Fulbright Reality Czech

Carol Wilusz is a Professor of Microbiology, Immunology & Pathology and Director of the Cell & Molecular Biology Graduate Program at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. In the spring of 2025, she was hosted by the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. As a Fulbright Scholar, Carol conducted research on the regulation of gene expression in stem cells by RNA-binding proteins. Outside the lab, she found time for a series of unexpected adventures: paddling a dragon boat on the Vltava River in Prague, riding a paternoster lift in Zlín, and taking the Baltic Express from Prague to Gdańsk.  I struggled to decide where to spend my sabbatical and settled on Prague on a whim – it’s in the center of Europe, and at the time I was applying, I had just visited my son there while he was studying the criminal justice system for a summer. I was also attracted by the impressive range of research going on at IMG, the idea of experiencing a complet...

Interview By: Maureen Heydt This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Teal Vickre y Nestled at the foot of the Šumava mountains lays the picturesque town of Vimperk, where Teal Vickrey is serving as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant this year. As a native Coloradoan, she is used to living in mountainous areas, but still finds herself awed by the nature and beauty of Šumava, as well as impressed at how active the community is in hiking, cycling and skiing. Vickrey herself is passionate about education, communication and writing, and at only two months into her grant year, is already starting to feel at home in her South Bohemian town of 8,000 people. -------------------------------------- Fast Facts ---------------------------------------- Hometown: Louisville, Colorado University/Major: Colorado State University, Communication/English School in Czech Republic: Gymnázium a SOŠ ekonomická, Vimperk Age: 22 Favorite Quote: “What you think, y...