Fulbright Reality Czech

Jolie L'Heureux is  an astronomer. From gazing at the stars as a curious child to searching for the echoes of cosmic events, Jolie L’Heureux’s journey into astrophysics is as inspiring as the universe she studies. A graduate of Columbia University, Jolie is currently conducting post-baccalaureate research at the Faculty of Science at Masaryk University in Brno. As a Fulbright student grantee, she spends nine months hunting for electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave events—an effort to shed light on some of the most mysterious phenomena in the cosmos. Jolie’s love for science was first sparked during museum and library visits with her mother, and now she pays that inspiration forward through outreach: "I especially like to be involved with outreach events with younger children, to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to see the beauty of our universe and be inspired to become a scientist. For younger kids, I think it is important to share with them cool thing...

Sreyas Yennampelli is a neuroscientist and a philosopher. At Emory University, he researched the biological basis of various phenomena, from aggression to fatherhood. His background in philosophy reminds him of the implications of his everyday research and the need to combat the stigmatization of patients. During the current academic year, Sreyas has joined one of the few research labs focusing on eating disorders worldwide at Masaryk University’s Faculty of Medicine in Brno. With his colleagues, Sreyas tries to identify the brain regions involved in the development of eating disorders and monitors the results of their treatment. After his Fulbright experience, Sreyas plans to enroll in medical school, and upon earning his medical degree, he hopes to “post about healthy eating habits on social media and counter harmful diets endorsed by influencers. [He also wants] to develop an annual virtual research conference to create a platform for eating disorder researchers worldwide to exchang...

Andrew Harlan is a composer, sound designer, and bassist. A Boston Conservatory graduate currently pursuing a Ph.D. at UC Berkeley, Andrew has been mentored by leading figures in contemporary music including Marti Epstein, Myra Melford, and Ken Ueno. Andrew's original music was showcased in a multitude of festivals including the Valencia International Performance Academy, the Yellow Barn Young Artists Program, the Summer Institute of Contemporary Performance Practice, and the Wellesley Composers Conference. During the past academic year, Andrew spent nine months at the Music and Dance Faculty of The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he composed music that combines improvisation and live electronics. Although Andrew's inspiration to spend a year in the Czech Republic was spontaneously inspired by a meeting with Czech composer Michal Rataj in California, today Andrew says: "My time as a Fulbrighter was a reminder to me that the most beautiful gift of being an artis...

Hannah Pontari is a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at Matiční Gymnázium in Ostrava, Czech Republic. A recent graduate from Villanova University, where she studied Political Science and Public Administration, Hannah is interested in education policy, specifically the equitable internationalization of the American school system. Hannah, the daughter of a first-generation college student who instilled in her the values of education and travel very early in life, eagerly pursued the opportunity to immerse herself in an international educational context through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Hannah plans to apply her knowledge from teaching abroad to her studies at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education when she returns to the United States in June. This past February, I had the incredibly exciting opportunity to attend the annual Fulbright EU-NATO Seminar in Luxembourg and Brussels as a representative for the Czech Republic Fulbright Commission. As a sel...

Aidan Uvanni is an active-duty United States Coast Guard officer and currently a full-time master’s degree student of Water and Environmental Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague. He focuses on water management and rainfall-runoff modeling. Aidan is one of a few Fulbrighters who has stayed in the host country for over one year. In September 2022, he started his graduate program as a Fulbright U.S. student and chose to extend beyond his grant for this academic year. When not in school, Aidan enjoys indoor rock climbing and exploring the city by bike or on foot. He is an active volunteer at a local Czech middle school and practices English conversation with a group of Ukrainian teenagers. Prior to his Fulbright grant, Aidan served aboard USCGC Polar Star, deploying to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2022. After graduation, he will continue his service in the United States Coast Guard as an Executive Officer of a smaller icebreaker. This interview is the ...

Avery Morris is a violinist and a Doctoral Candidate of Musical Arts in violin performance at Stony Brook University. This year, she is spending nine months at the Music and Dance Faculty (HAMU) of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague as a Fulbright Student grantee researching Gideon Klein's lost works and the legacy of Czech Musical Modernism. Avery has a special passion for the music of this Czech composer Gideon Klein, who died at the age of 26 in Fürstengrube, a subcamp of Auschwitz after his internment in Terezín. Avery discovered Klein by chance during the pandemic, when looking for music to play together with her twin sister. She immediately got hooked, and started to explore Klein's music, as well as his destiny. Klein experimented with genres ranging from jazz and blues to serialism and microtonal music – a style later labeled by the Nazis as "degenerate music." Avery's curiosity grew more, so applying for a Fulbright Student grant to the Czech Republ...

Fizah Yousuf is a biologist. In her research, she focuses on further understanding the syphilis bacteria, and one day, she would like to see a syphilis vaccine being developed and globally distributed. Originally from Boston College, Fizah has joined a lab at the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University in Brno, and together with her international team, she hopes to contribute to the development of the syphilis vaccine. Her passion for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases started during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, Fizah studied COVID-19, and she took classes on immunology and vaccinology. After learning about the recent quiet resurgence of syphilis, she has been determined to contribute to the prevention of this ailment with her research. After her Fulbright experience in the Czech Republic, she plans to attend medical school and become a medical practitioner focusing on infectious diseases. This interview is the 30th part of our Fulbright series to celebrate 3...