Eleven faculty and nine students* from Michigan State University were offered Fulbright awards for the 2025-26 academic year.
The following faculty were offered prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awards:
Scott Boehm, associate professor, Department of Romance and Classical Studies, College of Arts and Letters, fall 2025 (Spain).
Project: “2015: Spain’s Year of Change?”
Natoshia Cunningham, associate professor, Department of Family Medicine, College of Human Medicine, February 2026 (Spain).
Project: “Improving Outcomes for Spanish Youth with Functional Abdominal Pain”
Narendra N. Das, associate professor, Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Engineering, January 2026 (Vietnam). Project: “Advancing Agricultural and Water Resource Management in Vietnam through High Resolution SAR Data.”
Sarah Douglas, associate professor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Social Science, January 2026 (South Africa). Project: “Supporting Children who use AAC: A Professional and Communication Partner Training Approach.”
Emine Evered, associate professor, Department of History, College of Social Science, spring 2026 (Turkey)
Project: “Lucky Numbers: The Role of Regulated Gambling in Turkish National-Building (19th-20th century).”
Marty Jordan, assistant professor, Department of Political Science, College of Social Science, (El Salvador) – declined award
Project: “Developing Analytical Techniques and Advancing Statistical Literacy in El Salvador.”
Caitlin Kirby, academic specialist, Evidence-Driven Learning Innovation, Colleges of Arts and Letters and Natural Science, January 2026 (Germany). Project: "Impacts of Adaptive Intelligent Tutoring Systems on Self-Regulated Learning Skills."
Sandra Lupien, academic specialist, Department of Forestry, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, August 2025 (Finland). Project: "Cataloging, Analyzing, and Comparing Policies and Initiatives to Advance Sustainable Mass Timber Construction and Manufacture."
Deric McNish, associate professor, Department of Theatre, College of Arts and Letters, March 2026 (Israel). Project: "Global Voices: Theatre, Disability, and Cross-Cultural Connection."
Brian Pentland, professor, Department of Accounting and Information Systems, Eli Broad College of Business, fall 2025 (Austria). Project: "Constructing and Analyzing Path Nets."
Ed Timke, assistant professor, Department of Advertising and Public Relations, College of Communication Arts and Sciences, spring 2026 (Sweden). Project: "Disability Inclusion in Swedish Marketing Communications."
The following undergraduate and graduate students were named Fulbright Program Student finalists; one student chose to remain anonymous. Another student was named an alternate.
Nunzio Carducci is a doctoral student in chemical engineering from Laramie, WY in the College of Engineering. Carducci’s Fulbright will take him to Italy beginning October 2025; his project is titled: “Engineering Electroactive biocatalysts for enhanced photosynthesis.”
Andre Edmond earned his B.S. in psychology in 2025 from the College of Social Science. He is from Grand Haven, MI and will be an English Teaching Assistant in Indonesia beginning fall 2025.
Kayla Gantz is from Warren, MI and earned her B.A. in French from the College of Arts and Letters in 2025. Her Fulbright term as an English Teaching Assistant in Switzerland begins in September 2025.
Aviana Irrer earned her B.A. in the arts and humanities in 2025 from the Residential College of the Arts and Humanities. She is from DeWitt, MI and will be an English Teaching Assistant in Germany beginning in September 2025.
Carolyn Kolar is from East Lansing, MI and earned her B.A. in elementary education from the College of Education in 2025. She begins as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Senegal during fall 2025.
Sydney Logsdon earned her B.A. in English from the College of Arts and Letters in 2025. She is from Lake Orion, MI. As an alternate, she may have the opportunity to study in the United Kingdom should another finalist decline their offer. Logsdon’s project is entitled: “Interdisciplinary Scholarship and Cultural Activism through the Environmental Humanities.”
Ivy Ly graduated with her M.A. from the College of Arts and Letters in 2025 and will begin as an English Teaching Assistant in Taiwan as of August 2025.
Justin Weller earned his M.A. in student affairs administration from the College of Education in 2025 and is from Bay City, MI. He begins his Fulbright in Taiwan as an English Teaching Assistant in August 2025.
Ella Werre earned her B.S. in astrophysics from Lyman Briggs College in spring ‘25. Werre, who is from Phoenix, AZ, will begin her Fulbright research in Italy in October 2025. Her project is entitled “Probing Globular Clusters for the Existence of Intermediate-Mass Black Hole.”
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Twenty Michigan State scholars and students will reside in 17 different countries because of the opportunities available through Fulbright awards.
Associate Professor Natoshia Cunningham will be moving her family to Spain for her Fulbright, including four children. “I hope other people feel empowered to take advantage of opportunities like this,” Cunningham said.
For Aviana Irrer, moving to Germany to teach English is a dream she’s long dreamt of doing. “I am honored to be a recipient of such a prestigious award, and I am looking forward to working my hardest and learning the most while I am abroad,” Irrer said.
“MSU’s Fulbright scholars and students embody the university’s mission to address the world’s most pressing challenges and advance the greater good, locally and globally,” said MSU Interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko. “Congratulations to this year’s cohort of Fulbright Program participants as they prepare to embark on transformative international exchanges that will help advance MSU’s global commitments and connections.”
The Fulbright Program was established over 75 years ago and has celebrated more than 400,000 participants since its inception. Each year the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces the top producing institutions for the Fulbright Program. The Chronicle of Higher Education publishes the list annually.
Through various Fulbright programs, students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds and fields have the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to important international problems.
“Fulbright program participants have been building connections between nations for nearly 80 years. These exchanges are instrumental in promoting a more peaceful world through citizen diplomacy. The last few years have been very tense with the past six months even more so—I would argue we need Fulbright now more than ever,” said Joy Campbell, Fulbright Program coordinator at MSU.
“Hundreds of Spartan students and faculty have enjoyed transformative Fulbright experiences and brought new global perspectives back to Michigan. We have also welcomed hundreds of international Fulbrighters, who have contributed to our campus community in countless positive ways. MSU has long been a leader in Fulbright programming, and we have benefited immeasurably from these exchanges.”
Fulbright alumni return to their home countries to make an impact in their local communities—thanks to their expanded worldview, a deep appreciation for their host country, its people, and a larger network of colleagues and friends. The program is among the largest and most diverse exchange programs in the world, forming a global network and fostering mutual understanding between the U.S. and partner nations.
For more information about MSU's Fulbright programs, contact Joy Campbell, Fulbright Program Advisor.