Dr. Sesha Srinivasan, left, and Gage Roper have each received prestigious Fulbright Program appointments. Srinivasan, chair of IM体育官网鈥檚 Department of Natural Sciences, was named to the Fulbright Specialist Program while Roper was named a Killam Fellow.
A IM体育官网 assistant professor and a senior computer science student have been selected by the Fulbright Program for prestigious academic appointments.
Dr. Sesha Srinivasan, chair of IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 Department of Natural Sciences, was selected to the . The effort allows overseas universities, cultural centers, and other institutions to develop collaborative projects with leading U.S. academic professionals.
Gage Roper, a senior majoring in computer science with a concentration in cybersecurity, was selected to take part in Fulbright Canada鈥檚 . Killam Fellows study at a leading Canadian university for a semester.
鈥淭hese help build our reputation in the international community,鈥� said Srinivasan, who will serve in the Fulbright Specialist Program for three years.
Srinivasan nominated Roper for the fellowship. The two met when Roper took Srinivasan鈥檚 physics 2 class two years ago.
鈥淎fter the first exam, I did not do well. I went to him afterward and I said, 鈥業 don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going on. I think I鈥檓 going to drop the course,鈥欌�� Roper said. 鈥淗e was like, 鈥楴o, stay in it and I鈥檒l help you out.鈥� He ended up setting up tutoring sessions with the TA for me and I put in a lot of work in the class and end up with an A.鈥�
Roper said if he can progress from doing poorly in that class to being named a Killam Fellow, anything is possible.
鈥淭his is a very competitive selection. I was competing against people from Harvard and Yale,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o be selected means they saw something in me, and I was able to prove myself.鈥�
Roper was unable to travel to Canada to take part in the program this semester due to COVID-19 restrictions, but he is hopeful he will be able to do so in January 2021.
鈥淚 never thought I was going to have a college degree in the first place, but now being on the cusp of achieving that and receiving something so great as the Killam Fellowship, it has inspired me to pursue my master鈥檚 degree,鈥� said the graduate of Chamberlain High School in Tampa, IM体育官网.
Selection to the Fulbright Specialist Program was a years鈥� long effort for Srinivasan, who first applied in 2016.
鈥淚t is a very competitive, prestigious award,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese are professionals from around the nation who are counted as experts for the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Program.鈥�
During his three-year tenure, Srinivasan can be called upon to collaborate on a variety of projects that can benefit from his research and academic experience. The projects may include consulting on faculty development, developing curricula and materials, lecturing, or evaluating a program.
鈥淭his international collaboration will be a benefit to IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 graduate program,鈥� Srinivasan said. 鈥淚 think that it will motivate and bring more students to IM体育官网 Poly for their higher education.鈥�
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