holidays like Christmas.

Arctic researcher and Fulbright alumnus Professor Bruce

Forbes talks about saving the Arctic tundra, involving local

people in research, and influencing public policy on northern

landscapes at both national and international levels on

pages 8–11.

Cover photo: Roza Laptander

Photo: Hanna Strengell

Grant News

Fulbright Arctic InitiativeBuilding on the strong existing network of Arctic Studies scholars and policy experts in the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State has launched the Fulbright Arctic Initiative. This new program seeks to inspire collaborative research on the impact of climate change on people and the environment in the Arctic. Finland has a special role in this new program.

The Fulbright Arctic Initiative will support approximately 16 participants for advanced research and collaborative study for an 18-month period in 2015–2017, coinciding with the United States’ chairmanship of the Arctic Council. Beginning in May 2015, the scholars will work in thematic teams to explore public policy research questions and engage governments, NGOs, businesses, and Arctic communities.

The participants will be selected through an open, merit-based compe-tition. All grantees will attend three seminar group meetings, complete a research visit for a minimum of six weeks and up to three months, and main-tain ongoing virtual communication with fellow grantees and lead scholars.

Finland to Host the Arctic Seminar Finland has a special role in the Ful-bright Arctic Initiative program as a host of one of the three scholar meetings. Finland will serve as the host of the pro-gram’s mid-term seminar meeting to be

Stipendit arktiseen tutkimukseen nyt haussa

held in early 2016. “Finland is an important partner in

the Arctic, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to work closely with Finnish colleagues to address our shared chal-lenges in the Arctic during the upcoming U.S. chairmanship of the Arctic Council. I am delighted that U.S. and Finnish researchers will collaborate along with scholars from the other Arctic nations as part of the Fulbright Arctic Initiative. I look forward to hearing more about their work,” says U.S. Special Representative for the Arctic, Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr.

Arctic researchers have over the years been an important group in the Finnish Fulbright program, and some of them are featured in this issue of the Fulbright Center News. Dr. Virginia points out the long-term research col-laboration between his home university Dartmouth and institutions in Finland. “We value our close relations with col-leagues and institutions in Finland. I see these relationships only growing as Fin-land takes on the Chairmanship of the Arctic Council following the U.S. lead in 2015–2017,” Dr. Virginia concludes.

Text: Terhi Mölsä

“The Fulbright Arctic Initiative is an innovative program that will provide interdisciplinary research opportunities to both established experts and early career specialists from the Arctic Coun-cil countries: the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden,” says Dr. Michael Sfraga, Vice Chancellor, and Profes-sor of Arctic Policy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and one of the two Lead Scholars of the program. The other Lead Scholar is Dr. Ross Virginia who is the Director or the Institute of Arctic Studies, and Myers Family Professor of Environmental Science at Dartmouth College.

“Using a collaborative model to translate theory into practice, pro-gram participants will address public policy research questions relevant to Arctic nations’ shared challenges. Over an 18-month period, the scholars will assess the impact of change in the Arctic in four key areas: Energy, Water, Health, and Infrastructure,” Virginia adds.

Education, Entrepreneurship, and the Arctic

New Research Travel Grants Lokakuussa julkistetun kansainvälisen Fulbright Arctic Ini-tiative -ohjelman stipendit ovat nyt haussa! Tämä arktisille tutkijoille suunnattu täysin uusi ohjelma tarjoaa ainutlaatuisen mahdollisuuden poikkitieteelliseen tutkimusyhteistyöhön ja verkostoitumiseen sekä kokeneille että uransa alussa oleville asiantuntijoille. Stipendiä voivat hakea arktisen neuvoston jäsenmaiden (Suomi, Venäjä, Yhdysvallat, Kanada, Tanska, Islanti, Norja, ja Ruotsi) kansalaiset. Hakuaika päättyy 2.2.2015.

Ohjelman stipendit ovat Yhdysvaltain rahoittamia. Ohjel-maan liittyy myös tutkijatapaamisia, jotka järjestetään kansainvälisessä yhteistyössä eri maissa. Kolmesta tutkija-tapaamisesta yhtä isännöi Suomi.

Lisätietoja www.fulbright.fi/fi/stipendit-tohtorintutkinnon-jalkeiseen-tutkimukseen-ja- luennointiin/fulbright-arctic-initiativewww.cies.org/program/fulbright-arctic-initiative

The Fulbright Center has recognized the need to more actively engage researchers and faculty on the departmental level at Finnish higher education institutions to ensure awareness of the Fulbright Center programs. At the same time, the Center has also received feedback from departments at Finnish HEIs on the need for short-term travel grants for research col-laboration with current as well as new partners in the United States. The Fulbright Center has founded a new grant program that combines these two aspects. The new Fulbright Center Travel Grants for Research Collaboration will offer short-term travel grants to researchers from Finland to the Unites States.

The program pays special attention to applications from three strategic areas defined by the Fulbright Center Board: The Arctic, Education, and Entrepreneurship. Applicants do not need to be Finnish citizens.

The competition will open in February 2015. Stay tuned for more information!

4 www.fulbright.fi4 www.fulbright.fi

Deputy Assistant Secretary Curtis in Finland

World-Famous School System and Arctic Cooperation U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State

Meghann Curtis (second from right) took a

first-hand look at the world-famous school

system and promoted Arctic cooperation in

Finland. Here at the Koulumestari

School in Espoo.

No time was wasted during the visit to Finland by Meghann Curtis, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Mary Kirk, Director of the Office of Academic Exchange Programs in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Fulbright Arctic Initiative

Fulbright at the Arctic Circle Assembly in ReykjavikFulbright Center Finland participated at the Arctic Circle 2014 Assembly in October in Reykjavik, Iceland, where the new Ful-bright Arctic Initiative program was announced. The conference gathered 1,400 people representing 34 nations. President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö (in the photo) spoke at the Opening Plenary of the conference as well as opened the country session on Finland. Analyzing the opportunities and risks in the Arctic, President Niinistö highlighted the particular importance of high-quality research, cleantech and Arctic know-how.

In his speech president Niinistö also reminded the con-ference that it was on a Finnish initiative that the first meeting between ministers of the Arctic countries was held in Rovaniemi in 1991.

“It was a historic meeting, establishing the idea of the eight Arctic states. The meeting produced the Arctic Environmen-tal Protection Strategy and launched the Rovaniemi Process, which then led to the establishment of the Arctic Council,” said President Niinistö.

Phot

o: T

erhi

Möl

sä

Finnish Fulbright alumni and cur-rent American Fulbright grantees demonstrated how through the Ful-bright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program and the Fulbright Speaker Program, American and Finnish edu-cators get to share their best practices

in education while promoting cultural understanding.

As part of the visit, Ms. Curtis launched also the first ever Fulbright Dialogue at the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs with a roundtable dis-cussion on Transatlantic Cooperation in Teacher Exchange and Education. Finn-ish and American education experts, including various State exchange pro-gram alumni, were invited to share their perspectives on the theme.

Visitors also highlighted Arctic coop-eration and Finland’s prominent role in it during meetings at the Ministry for

Foreign Affairs and at the Ministry of Education and Culture.

“The Finnish Fulbright program really stands out around the world as one of the best,” Curtis concluded after her two-day immersion into Finnish-American Fulbright experience.

