The orientation day for 2013 Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Summer Institute high school student applicants on April 17, 2013 was organized by the Fulbright EducationUSA Advising Center.

Jamie Hoversen (’12 Károli Gáspár University) featured at House Hunters International TV episode, Hunting for a Historical Hungarian Home in connection with her Fulbright grant.

On April 5 Michele Shedlin (’12 University of Szeged) met with Gábor Náray-Szabó, Director of the Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Ágnes Téglási (’85 Kent State University), the incoming Director. Dr. Téglási commented on the U.S. Fulbright grantees’ visit last month to the Academy organized by the Fulbright Commission and said she hoped it could be a continuing event for each cohort of Fulbright Scholars.

Following the visit, Dr. Shedlin was pleased to donate three 17th century (1639) parchment books to the Library’s ancient books department, as well as a signed copy of the famous orientalist Ármin Vámbéry’s book on India which was dedicated by the author to her great-grandfather Vilmos Goldzieher, a reknown ophthalmologist in late 19th century in Budapest.

The third annual Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) launches on April 24! This year’s competition invites teams of exchange alumni to propose projects to address global issues. Winning teams will be awarded up to $25,000 in support of their projects. All alumni who wish to compete in the 2013 AEIF must be verified members of the IEA website. Application deadline: May 12, 2013.

Keynote lecture by Chris Scherpereel (’12 University of Debrecen) on March 28, 2013 at the Innovation transfer in the medical sector from clinics to companies conference in Debrecen entitled: Turning worthless ideas into valuable opportunities.

9 returned Hungarian Fulbrighters of AY 2011-2012 presented on their experiences during their Fulbright grant periods. See part II. here.

István Peták (’97 St. Jude Children Research Hospital, Memphis) received the prestigious Dennis Gabor Award in the Parliament Building for his outstanding researches in the field of molecular pharmacology. He is the second Fulbrighter to be awarded following Balázs Sarkadi (’00 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) in 2006.

Six Fulbright alumni: James Oberly (’12 Károli Gáspár University), Paula Brown (’12 Eötvös Loránd University), Monica Weis (’11 University of Pannonia), Gabriella Vöő (’09 State University of New York), Szilárd Szentgyörgyi (’01 University of Iowa) and Zoltán Kész (’00 Diamond Bar High School, CA) participated in the 6th America Week March 11-14, 2013 at the University of Pannonia, Veszprém.

The annual event dedicated to the study of American culture and the strengthening of US-Hungarian ties was initiated by Scott M. Campbell (’07 University of Pannonia) program director of the joint Pannonia-Nazareth American Studies master’s program.

On March 15, 2013 Hungary celebrated the 165th Anniversary of the Revolution and Freedom Fight of 1848. At the Embassy Ambassador Szapáry hosted a reception and invited members of the Administration, the Diplomatic Corp and of course the Hungarian-American community.

Mr. Károly Jókay, director of Fulbright Hungary talked about the success of the Fulbright program and recognized lot of Fulbright Alumni in the audience. He emphasized the added value of the program on both sides of the Atlantic.