John von Neumann 120 Conference

Written by Fulbright on 11/10/2023. Posted in News

The John von Neumann 120 Conference at NYU Langone Health was co-organized by Consulate General of Hungary in New York with contribution of 10 alumni of the Fulbright Program to celebrate the scientific legacy of John von Neumann, the greatest integrator of pure and applied sciences.

Can we survive Technology? Among the panel members: Katalin Fehér (’21 Drexel University) and Bence Ságvári (’14 Indiana University)

The Fulbright John von Neumann Distinguished Award in STEM by former Chairs The Ohio State University Prof. Robert Baker ’22 & Viktor Chikan (’22 ELI ALPS Laser Research Institute) and ED Károly Jókay

AI in Healthcare – Are We Going to Live Forever? Among the panel members: Imre Varjú (’16 Boston Children’s Hospital) and Dr. Peták István (’97 St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)

Student perspectives – Among the panel members: Orsolya Mózner (’23 Columbia University) and Zsuzsanna Gedeon (’14 New York University)

Special thanks to Viola Kántor (’23 The Graduate Center, CUNY) and NYU Grossman School of Medicine Andrea Hines (’99 Karinthy Frigyes High School) for the organization.

Seminar on Media Literacy, Communication and Media Skills in Education and Science Communication

Written by Fulbright on 10/30/2023. Posted in News

The Fulbright Commission in Hungary organized a Seminar on Media Literacy, Communication and Media Skills in Education and Science Communication between October 26-28, 2023 in Budapest funded by U.S. Department of State. Participants were 20 American Fulbright study/research and ETA grantees from the Visegrad 4 countries (Fulbright Poland, Fulbright Czech Republic, Fulbright Slovakia and Hungary), one grantee from Estonia, and Fulbright Commission staff from the V4 countries.

Speakers were all prominent experts of their field, and with one exception, they were all #Fulbright alums both from the United States and from Hungary. Sacramento State Prof. Molly Dugan (’22 Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem) gave a talk on the ‘Role of the Media in the 21st Century’.
This was followed by M4 Sport reporter Bence Mohay’s (’17 USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism) more practical presentation on ‘How to Give Impressive Interviews,’ then Eszterházy Károly Katolikus Egyetem Prof. Attila Kenyeres (’21 University of Pittsburgh) discussed fake news and media manipulation topics with the participants.

On the third day Prof. Gábor Prószéky (HUN-REN Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics) gave an impressive talk on AI and ChatGPT, and Budapest University of Technology and Economics – BME Prof. Gergely Biczók (’07 Northwestern University & ’23 University of Michigan) on Cybersecurity.

Participants learned valuable insights into diverse approaches to media literacy, and into emerging areas like AI and cybersecurity. They appreciated the interdisciplinary approach, and the many practical ideas and useful links they received. The Seminar also offered them an opportunity to meet and make friends with fellow grantees from the Central-Eastern European region.

Fulbright 30th Anniversary Gala at the Liszt Academy of Music

Written by Fulbright on 10/11/2022. Posted in News

The Hungarian-American Fulbright Commission (Fulbright Alapítvány) celebrated the 30th Anniversary of its establishment on October 7, 2022 at a Gala held in the Solti Concert Hall at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest. If the pre-Commission period is included, the history of the Fulbright Scholarship Program in Hungary goes back another 14 years to 1978.

Our Gala program recognized all Fulbrighters, Hungarians and Americans alike, through the presentation of culture. One important leg of the global Fulbright program, cultural exchange, means experiencing the different, sharing the familiar, and integrating this synthesis into a life of learning and curiosity. Fulbright scholars and students in all fields, such as the natural and social sciences, engineering, law, the arts and humanities are destined to absorb the culture and heritage of the US and Hungary respectively.

The Commission and its staff are eternally grateful to our alumni in the US and Hungary, who volunteer to act as peer reviewers, references, hosts, mentors, board members and interview panel members. Our work would not be possible without the support of the alumni community, thank you.

We are also grateful to our two founders, the governments of the United States and of Hungary, for their financial, technical and logistical support over the past three decades. Read Ambassador David Pressman’s remarks.

State Secretary László György Ambassador David Pressman

The Commission would like to thank our Hungarian host universities, many of whom are here with us today, for offering not only academic homes for our American students and scholars, but also for their ever-increasing financial contributions. In this sense too, Hungarian universities are rapidly converging with their US peers.

Our Board, upon suggestions from staff, has approved up to 5 Fulbright alumni travel awards per year, on a first-come-first-served basis, to help defray the cost of Hungarian Fulbright alumni attending academic conferences in the United States in order to serve on a panel or better yet, to present a paper. Details forthcoming.

The Fulbright Commission has decided to present an award, the Fulbright Hungary Medal, to five members of our alumni community who have served the cause over the past three decades.

Their service includes negotiating the initial bilateral agreement between Hungary and the United States, serving on and/or chairing the board, organizing alumni association activity, peer reviewing, interviewing, hosting, recommending and mentoring generations of students and scholars. Their time spent in the US as grantees, or in the case of Professor Donald Morse, as a US grantee in Hungary, contributed to US-Hungarian cultural, educational and scientific exchange in more ways that we can possibly list.

The awardees are: Professor Donald Morse; Professor Zoltán Abádi-Nagy; Professor Katalin Nagy; Professor Zita Zoltay Paprika.

Professor Donald Morse Professor Zoltán Abádi-Nagy

Professor Katalin Nagy Professor Zita Zoltay Paprika

There is a fifth awardee, who unfortunately has passed away a few weeks before this event. Our immediate past Board chairman, Professor Tibor Frank.
He will be sorely missed by all of us. We honored Professor Tibor Frank’s memory with a minute of silence and reflection.

More pictures of our event in the gallery below. Video material soon!