5www.fulbright.fi

News

Fulbright in Finland Launched

The Fulbright Speaker Program

Through the new Fulbright Speaker Program schools, organizations and institutions all around the country have the opportunity to invite Ameri-can grantees to give talks on specific research topics or more general Ameri-can themes. At the same time, grantees can give back to the Finnish community and contribute to the internationaliza-tion of Finnish education by providing intercultural interaction for students and in many cases also insight into the subject matter being studied.

The Fulbright Speaker Program also gives American grantees a chance to learn about the world famous Finnish education system and schools while meeting teachers who are genuinely excited to learn about the grantees and have them in their classroom.

The new Fulbright Speaker Program is expected to facilitate a large number of speaking engagements throughout the year and directly reach hundreds of young Finns in all parts of the country.

U.S. Fulbright grantee Molly Schwartz

engaged students to talk about “What is it

like to be a teenager in the U.S.” during a visit

to Helsingin yhteislyseo high school.

More information

www.fulbright.fi/en/

internationalization-services/

fulbright-speaker-program

Every year the Fulbright Center in Helsinki brings over 40 American professors, graduate students, teachers and professionals to Finland. Their expertise is now available throughout the country through the Fulbright Speaker Program.

Summer School on Arctic Cooperation and Cross-Border Expertise New Fulbright Speaker Program Initiative in Tornio

The Fulbright Center is collaborating on a pilot program with the Lapland University of Applied Sciences in Tornio in organizing a “Summer School on Arctic Cooperation and Cross-Border Expertise.”

Through the Fulbright Speaker Program, grantees now have an opportunity to gain expertise in Arctic cooperation while lecturing in an international

environment at the Lapland University of Applied Sciences. At the same time, American Fulbright speakers get to experience the mid-night sun and northern environment in Tornio. The summer school will take place in June 2015.

More informationwww.fulbright.fi

Photo: Visit Finland,Elina Sirparanta

6 www.fulbright.fi

Michael Brown from the University of Washington spends this academic year at the University of Lapland as a Fulbright graduate student researching the potential futures for state strategies towards the Arctic. Read online Michael’s article about his Fulbright project, and how he became interested in Finland, and Lapland. Michael also writes about his obser-vations about life in Finland so far, and gives some tips for prospective Fulbrighters.

Read Michael Brown's articlewww.fulbright.fi/en/read-online/michael-brown

Researching State Strategies towards the Arctic

Bradley Boehringer, a U.S. Fulbright fellow at Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Finland, recently returned from a two-week trip to Kazakhstan where he taught the local nursing educators.

“The students were physician trained nursing educators representing six medical colleges that are piloting a new

bachelor’s level nurse training pro-gram,” Boehringer says. “The first of the new BSN enrollees occurred this fall. This is a huge step forward for health-care in Kazakhstan.”

“At the direction of the Kazakh Ministry of Health, the World Bank and numerous other international consul-tants, of which Finland is leading the movement, nursing has begun a rapid

evolution. The aim is to elevate the level of the nurse from something more than a minimally educated physician’s ser-vant to that of an independent, highly trained and autonomous thinker,” Boehringer explains.

“While I think that changing the way a culture perceives nursing will likely take a bit longer than a single run through of a new degree program, I am impressed with their tenacity in the pursuit of this project and proud to say that I was, if for only a short time, a part of this project.”

Bradley Boehringer’s story about his two-week teaching experience in Almaty and Kokshetau, Kazakhstanwww.fulbright.fi/en/read-online/

fulbrighter-teaching-nursing-educators-

kazakhstan

Finland Fulbrighter Teaching Nursing Educators in Kazakhstan

Fulbright Bicentennial Agreement RenewedThe Fulbright Center and the University of Helsinki have renewed their cooperation agreement regarding the Distin-guished Fulbright Bicentennial Chair in American Studies. The Chair was established in 1976 to institutionalize the teaching of American history, culture and language at the University of Helsinki. The Bicentennial Chair has played a crucial role in developing the interdisciplinary approach to American stud-ies found at the University of Helsinki and at other Finnish universities with American studies programs. It is the oldest Fulbright Distinguished Chair worldwide and one of the most prestigious appointments in the Fulbright Scholar Program.

Michael Brown (left) discussing arctic issues with Heikki Autto,

Member of the Finnish Parliament from Enontekiö representing

Northern Finland. Mr. Autto hosted a luncheon for the American

Fulbrighters at the Finnish Parliament in late November.

Mark Miller, the 2014–2015 Fulbright Bicentennial Chair gave his inau-

gural lecture in November. Miller spoke on “The Interactions between

the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court” to a rapt audience at

the University of Helsinki.

Fulbrighter Bradley Boehringer (fourth from

left) during his recent visit to Kazakhstan.

7www.fulbright.fi

A Northern Outlook on Global ChangeArctic researcher and Fulbright alumnus, Professor Bruce Forbes

talks about saving the Arctic tundra, involving local people in

research, and influencing public policy on northern landscapes

at both national and international levels.

Alumni in Focus

8 www.fulbright.fi

Bruce Forbes is a passionate advocate for Arctic landscapes and the people whose livelihoods depend upon them. A geographer and ecologist working on Arctic ecological and social systems, Bruce first came to Finland as a Fulbright grantee in 1994. His circumpolar fieldwork has taken him to the Alaskan wilderness, the Canadian High Arctic and the Siberian tundra, gathering scientific data as well as cooperating with indigenous Inuit, Nenet and Sámi hunters and herders. Now based in Finnish Lapland, he leads the interdisciplinary Research Group for Global Change at the University of Lapland’s Arctic Research Center.

Bridging Disciplines to Understand Environmental Change

“Finland and the University of Lapland were a very good fit, both geographically and institutionally,” Bruce explains. “The Arctic Center works internation-

ally, with both Finnish and foreign researchers from different disciplines. We have people working on ice and cli-mate, sustainable development, and environmental law, all here in one build-ing. It was a great place to land!”

The Global Change group study not

only climate change, but also changes in land use. “We look at oil and gas devel-opment, forestry, mining, and tourism, alongside traditional land uses like rein-deer herding here in the north of Finland - basically, what we use land for here in the north. Reindeer herding has been here a long time, but now there’s a lot of competition for space.”

“We also look at these changes not only from the perspective of the last few decades of global warming, but also in the context of centuries, even millennia, of climate change. For example, study-ing tree rings and glaciers can reveal changes in the environment and climate over a long period of time.” >>

Photo: Bruce C. Forbes

We need to gear the research so that it has an impact, and is what the community wants and needs, both now and in the future.

9www.fulbright.fi

Alumni in Focus

From Citizen Involvement to Policy ImpactMuch of the research conducted by Bruce and his colleagues is applied and partici-patory, involving cooperation with local people to help address local as well as global concerns. This is something that distinguishes their work from other Arctic research centers, Bruce explains.

“We listen to people’s concerns about land use and environmental changes at the community level, and we try to use science to help sustain northern communities that are under pressure. We talk to indigenous people, like the Sámi, as well as non-indigenous local residents. We’ve got a lot of volunteers helping with our research, for example monitoring changes in bird populations. Citizen involvement is very important to us.”

