Collegiate Times

Dr. Gary Long, Christina McIntyre, and Jessica Lu - Fulbright scholarship

A special international research scholarship has connected a Tech professor and his student to the same university in Israel.

Established in 1946, the Fulbright Scholarship was introduced by the then-Sen. J. Williams Fulbright of Arkansas. The goal of this scholarship was to encourage understanding of dissimilar cultures between people of the United States and different countries. Since then, 294,000 people worldwide have received the scholarship and have been able to study in one of the 155 countries that the Fulbright operates in.

The Fulbright Scholarship allows recent college graduates, graduate students, professors and professionals worldwide to conduct research or further their career in an international environment.

Jessica Lu, a graduate student studying biology at Tech, travelled to Israel for a year to study at the Weizmann Institute of Technology.

Originally, Lu wanted to study in China. However, the project frequently picks the country. Applicants must find a country where their work or research has the best fit.

“I was very much so glad to be in Israel rather than China,” Lu said.

Gary Long, a chemistry professor at Tech, also traveled to Israel from July 1990 until June 1991.

Unlike Lu, who received the Fulbright Scholarship for graduate students, Long received the Fulbright Research Scholarship. With this particular grant, Long had no teaching duties while researching in Israel. He also researched at the Weizmann Institute.

Prior to embarking on his Fulbright, Long visited Israel twice to establish ties. He said he needed to find a country where his skills could be utilized.

Lu valued the experience of studying abroad while furthering her career in her biological studies.

“There’s something valuable about you as an American abroad — learning culture, outside your comfort zone,” Lu said.

In Israel, Long continued to study chemistry but with an environmental focus. Once he returned, Long continued with his research. He became an environmental analytical chemist, proving the influence of his research while studying internationally.

“You learn as much as you allow yourself to learn,” he said. “We went in with an open mind.”

Lu said she wanted to integrate multiple cultures into her graduate career. She wanted to learn Hebrew, which surprised many Israelis that she would want to learn a language that had no economic significance.

Everyone is eligible to apply for the Fulbright Scholarship at some point in their career. However, the application process is a long one.

Christina McIntyre, Fulbright Program adviser for the U.S. Student Grant Program at Virginia Tech, helps students prepare for and work through their applications.

“The process is a process,” McIntyre said.

The application process begins in May, the year before the application is due and involves letters of recommendation, several steps of local and national interviews and interviews with international contacts.

“It comes down to if that person has a compelling reason to go to that country and do that project,” McIntyre said.

Outside of her research, Lu was able to connect with the Israeli community. Being a Christian, Lu went to the local church.

“I came away with a greater understanding of the way the three monotheistic faiths interact with each other,” she said. “I have a different perspective of what life is like in Israel.”

Lu had many obstacles that she was forced to overcome. The first was the language differences.

“Being a Fulbrighter, you should interact with the community,” Lu said.

Despite this, not everyone speaks the same language. Not being able to fully participate in every conversation was a big challenge for Lu.

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A version of this article appeared in the Oct 22 issue of the Collegiate Times.