Fulbright 30th Anniversary Gala at the Liszt Academy of Music

Tibor Frank (1948–2022)

Written by Fulbright on 09/19/2022. Posted in News

Tibor Frank

It is with great sadness that the Fulbright Commission and global Fulbright alumni community heard of the passing of Professor Tibor Frank, a multiple Fulbright grantee and chair of our Board several times over the past 30 years. His wisdom, humor, dedication, steadfast mentoring and adherence to academic integrity will be sorely missed and remembered by all who knew him.

Tibor Frank Professor Emeritus of History at the Department of American Studies, former Director of the School of English and American Studies (ELTE). He has lectured in over 40 U.S., Canadian, British and European universities and contributed to over 80 conferences in both Europe and the United States. His books, articles, chapters were published in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States.

He served as member and Chairman of the Hungarian-American Fulbright Board. Professor Frank received the C. E. Eckersley Prize (1970), Felsőoktatási Tanulmányi Érdemérem (Hungarian Higher Education Award 1972), Országh László Prize (2000), Pro Universitate and Pro Neophilologia in Hungaria awards (2002). In recognition of his achievement in higher education he was awarded the Szent-Györgyi Albert Prize in 2005.

May he rest in peace!

75th Anniversary of the Global Fulbright Program: A Community Based on Shared Values

Written by Fulbright on 10/14/2021. Posted in News

The Fulbright community in Hungary celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the Global Fulbright Program and the 30th Anniversary of the Hungarian Fulbright Alumni Association on October 7-8, 2021.

75th Anniversary of the Global Fulbright Program: A Community Based on Shared Values

2021 is the 75th Anniversary of the launch of the Fulbright Program. In 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed legislation into law to establish the Fulbright Program, an international academic exchange program with an ambitious goal to increase mutual understanding, and support friendly and peaceful relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program now operates in 160 countries and has provided over 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and in all fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to complex global challenges.

Chargé d’Affaires Marc Dillard of the US Embassy in his keynote address at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences highlighted that “the Fulbright program has continued to exchange some of the best and brightest minds, building a cultural bridge which links our two nations. The continuing collaboration between Fulbright participating institutions is a great example of how to get the most out of a Fulbright grant, how Fulbrighters can make a long-term impact, and how beneficial it can be for a larger community.”

Deputy State Secretary Balázs Nagy of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology emphasized in his keynote address that the Government of Hungary is to quadruple its annual contribution to the Fulbright Commission in three steps, reaching HUF 200 million (USD 700,000) in 2022.

See here the detailed program of the conference.

For more pictures of the festivities (by photographer Péter Szalmás), see here:

75th Anniversary of the Global Fulbright Program

 

Visit to the Parliament

 
75th Anniversary of the Global Fulbright Program

Prior to the conference, on October 7, 2021 MP Zsolt Németh, Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee hosted 24 US Fulbright grantees of AY 2021-2022 at the Hungarian Parliament for a talk and a tour of the building.

 

Reception at the Royal Guard Café

 

In the evening the Fulbright Commission organized a reception to honor US Fulbright grantees, their Hosts and Institutional Partners at the Royal Guard Café, Buda Castle.

U.S. Fulbright grantees welcomed in Budapest virtually

Written by Fulbright on 03/02/2021. Posted in News

U.S. Fulbright grantees welcomed in Budapest virtually

In late January, 7 newly arrived U.S. Fulbright students and scholars participated in a unique orientation session in Budapest. U.S. Embassy Counselor for Public Affairs James Land greeted the group virtually, stressing the value of exchange, and encouraged them to develop and strengthen personal and professional ties between Hungary and the United States. ED Karoly Jokay noted that the grantees joined the ranks of the many notable Fulbright alumni who have participated in the global program since its inception 75 years ago. The Fulbright grantees will, for example, teach English, do peer advising, read Ottoman documents, study high-level math, offer courses in Native American studies, collaborate with medical researchers, and observe MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) investigators.

Fulbright Student Project Publishes Roma Eger by Chandler Fritz

Written by Fulbright on 12/01/2020. Posted in News

Fulbright Student Project Publishes Roma Eger by Chandler Fritz

This book is a culmination of seven months of work with the Eger Roma Residential College of Eszterházy Károly University, during which Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Chandler Fritz ’19 interacted and collected paintings, recipes, and essays from students.

“I write this note far from the artists, scholars, cooks, and friends who have created this book. It is a testament to the dedication of our supporters and the spirit of this group that such a project prevailed despite the distance. It is, in fact, entirely due to the proven commitment and resilience of the Roma students I met in Eger that I was able to pick myself up from the pandemic and play my small role in their great cause. If you’re anything like me, you could use a bit of that same inspiration these days. I’m proud to tell you, from the bottom of my heart, that you can find it in grand abundance in the work of these students.”

Fulbright Hungary is proud of its Roma English Teaching Assistant projects:

and continue to expand collaboration with the Roma Residential Colleges and other foundations throughout Hungary in upcoming academic years.

To view the booklet, see issuu.com/fulbrighthungary/docs/roma_eger

To download the booklet, see www.fulbright.hu/doc/Roma_Eger.pdf

Dr. Michael Penkava passed away on September 6, 2020

Written by Fulbright on 09/14/2020. Posted in News

Dr. Michael Penkava passed away on September 6, 2020

As a Professor of Mathematics of the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, he came to Hungary on a Fulbright grant in January 2008 to collaborate with mathematicians of Eötvös Loránd University.

Ever since that time, he returned to Hungary twice a year – each time with a fun story, and with lots of energy to continue his research with his Hungarian colleagues. The last time he visited our office, he was pale and tired, but ready to fight his illness. We are sorry he did not succeed. He is part of Fulbright Hungary history. We remember him fondly.