“Right now, we’re running participa-tory workshops with reindeer herders in Norway, Finland and Sweden. They’ve been telling us about the changes they see in the Arctic landscape. It’s impor-tant to get local people’s perspectives on how landscape changes affect their live-lihood, and how they coexist with other land uses. For example, the Lappi herd-ing district in Finland has a long history of forestry, hydropower and mining, but now there’s also great deal of tour-ism development going on, all of which has an impact on traditional herding communities.”

Although the northern landscape may seem vast, the increasing demands

from competing modern industries are at risk of crowding out traditional ways of life. The Sámi herders are con-cerned above all with maintaining their livelihood, and handing it on to future generations, Bruce explains. “They want to get younger people involved, but this is becoming more and more difficult in these marginal landscapes.”

The issue of reindeer herding is a complex problem, Bruce notes. “Since the end of the Second World War, reindeer herding has been treated by governments as an agricultural enter-prise, whereas for the Sámi, it’s more of a livelihood. In traditional agricul-tural research, it’s all about numbers, or quantity. That doesn’t involve cul-tural or social imperatives at all. For the Sámi , it’s not just about making money; it’s about passing on a heritage, which doesn’t boil down to how many kilos of meat you can produce.”

“We can help these communities by putting science to work, looking at how the tundra landscape has changed, and what might happen in the future. We need to gear the research so that it has

an impact, and is what the community wants and needs, both now and in the future.”

Safeguarding Tundra and the ClimateBruce points out that the UN Intergov-ernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that in just a few decades, much of the world’s tundra landscape will disappear. This change is likely to have far-reaching impacts, not only for the local people and species whose lives depend on this landscape, but also for the global climate.

“We’re talking about losing most of the tundra by mid-century, replaced by tall shrubs and forest. It’s important to realize that trees and shrubs in these northern landscapes do not sequester a lot of carbon, but they do change the thermal balance and actually accelerate global warming. The vegetation is dark in contrast to the white snow, and so it absorbs radiation that would otherwise be reflected by the tundra.”

“The herders have all been saying that the snow pack has changed. They’ve

In just a few decades, much of the world’s tundra landscape will disappear. This change is likely to have far-reaching impacts, not only for the local people and species whose lives depend on this landscape, but also for the global climate.

10 www.fulbright.fi

observed that shrubs lead to loosely-packed snow, which in turn leads to faster melting and an earlier growing season – something that is also pre-dicted in our scientific models. The Sámi want to halt this environmental change from a herding perspective, but the world needs to prevent it to help combat climate change. This is not a local issue but a global one, as the Arctic feeds back to the rest of the planet.”

Local Knowledge with a Global ImpactDrawing on local and indigenous tradi-tional knowledge can play a crucial role in managing the Arctic landscape, with oral history an important component alongside the quantitative scientific research.

“Tundra is important for climate, biodiversity and reindeer herding. The herders prefer treeless areas to corral their animals, which are semi-domestic. We are investigating whether it is pos-sible for reindeer grazing to prevent shrubs and trees from advancing. For example, we’ve found that old reindeer milking meadows abandoned during the past century still remain clear of trees and shrubs.”

“Climate change is not new, so how did people adapt in the past? There are still some people alive who understand what land management was like in the early twentieth century, before the changes in agricultural policy. If you want to remove shrubs from the tundra,

how do you do that? Luckily, we don’t have to hypothesize – we can simply ask the older members of the commu-nity, and learn from the techniques they used.”

However, protecting and maintaining the tundra following traditional Sámi land management practices will require a significant change in policy. “Right now, governments consider this kind of land use to be overgrazing. It would require a major shift in policy think-ing to promote the use of traditional reindeer herding to maintain the tundra.”

Bruce is convinced that a mix of quantita-tive and qualitative research is needed to inform political decision makers. “Understanding the real nature of land use and landscape change in tundra areas requires intensive interaction between scientists and herders. So, we can talk to the herders and find out what is going on from their perspective, but at the other end of the scale we can use sat-ellites to quantify the landscape changes over a large area. It’s a mixture of social anthropology, ecology and geography.”

Looking Towards the Future of the ArcticThis kind of policy-relevant research is increasingly demanded by govern-

ments and international funders like the EU, Bruce observes. “It’s not enough to have an interesting research question, it has to have the potential to make an impact.”

Bruce highlights the forthcom-ing Fulbright Arctic Initiative as a good example of support for research with

an impact. The pro-gram, which will begin in 2015, will support interdisciplinary re-search on the Arctic region with a strong focus on influencing public policy, ranging from climate change and management of natural resources to economic and social concerns. Organized

jointly by Fulbright and the U.S. Depart-ment of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the initiative will support cross-disciplinary collaboration between U.S. and international scholars from Arctic rim countries.

“We’re linking science with the com-munity, but we’ve also got to link science and policy. To do that, it’s best to involve policy makers who are already inter-ested and engaged in the topic.”

Text: Louisa Gairn

Professor Bruce Forbes recently concluded his eight years of service on the Fulbright Center Board of Directors in Finland.

The forthcoming Fulbright Arctic

Initiative is a good example of support

for research with an impact.

Photo: Hanna Strengell

Phot

o: T

imo

Kum

pula

11www.fulbright.fi

In the spring of 1983 I was in the last semester of undergraduate studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks when my advisor, Professor Stephen MacLean, invited me to do a Master’s degree with him in the Institute of Arctic Biology. He explained that it would involve immediate arrangements to spend the summer conducting research in Finnish Lapland. I instantly accepted with great enthu-siasm – and then ran to the library to locate Finland on a globe. In my defense, Finland was about where I thought, but I spent a long time that day studying the globe and trying to imagine what it would be like. As excited as I was, I still underestimated the extent to which this would change my life.

publishing a number of research papers. This productivity was instrumental in gaining acceptance into a top Ph.D. program (with Professor Mark Scriber at Michigan State University), an excel-lent Postdoctoral position with the U.S. Forest Service, and then an Assistant Professorship in Biological Sciences at Dartmouth College. The luster of a Fulbright on my CV didn’t hurt either. However, these immediate professional rewards have since been dwarfed by a few decades of rich continuing returns from my Fulbright experience.

I didn’t know it then, but the research questions that I began exploring during my Fulbright would become even more fascinating and more relevant with

time. Our study system at Kevo was the autumnal moth, Epirrita autumnata, whose larvae feed on mountain birch, and whose populations regularly attain such spectacularly high abundances that they defoliate vast expanses of forest, with relevance, for example, to reindeer herding by Sami communities. By virtue of work by Professor Haukioja, his stu-dents, and similarly productive groups in Sweden and Norway, Epirrita is among the best studied insects in the world. It is a global model for understanding popu-lation cycles, distribution limits, and the role of predators and plant defenses in plant-herbivore interactions and plant pestilence.

During my Fulbright, we studied effects of temperature on the growth of caterpillars, and documented that larvae could double their mass in a day at warm temperatures vs. requiring weeks to accomplish the same growth at cooler temperatures. We also discov-ered that larvae were highly dependent on nutritious immature leaves, which are only available for a brief period in early summer. This inspired us to build

My Life Changing Experience as a Fulbright Fellow

A Career in Pursuit of Arctic Questions

I spent the next two summers at the northern edge of Finland, well above the Arctic Circle, conducting ecological research at the Kevo Research Station, Lapin tutkimuslaitos Kevo. There it was my good fortune to be adopted by Profes-sor Erkki Haukioja of the University of Turku and his students. In 1985, with the encouragement of Professors MacLean and Haukioja, I applied for and received a Fulbright Scholarship to spend a full year in Finland, the summer at Kevo and the remainder in Turku with my wife and young daughter, where I was hosted by Professor Haukioja and the Department of Biology of the University of Turku.

