More Penn students earn, apply for Fulbrights each year

Last September, Stefania Patinella, a Penn alumna and cooking school veteran, applied for a Fulbright grant to study the Slow Food movement in Italy. Nearly a week ago -- in the midst of this year's application rush -- she was accepted.

The Fulbright Program sends qualified students -- who can apply both as undergraduates and as graduates -- to sites around the world in order to research topics of their choosing.

"Ten days ago, we found out that our "Chef Stef,' as we like to call her, was our 21st winner," said Art Casciato, director of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.

From last April until last week, the names of last year's winners have been trickling into CURF from a variety of the 120 participating countries. The center has seen a dramatic increase in the number of Fulbright winners in recent years.

"Penn students have always done very well with Fulbright," Casciato said. "Even with that admirable record, things seem to be going up."

Seventy-six applicants applied for a Fulbright last fall; of those, 41 were selected last winter as finalists, and 21 received the grant.

Two years ago, CURF saw similar numbers. Eighty-six applicants were narrowed down to 31 finalists, and 18 Penn students or alumni were winners.

And this year, 80 students have sent in Fulbright applications, hoping to study in countries from Argentina to Uzbekistan, a sign that the trend will continue.

"This year, rather than having to work hardest at recruitment, students showed up much more naturally, as if Penn students had always been applying in such large numbers," Casciato said.

He attributed the recent rise to two factors: increased campus media coverage of the winners, and the examples set by hardworking applicants.

Unlike other grant and scholarship programs, the Fulbright is unique in that it is more centered on student research and the feasibility of doing research in a foreign country than a given student's grade point average.

"That's what makes a great Fulbright," Casciato said. "One that makes sense for a student, given his or her track record and the necessity of that research being done in a particular country."

For "Chef Stef," that country is Italy, a nation that rejects new-age American fast food notions.

"The aim of my project is to study food comprehensively as it can still be done -- from seed to table -- in a way that is at once culturally, nutritionally and environmentally meaningful," Patinella wrote in her application statement.

She hopes to use her research toward the creation of a school that teaches nutritious cooking to low-income families.

While Patinella attended chef school at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health and worked as a teacher, not all Fulbright recipients are so removed from undergraduate life.

Last year, Smita Jain was a senior in the College when she applied for her Fulbright to pursue cultural studies and globalization research in Amsterdam.

"Studying in the Netherlands will give me the unique opportunity to study European feminist movements," Jain said in her application statement.

Not all who apply for a Fulbright conduct research; some ask for a grant to teach English in countries like Korea, France, Argentina and Chile. Others apply for master's or Ph.D. programs in another country.

The process is tough. Applications are generally received around the end of September. A team of 14 faculty members is assembled by Linda Koons of the Office of the Provost and chaired by Casciato.

Each student is assigned to a committee member, who answers a short questionnaire and rates the student on a scale of 1 to 5.

Cheryl Shipman, research coordinator for CURF, also works with students to refine their Fulbright applications.

The applications are then sent to Fulbright's national office in New York, which decides who will be a finalist. Then, the top applications are sent to each country of study, and a local committee makes the final decision.

"That's why it takes so long," Casciato said. "Each country moves at its own pace."

Right now, the atmosphere at CURF is harried due to several impending deadlines for other research grants and fellowships.

This Thursday, University President Amy Gutmann will deliver a talk about the importance of research, which will be held at CURF.

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