With the benefit of this incredibly stimulating environment, I succeeded in

Photo: Chris Polashenski

12 www.fulbright.fi

Alumni in Focus

lots of simple greenhouses around birch trees, which showed that early summer temperatures influenced a race between feeding larvae and maturing birch leaves. It turned out that larval growth was more temperature sensitive than leaf matu-ration, such that warmer temperatures favored the growth and survival of cater-pillars, which influenced the abundance of egg-laying moths in the fall and cater-pillars the next spring.

These studies during my Fulbright have since evolved into the question of how temperature influences species interactions in general. For example current projects of my students include studies of how temperature influences predation of mosquito larvae by aquatic beetles in Greenland, and predation of caterpillars by birds and wasps in New England forests.

In the 1980s, anthropogenic climate change was a barely noted theoreti-cal possibility. Now, in a world that is warming faster than we guessed even a few years ago, thermal effects on species interactions has become a hot topic that is broadly relevant to understanding how climate change is influencing eco-systems and the priceless services that ecosystems provide to people.

The greatest personal and pro-fessional rewards of my Fulbright experience have flowed from the still expanding circle of friends and col-leagues in Fennoscandia with whom I continue to interact almost daily. I have published more than a dozen papers with more than two dozen different coauthors from Finland and Sweden, and there are more in the works.

Since my Fulbright, I have returned to Finland more times than I can count, including a sabbatical in Turku where I taught a graduate course in Popula-tion Ecology that I remember for having learned more from my students than vice versa. I have been fortunate to host two outstanding Finnish Postdoctoral Scholars, Tiina Ylioja and Anu Val-tonen, now scientists with the Finnish Forest Research Institute, Metla, and University of Eastern Finland. I have hosted shorter working visits at Dart-mouth from more than a dozen other young colleagues from Fennoscan-dia. I have been honored to be “The Opponent” in two Ph.D. defenses in Finland. And I write this essay from Uppsala, Sweden, where I and a post-doctoral colleague from Dartmouth are August T. Larsson Guest Researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; the pathway to this wonderful

opportunity began with my first visit to Uppsala as a Fulbright Scholar in 1986.

Ever since my own life chang-ing experience as a Fulbright Fellow, nothing brings me more professional satisfaction than helping young schol-ars of today have similar opportunities for international exchange, and to gain the skills and international awareness that are so urgently needed in the 21st century. Thus, I am delighted to play a supporting role in the new Fulbright Arctic Initiative. This program, led by my colleagues Ross Virginia (Dart-mouth) and Mike Sfraga (University of Alaska Fairbanks), will support a team of about 20 scholars, with members from each of the eight countries in the Arctic Council, to study the impact of change in the Arctic and engage in collaborative thinking, analysis and problem solving.

This initiative builds on the historic strengths of the Fulbright Program but is also revolutionary in being organized as interdisciplinary thematic working groups. In this pioneering initiative the theme is rapid environmental change in the Arctic, which is particularly relevant as the U.S. prepares for its turn as Chair of the Arctic Council.

As Planet Earth plunges into the Anthropocene, an era in which the ecosystems on which we depend are increasingly the product of our own activities, there has never been a greater need for international coopera-tion and interdisciplinary scholarship.

The Fulbright Arctic Initiative is a new vision of international scholarship and training that matches the challenges of the Anthropocene.

Matthew P. AyresAssociate Director Institute of Arctic Studies and Professor of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, U.S. Fulbright Graduate Student 1985–86, University of Turku, Finland

Ever since my own life changing experience as a Fulbright Fellow, nothing brings me more professional satisfaction than helping young scholars of today have similar opportunities for international exchange, and to gain the skills and international awareness that are so urgently needed in the 21st century.

The author of the article Matthew P. Ayres is one of many Arctic researchers from the United States that have spent their Fulbright in Finland. Last year a group of "Finland Fulbrighters" got together in Abisko, Sweden during an Arctic Fulbright workshop: (l-r) Tim Frandy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison (Fulbright in Finland 2009–2010), Christopher Nel-son, Executive Director Terhi Mölsä from the Fulbright Center in Finland, Matt Ayres from Dartmouth College (1985–1986), Sophia Albov from University of Montana and the University of Helsinki (2013–2014), Amy Lauren Lovecraft from University of Alaska Fairbanks (Fulbright Inter-Country 2011), Paul Burgess from Tulane University (2011–2012), and Bruce Forbes from the University of Lapland (1994–1995).

Phot

o: L

awre

nce

His

lop

13www.fulbright.fi

First Finnish Fulbright Grantees for 2015–2016 Selected

From Peace Mediation to Cleantech and Startupsstartup-yrittäjien mahdollisuutta on-nistua ja kasvaa Suomessa, ja sitä kautta luoda tänne pysyviä työpaikkoja.”

Tuuli Mäkelä aikoo hakea Yhdys-valloista eväitä siihen, miten kehittää suomalaista cleantech -alaa vahvemman liiketoimintaosaamisen ja kaupallista-mistaitojen avulla. ”Minua kiinnostaa Yhdysvaltojen verraton yrittäjyys- ja innovaatiokulttuuri sekä erityisesti kokemukset ja parhaat käytännöt liittyen cleantech-innovaatioiden kehittämis-een ja kaupallistamiseen. Uskon niistä olevan hyötyä myös suomalaisen elinkeinoelämän uudistumiselle ja kil-pailukyvylle pitkällä jänteellä.”

Uudet stipendiaatit kokoontuivat Fulbright-vuoteen valmistavaan en-simmäiseen koulutukseensa lokakuussa Fulbright Centerissä. Ensi toukokussa järjestetään vielä toinen koulutus, jossa pureudutaan Yhdysvaltoihin muuttoon liittyviin liittyviin käytännön seikkoi-hin sekä kuullaan vinkkejä aiempien vuosien stipendiaateilta.

Fulbright-kaudeltani toivon tuovani Suomeen maailmanluokan osaamista ja tietoa, mikä edesauttaa suomalaisten startup-yrittäjien mahdollisuutta onnistua ja kasvaa Suomessa, ja sitä kautta luoda tänne pysyviä työpaikkoja.

Ensimmäiset vuoden 2015–2016 Ful-bright-stipendiaatit nimettiin jo syyskuussa, kun Fulbright Centerin johtokunta valitsi 51 hakijan joukosta 10 maisteri- ja tohtoriopiskelijaa ASLA-Fulbright Graduate –ohjelmaan sekä Fulbright-Technology Industries of Finland -ohjelmaan. Uudet sti-pendiaatit edustavat laajasti eri aloja liiketaloudesta ja insinööritieteistä taiteisiin.

Valtaosa uusista stipendiaateista aikoo suorittaa Yhdysvaltoissa koko mais-terin- tai tohtorin tutkinnon. Monet ovat omalla työurallaan jo edenneitä, erilaisissa asiantuntijatehtävissä työskenteleviä ammattilaisia, jotka haluavat jatko- tai täydennysopinnoilla syventää ja kehittää ammattiosaamista-an ja luoda kansainvälisiä ammatillisia yhteyksiä.

Annina Salvén ja Tuuli Mäkelä aiko-vat molemmat suorittaa Yhdysvalloissa maisterin tutkinnon. Salvén erikois-tuu startup-yritysten kehittämiseen. ”Fulbright-kaudeltani toivon tuovani Suomeen maailmanluokan osaamista ja tietoa, mikä edesauttaa suomalaisten

Planning for the Fulbright Year -seminaarin ohjelma www.fulbright.fi/sites/default/

files/liitetiedostot/stipendiaateille/

suomalaisille/program.pdf

14 www.fulbright.fi

Fulbright Center and Vanderbilt Cooperate to Provide Unique Opportunities for Finnish Undergraduates

Research on the New Fulbright Flex Award

Helping Cities Adapt to the Impacts of Climate ChangeDr. David C. Major and his Finn-ish colleague Dr. Sirkku Juhola are undertaking new research to develop methods of helping small and medium coastal cities to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Dr. Major of Columbia University, Ful-bright Scholar in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the Univer-sity of Helsinki, and Dr. Juhola, Assistant Professor in Urban Environmental Policy at the University of Helsinki, are also co-teaching a new course at the Uni-versity of Helsinki. The course is titled Urban Environmental Policy and it uses climate change as an example of the contemporary challenges facing urban decision-makers.

Dr. Major is the first U.S. scholar coming to Finland on a new Fulbright Flex Award. In order to engage U.S. schol-ars currently unable to spend extended periods of time abroad, the Flex Award allows multiple, short-term stays in the host country over a period of two

years. The Flex Award is also designed for scholars who require multiple visits abroad to accomplish their research objectives. Dr. Major spends two months in the fall 2014 at the University of Hel-sinki and returns to Finland in late 2015.

David C. Major, the first U.S. scholar

coming to Finland on the new Flex Award,

with colleague Sirkku Juhola.

News

More Information on Flex Awardswww.fulbright.fi

Alumni Vice-Chair Laura Hirvi to Lead the Finnish Institute in Berlin

Laura Hirvi will start a three-year term as the leader of the Finnish Institute in Berlin in

2015. Dr. Hirvi spent the academic year 2009–10 as an ASLA-Fulbright fellow at UC Santa Barbara. She is the Vice-President of the ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association in Finland.

“I am very much looking forward to applying the knowledge and skills that I acquired in my studies and previous work experiences in this new and exciting job,” says Laura Hirvi.

The Institute aims to create a platform for experts from Finland and German-speaking parts of Europe to foster long-term collaborations and a German-Finnish dialogue.

Vanderbilt University and the Ful-bright Center toured high schools in Tampere and the capital region in early October with Vanderbilt's Direc-tor of Undergraduate Admissions John Gaines as the speaker.

The Fulbright Center and Vanderbilt have a cooperation agreement that pro-vides unique opportunities for Finns: Finnish undergraduate students may

apply for fully-funded scholarships from Vanderbilt as well as the Ful-bright Center’s Partnership Awards for Undergraduate studies.

More informationVideo: http://bit.ly/12Q26HQ

www.fulbright.fi/fi/stipendiohjelmat/

stipendiohjelma-kandidaattitason-

opintoihin

15www.fulbright.fi

Highlights of the American Fall in Finland

Finland, the Exceptional!Each year at the end of August, the Fulbright Center arranges a three-and-a-half-day orientation for arriving U.S. Fulbrighters in Helsinki. This year’s orientation, for the U.S. 2014-2015 Fulbrighters, was again organized with the invaluable support of alumni and partners throughout the week’s program.

Among the Fulbrighters taking part was Fulbright-Nokia Distinguished Chair Jay Gillette, who will begin his grant term in the spring but came to Finland to attend the orientation with his wife, B.J. Deering. “We thought it was imper-ative to meet and participate with the 2014–2015 cadre of Fulbrighters, before we all scattered to our appointed univer-sities,” Gillette says.

“We found the full set of orienta-tion activities useful—working with the Fulbright Center staff foremost, par-ticularly the director and our program coordinator.”

“Yet the most important point of engaging fully with orientation is meet-ing and interacting with that unique community of scholars, Finns and

Americans working together,” Professor Gillette commented. “We most enjoyed and benefited by the social and intellec-tual interchange of the people we found in Helsinki.”

“Orientation well prepared us for our next special trip, the weekend follow-ing the orientation. We flew to visit our hosts in Oulu, both the university and the community people. They allowed us to stay at the housing we will use in the spring so we knew what to expect. We toured the city and the university, and they hosted us for some convivial meals together (Finns eat well). We met our academic leadership and discussed the role that I will contribute during my Fulbright assignment.”

“We would urge any potential Ful-bright scholar to engage fully with the Finnish program, ahead of time and at your own expense if necessary. You will benefit fully, and add more knowledge-value on your part as well,” Gillette concludes.

Orientation program www.fulbright.fi/en/guide/

orientations-for-american-grantees

Ramón Barthelemy studies Educational

pathways of women in Finnish physics

programs at the University of Jyväskylä. In

Turku he talked about Inequality in America:

How Birth Can Determine Path.

U.S. Fulbrighters’ mid-October week-end is traditionally dedicated to Turku, as they gather for the American Voices Seminar. This October an audience of about one hundred students and fac-ulty from the University of Turku and other institutions in Turku, as well as Fulbright Center and U.S. Embassy staff, spent two days at the Seminar enjoying presentations ranging from Latino influence in the U.S. to the Mystery of Violin Making.

American Voices Seminar 2014

Lobsters, Hipsters, Lawyers, and Defective Detectives

Mark Miller, Fulbright Bicentennial Chair in American Studies opened the seminar with an academic keynote on

16 www.fulbright.fi

There is always time for

questions and discussion

after each presentation at the

American Voices seminar.

American Voices Seminar 2014

Lobsters, Hipsters, Lawyers, and Defective DetectivesAmerican Lawyers as Elected Politicians. “The American Voices seminar was a great way for the various Fulbright stu-dents and scholars to share something that they thought was typically Ameri-can with a mostly Finnish audience,” says Miller. “Some of the presenta-tions were more academic, while others showcased parts of American culture including marching bands, how hipsters differ on the West and East Coasts, and popular American novels, movies, and TV shows. I was very impressed with the wide variety of American themes and ideas that were wonderfully pre-sented by my very talented Fulbright colleagues.”

Irinja Paakkanen, Head of Interna-tional Affairs at the University of Turku has been attending American Voices seminars for several times. She values the opportunities it offers for network-ing on campus across the disciplines and

across the Atlantic. According to Paak-kanen, it also gives a touch of American present day life and academic interests and may give a boost for more curiosity for students. It also creates a chance to present the University of Turku and the oldest city in Finland to all incoming Fulbright grantees.

The American Voices seminar pro-vides an opportunity to learn about various aspects of the American society and culture through the experiences of American Fulbright grantees currently in Finland. The seminar is organized by the University of Turku North Ameri-can Studies Program and the Fulbright Center.

14

Education, Innovation, Science and Art

20

14

Education, Innovation, Science and Art

20

14

Education, Innovation, Science and Art

20

March 5–6, 2015at the University of Jyväskylä

Fulbright Forum 2015 provides a unique opportunity to hear current American Fulbright scholars and graduate students present on their research in Finland.

The seminar is open to the public and free of charge. Fulbright Forum is organized by the Fulbright Center in cooperation with the University of Jyväskylä.

More information www.fulbright.fi/en/fulbright-forum

17www.fulbright.fi

The invaluable impact that the Fulbright programs have on international education do not go unnoticed by those who work to advance campus international-ization. Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Haaga-Helia) and California State Polytech-nic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) are partnering this fall through the Finnish-American Fulbright Program. Haaga-Helia is hosting Professor John Self from Cal Poly Pomona’s Collins College of Hospitality.

“The outcomes of Professor Self’s participation in this program are multidimensional. He will directly impact students in Finland, add to the discussion of international-ization at Haaga-Helia, and upon return to Cal Poly Pomona, continue to share his experience with his stu-dents, fellow faculty, and the campus community. Such an experience is an investment beyond a personal experience and it will continue to enrich, both academically and cul-turally, the lives of students in both universities,” says Anneli Adams, Executive Director of Global Initia-tives at Cal Poly Pomona.

“For us at Cal Poly Pomona, Ful-bright programs also help to develop a core of internationally focused

Voices Across the Atlantic – Campus Perspectives

Highlights of the American Fall in Finland

Member of Parliament Mr. Heikki Autto

hosted a luncheon for Fulbrighters dur-

ing their visit to the Finnish Parliament.

Mr. Autto expressed interest to learn

more about Fulbright and happily the

Executive Director Terhi Mölsä had in

hand a copy of the DVD “Fulbright: the

Man, the Mission & the Message.”

American Fulbrighters in Finland this Fall were treated to several excit-ing activities during the traditional Thanksgiving holiday season.

A tour of the Parliament of Finland was the highpoint of the two days in Helsinki. Fulbrighters were greeted by Deputy Director of the International Depart-ment Guy Lindström and Assistant for International Affairs Maarit Immonen, who very generously provided luncheon and a guided tour of the building.

Particularly interesting for the group was meeting with the luncheon host, MP Heikki Autto, Deputy Leader of the National Coalition Party Parliamentary Group. As representative from Enon-tekiö, the northwesternmost region in

Turkey roasted to perfection and

carved by Bradley Boehringer.

Fulbrighters Celebrate Thanksgiving and Make a Momentous Visit to the Finnish Parliament

Finland, Mr. Autto plays a significant role in the Arctic discussions, and there was ample opportunity to put forward questions about the Arctic, Finnish Arctic strategy, and the EU level of involvement in Arctic concerns.

The tour concluded with a visit to the Parliamentary Plenary Session which was

in order and taking a legislative vote. Fulbrighters were quite privileged to be present in the audience during the par-liament’s working session.

A visit to the Fazer chocolate factory in Vantaa, followed by a potluck dinner featuring all the dishes expected on the Thanksgiving table, rounded out the eventful two days.

Text: Suzanne Louis

18 www.fulbright.fi

Facilitating New Connections

faculty whose commitment to develop-ing culturally competent global citizens is important. Fulbright programs get to the core of campus internationalization as the program impact is directly con-nected to student learning. As mentors, faculty hold significant roles in advis-ing students and nothing gets students’ attention to the importance of overseas experience as hearing about its impor-tance from the faculty.”

Comprehensive internationalization, a mission of senior international officers on U.S. campuses, benefits greatly from intentional incorporation of Fulbright programs into the campus internation-alization plan.

The Fulbright-Haaga-Helia Scholar Award program that provides Ameri-can scholars the opportunity to teach at Haaga-Helia was launched in 2012. “For us at Haaga-Helia, this program is a great opportunity to advance our institution´s internationalization by opening doors for guest lecturers from the U.S. and to connect with U.S. univer-sities,” says Sirpa Holmström, Head of International Services at Haaga-Helia.

Voices Across the Atlantic – Campus Perspectives

“The Finnish-American Fulbright Pro-gram supports our goal to increase the international staff.”

“Professor Self is our third Fulbright grantee who with his experience and expertise in hospitality education and industry enriches our learning com-munity. He brings a different cultural aspect to the classroom which is of utmost value for the students,” Hol-mström explains. “Having a visiting scholar on campus also enables fruitful professional and cultural encounters for faculty and staff, and these encounters may foster relationships that develop into long lasting cooperation for the benefit of students and faculty in both universities. Faculty engagement plays a crucial role in the development of inter-national cooperation.”

“For Haaga-Helia, cooperation with Fulbright also means an opportunity to promote the unique character of a Finn-ish university of applied sciences in the U.S. and to increase the awareness of the benefits of the U.S.-Finnish coop-eration in the field of higher education. We appreciate our Fulbright grantees’

Fulbright programs get to the core of campus internationalization as the program impact is directly connected to student learning.

John Self having a discussion with

Haaga-Helia students Michael Beres-

ford and Sanna Langi who study hotel,

restaurant and tourism management.

commitment to be our ambassadors before, during and after the scholarship period,” Holmström concludes.

Text: Anneli Adams and Sirpa HolmströmPhoto: Tarja Leponiemi, Haaga-Helia

Photo: Cal Poly Pomona

19www.fulbright.fi

Alumni News

Fulbright Alumni Find Creative Ways to Give to the ProgramThe Finnish Fulbright Center welcomes its alumni and friends to consider if they have a special wish to help strengthen the program. Many have volunteered time, talent, and treasure to help keep the programs vigorous. Here are two examples of alumni projects that might inspire more creative giving.

Peter MacKeith Establishes the Fulbright Lecture in Nordic Architecture Program

Fulbright Finland alum and Dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas, Peter MacKeith has established the Fulbright Lecture in Nordic Architecture program through his financial gift. The program is done in collaboration with the Fulbright Center in Finland and parallel organizations in the other Nordic countries.

A few years after completing his Master of Architecture at Yale Univer-sity School of Architecture, MacKeith received a Fulbright scholarship to con-duct research on Alvar Aalto, a Finnish architect. Rather than the 10 months he expected to spend in Finland, he remained there for 10 years, practicing and teaching at Aalto University, formerly Helsinki University of Technology. Due to the profound impact that scholarship and experience had on him, he decided to promote the legacy of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program through a lecture series focused in Nordic architecture.

MacKeith’s sponsorship funds a lec-ture to be given annually as part of the respective lecture series at four schools of architecture; the Fay Jones School of Architecture; the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences; the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis; Yale University School of Architecture; and the University of Virginia School of Architec-ture. A selected architect or designer from one of the five Nordic nations will give the lecture as a four-school lecture tour, with the schedule arranged in collaboration between the four designated schools. It also will be arranged at each school such that the Fulbright Fellowship program can be promoted to students at the time of the lecture.

“The significance of Senator Ful-bright’s vision of peace through international education exchange cannot be underestimated in the contemporary moment,” MacKeith says. “The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program transformed my life, as did my experience in Finland and, indeed, the Nordic region. It is an honor to be able to support both the continuing reach of the Fulbright Program and the vitality of Nordic architecture at the four universities that have defined my aca-demic career. To initiate this upon arrival at the University of Arkansas is to truly come full circle in my life.”

Peter MacKeith, Fulbright Grantee to

Finland 1989–90, now the Dean of the

Fay Jones School of Architecture at the

University of Arkansas.

Phot

o: W

esle

y H

itt

Friends of Fulbright Finland Donors Recognized

Fulbright Finland Alumni who have recently donated to the Friends of Fulbright Finland Alumni Enrichment Fund include: Gonzalo Arce, Stuart Brotman, Jay Gillette & BJ Deering, Salim Elwazani, Earl H. Fry, Leslie Kadish, Karen Jean Lee, Doug & Joan Maynard, Brendan Mumey, Alex Ruiz-Torres, Rainey Tisdale, Matthew Turk, and making additional gifts, Kay Kohl and Kenneth Kolson.

In addition, numerous individuals have made extra contributions when purchas-ing their Fulbright Finland…for the Future T-shirt. Thank You!

Emergency Fund Established by Phillips Brooks

Phillips Brooks moved to Helsinki in 1999 and taught at the Department of English, Univer-sity of Helsinki. He was a Fulbrighter in multiple countries. As a staunch supporter of the Fulbright mission, he endeavored to find a way to offer support to those who encountered unexpected adversity during their Fulbright program. Phil cre-ated an emergency fund to make available monies for immediate use. This was a personal mission for Phil who left behind a legacy of thoughtful and direct gifting, responsive to the unexpected needs that all human beings experience. Phil passed away in 2011 and his memory is forever linked with Ful-bright in Finland through his generosity.

20 www.fulbright.fi

Alumni News

Prince of Asturias 2014 -palkinto Fulbright-ohjelmalle

Assistant Secretary of State Evan Ryan USA:n ulkominis teriöstä

yhdessä viiden eri maista tulevan Fulbright-stipendiaatin

kanssa vastaanottamassa 2014 Prince of Asturias Award for

International Cooperation -palkintoa Kuningas Felipe VI:ltä.

Kuva: Fundación Príncipe de Asturias

Jussi Valtosen romaani He eivät tiedä mitä tekevät sai vuoden 2014 kirjallisuuden Finlandia-palkinnon. Professori Anne Brunila valitsi voittajan kuuden ehdok-kaan joukosta. Valtosen voittajateosta hän kuvasi ”tajunnan räjäyttäväksi teokseksi.”

”En olisi koskaan tullut kirjoit-taneeksi tällaista romaania, ellen olisi ollut Fulbright-stipendiaattina USA:ssa,” Valtonen sanoo. ”Vaikka lähdin tutkijakoulutettavana enkä kaunokirjailijana, aika Yhdysvalloissa

vaikutti ratkaisevasti maailmanku-vaani, ja tämä näkyy monella tavalla myös romaanissa. Suhde Yhdysvaltoihin vaikutti myös kaunokirjallisiin vaikut-teisiini, mikä sekin näkyy mielestäni selvästi teoksessa.”

Valtonen opiskeli Johns Hopkins -yliopiston kognitiotieteen laitoksella lukuvuoden 2002–03 ASLA-Fulbright Graduate-stipendiaattina. J.H. Erkon kirjoituskilpailun vuonna 2002 voittanut psykologi ja kirjailija Jussi Valtonen on kirjoittanut neljä kaunokirjallista teosta.

Kuva: Tammi, Markko Taina

Espanjan kuningas Felipe VI luovutti kansainväliselle Fulbright-ohjelmalle vuoden 2014 Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation -palkinnon Espanjan Oviedossa pidetyssä juhlatilaisuudessa lokakuussa.

The Prince of Asturias Award -palkintoa pidetään “Espanjan Nobelina”. Se palkitsee merkittäviä kan-sainvälisiä saavutuksia tieteen, tekniikan, kulttuurin sekä humanitaarisen työn alalla. Palkinnon ovat aiem-min saaneet mm. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, kansainvälinen Punainen Risti sekä Nelson Mandela.

Fulbright-ohjelman ehdokkuutta palkinnon saajaksi olivat tukemassa myös monet merkittävät suomalaiset Fulbright-ohjelman alumnit yhdessä Fulbright Centerin kanssa. Suomen Fulbright-ohjelmaa edusti tilaisuu-dessa Fulbright Centerin toiminnan johtaja Terhi Mölsä.

Fulbright-alumni Jussi Valtoselle kirjallisuuden Finlandia-palkinto

Jussi Valtonen on toinen perättäinen Finlandia-palkinnon saanut Fulbright-alumni. Vuosi sitten Ville Kivimäki, lukuvuoden 2007–2008 ASLA-Fulbright –stipendiaatti, voitti Tieto-Finlandian sotilaan psyykeä kuvaavalla teoksellaan Murtuneet mielet.

Read more www.fulbright.fi/en/alumni/

alumni-treasures

En olisi koskaan tullut kirjoittaneeksi tällaista romaania, ellen olisi ollut Fulbright-stipendiaattina USA:ssa.

Kuva: Markko Taina

Fulbright Alumnus Jussi Valtonen Wins the Finlandia Literature Prize

21www.fulbright.fi

News / Uutisia

Fulbright Center numeroina 2014

Asiakastilastot • Asiakaskontakteja 3 704, joista koulutuksen ja

kansainvälistymisen ammattilaisia n. 29 % • 74 infotilaisuutta ja tapahtumaa Suomessa,

joissa yhteensä yli 2 200 osallistujaa • Verkkosivu: 227 300 sivun katselua

ja 55 500 käyttäjää

Stipendiohjelmat • Yhteensä 78 stipendiaattia, joista

42 suomalaista ja 36 amerikkalaista. • Yhteisstipendit mukaan lukien jaettu

yli 990 000 euroa apurahoina.

Fulbright Centerin rahoitus • 77,5 % Suomesta (Tukisäätiö, opetus- ja

kulttuuriministeriö, yksityiset säätiöt, suomalaiset korkeakoulut, muut)

• 22 % Yhdysvalloista (19 % USA:n ulkoministeriö, 3 % muut)

• 0,5 % Kanadasta (Kanadan valtio)

Alumnit • 436 aktiivia alumnia Yhdysvalloissa (Friends of

Fulbright Finland -verkosto) • Sadat alumnit Suomessa toimivat

asiantuntijoina, tieteenalakohtaisina arvioijina ja valintalautakuntien jäseninä, johtokunnan jäseninä sekä muissa Fulbright Centerin tehtävissä.

• Alumneista 120 on jäseninä myös ASLA-Fulbright Alumni -yhdistyksessä.

Vuoden 2014 kohokohtia • Ensimmäinen Fulbright Forum: Education,

Innovation, Science and Art -seminaari Jyväskylässä.

• Kuudes Fulbright Centerin opintomatka Yhdysvaltoihin: “Communications and Community Relations”.

• Kymmenes Fulbright Centerin North American Studies Roundtable.

• Pohjoismaiden Fulbright-koulutusseminaari Fulbright Centerissä.

• Fulbright Speaker Program perustettiin.

Tilastot ovat FC:n tilikaudelta 1. 10. 2013 – 30. 9. 2014

Fulbright Center serves as the national EducationUSA center in Finland.

Fulbright Center advises on higher education in Canada.

Heikki Ruskoaho to Chair the Academy of Finland’s Board

Fulbright Center Board member, professor Heikki Ruskoaho, has been appointed the Chair of the Board of the Academy of Finland. The term of office of the new board appointed by the Finnish Govern-ment will last until the end of 2018.

The Academy of Finland’s mis-sion is to finance high-quality scientific research, act as a sci-ence and science policy expert, and strengthen the position of science and research.

Interning at the Fulbright Center

Hogai Rahimpur interned at the Fulbright Center in early fall. Hogai comes originally from Kabul, Afghanistan. She did her schooling in Pakistan, and thereafter joined the American Uni-versity of Afghanistan in 2009 to study International Relations.

Hogai moved to Finland in 2012 and has now been study-ing at Axxell multicultural school for one year. Axxell provides training for immigrants by offering Finnish language teaching and helping immigrants to get familiar with Finnish culture and working life. The Fulbright Center hosts several interns every year.

Internship opportunities at the Fulbright Centerwww.fulbright.fi/en/fulbright-center/open-positions

Fulbright Center introduced the Finnish higher education system and education opportunities in Finland to U.S. univer-sity representatives and Eurasian audience in EducationUSA Regional Forum in Tbilisi, Georgia, in late September.

EducationUSA, a U.S. Department of State supported net-work of hundreds of advising centers around the world, holds regional forums periodically. The forums bring together advis-ers for intensive training and networking.

Fulbright Center Introduced Finnish Higher Education in Tbilisi

22 www.fulbright.fi

Vaihtotoimikunnan jäsenet / Fulbright Center Board of Directors

23www.fulbright.fi

Toimikunnan sihteeristö / Fulbright Center Staff

Suomen ja Yhdysvaltain opetusalan vaihtotoimikunta Finland-U.S. Educational Exchange Commission (FUSEEC)

Ms. Karoliina KokkoVastaava ohjelmapäällikköSenior Program Manager(grant program oversight)p. (044) 5535 268

• Maisteri- ja tohtorivaiheen stipendit

• Neuvonta opiskelusta USA:ssa ja Kanadassa

• Alumnikoordinaattori

Ms. Sonja KuosmanenOhjelmakoordinaattoriProgram Coordinator p. (044) 5535 275

• Distinguished Chairs • Tutkija- ja asiantuntija-

stipendit • Inter-Country-stipendit • Fulbright-tapahtumat • Verkkopalvelut • Rekisterit

Ms. Johanna LahtiApulaisjohtajaDeputy Directorp. (044) 5535 278

• Fulbright Center News

(toimituspäällikkö) • Undergraduate-

stipendit suomalaisille • Renewal-stipendit

suomalaisille • Inter-Country-stipendit • Testaus ja testeihin

liittyvät asiantuntijapalvelut • Neuvonta opiskelusta USA:ssa

Ms. Suzanne LouisProjektikonsultti (osa-aikainen)Project Consultant (part-time)

• Friends of Fulbright Finland -verkosto

• Alumnikoordinaattori • Fulbright Center News

Ms. Mirka McIntireOhjelmapäällikkö, Koulutus- ja opettajavaihto (osa-aikainen)Manager, Teacher Exchange and Education Programs (part-time)p. (044) 5535 269

• Opettajaohjelma • Study of the U.S. Institute

for Scholars and Secondary School Educators

• Asiantuntijastipendit suomalaisille

• Verkkopalvelut • Seminaarit ja

koulutustapahtumat

Ms. Tanja MitchellViestintäsuunnittelija (osa-aikainen)Communications Specialist (part-time)p. (044) 5535 277

• Verkkopalvelut • Julkaisut • Fulbright Center News • Neuvonta opiskelusta

USA:ssa ja Kanadassa

Ms. Terhi MölsäToiminnanjohtajaExecutive Directorp. (050) 570 5498

E-mails: firstname.lastname@fulbright.fi

Honorary Chair: H.E., Bruce J. OreckAmbassador of the United States to Finland

Finnish Members:

Dr. Heikki RuskoahoProfessor of Pharmacology and Drug development University of HelsinkiVice-Chair

Dr. Matti KokkalaSenior Advisor, Smart Cities VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

Dr. Bo PetterssonProfessor of the Literature of the United StatesUniversity of Helsinki

Ms. Birgitta VuorinenCounsellor of EducationMinistry of Education and CultureTreasurer

American Members:

Ms. Jeanie DuwanAssistant Counselor for Press and Public AffairsAmerican Embassy

Mr. Jeffrey K. ReneauCounselor for Press and Public Affairs American EmbassyChair

Mr. David YokenSenior Music LecturerArts Academy, Turku University of Applied Sciences

Dr. Laura StarkProfessor of EthnologyUniversity of Jyväskylä

Ex-officio: Ms. Terhi MölsäExecutive Director, Fulbright Center

Finnish members:

Mr. Jouni Mölsä Director of CommunicationsDepartment for Communications and CultureMinistry for Foreign AffairsChair

Ms. Jaana PalojärviHead of International RelationsFinnish Ministry of Education

American members:

Ms. Susan ElbowDeputy Chief of MissionAmerican EmbassyVice Chair

Mr. Jeffrey K. ReneauCounselor for Press and Public AffairsAmerican Embassy

Agent / Säätiön asiamies:

Ms. Terhi MölsäExecutive DirectorFUSEEC/Fulbright Center

The Finnish members are appointed by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The American members are appointed by the American Embassy.

TukisäätiöFUSEEC/Fulbright Centerin toimintaa rahoittaa Suomen ja Yhdysvaltain Stipenditoiminnan Tukisäätiö / Säätiön hallitus:The Finland-America Educational Trust Fund / Board of Directors:

Hakaniemenranta 6FI-00530 HELSINKIFINLAND

Toimintaamme tukevat mm.: Support comes to us from:

3. 11. 2015–2016 hakuaika päättyy:

• Mid-Career Professional Development Grant

13. 11. Fulbright Bicentennial Chair in American Studies -professorin virkaanastujaisluento

13. 11. Fulbright Center mukana Education Expossa Kaisa-kirjastossa

17. – 21. 11. International Education Week USA:ssa

19. 11. Fulbright Center mu-kana Lapin yliopiston kansainvälisellä viikolla

27. 11. Thanksgiving: FC suljettu

U.S. Fulbrighters touring the Finnish

Parliament

4. 12. Hakuaika kesälle 2015 päättyy:

• Study of the United States Institutes for Scholars and Secondary School Educators

2. – 3. 12. Fulbright Center mukana Studia-messuilla CIMOn ständillä

15. 12.Vaihtotoimikunnan kokousFulbright Center Board Meeting

14. 1.Fulbright Center mukana Turun yliopiston kv-viikolla

Kevään infotilaisuudet

julkaistaan Fulbright Centerin

verkkosivulla tammikuun

aikana

2. 2. hakuaika päättyy:

• Fulbright Arctic Initiative

2. – 3. 2.ORIENTAATIO:Kevätlukukaudeksi saapuvien amerikkalaisten stipendiaattien orientaatio

6. 2.11th Fulbright North American Studies Roundtable

Vaihtotoimikunnan kokous helmikuussa

2014

•Fulbright Center Board Meeting February 2014

Fulbright Centerin stipendiohjelmien uudet hakutiedot

julkistetaan helmikuussa

5. – 6. 3. Fulbright Forum Jyväskylässä

Fulbright Forumin yleisöä tauolla

30. 5. Friends of Fulbright Finland (FoFF) Gathering in Boston

6. – 7. 5. Fulbright CenterKorkeakoulujen kansainvälisten asioiden hallinnon kevätpäivilläHelsingissä

12.5.ORIENTAATIO:Suomalaisten stipendiaattien lähtöorientaatio ja stipendien julkistamistilaisuus www.fulbright.fi

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