Several Georgia Tech students were recently awarded a Fulbright scholarship, which offers students one year of research, graduate study, or English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) in one of more than 140 countries. This year, 4 out of the 5 Fulbright award recipients were undergraduate students. The Fulbright Program awards approximately 8,000 grants annually. Roughly 1,600 U.S. students, 4,000 foreign students, 1,200 U.S. scholars, and 900 visiting scholars receive awards, in addition to several hundred teachers and professionals.

Karisma Gupta, a Biomedical Engineering major, will study in Mumbai, India at the Foundation for Medical Research. She will be focusing on the barriers to device implementation in developing countries. "My experience growing up in a suburban city where equal access to healthcare was a right rather than a privilege made me cognizant of the health disparities that I witnessed in Mumbai and other countries," said Gupta. "It was these healthcare disparities that inspired me towards a career focused on improving healthcare in underprivileged populations. My first step towards my passion in public health and medicine was my decision to major in biomedical engineering."

Anne Lashinsky studies at the Scheller College of Business, with a concentration on Operations and Supply Chain Management. She will be traveling to Rostock, Germany to serve as an English Teaching Assistant. "I chose to pursue the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship because through the academic exchanges I've had the opportunity to participate in through Georgia Tech, I've experienced firsthand the ameliorating effects of direct cross-cultural interaction. Additionally, in this globalized world, mastering the English language is an indispensable component of success. I look forward to providing students with the skills they need to have access to opportunities all over the world, and hope to ignite a passion for language learning and cultural understanding. I am excited to offer a window to the American culture, and to increase my own understanding of the German language and people."

Dillon Roseen, an Economics & International Affairs major, will travel to Amsterdam to pursue a Masters of Law (LLM) in Law and Politics of International Security. "My career goals include working for an international institution, like the United Nations, as a human rights attorney and advocate. Pursuing a Masters degree in The Netherlands is perfect for me since I will be right next to The Hague, nicknamed the Legal Capital of the World and the International City of Peace and Justice. When I am not studying, you will likely find me riding my bike along the beautiful, canal-lined streets of Amsterdam or working for one of these international organizations."

Varun Yarabala, a Biomedical Engineering major, will be conducting neurodegenerative brain research in Lausanne, Switzerland at one the world's leading neurology research institutes - École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). His research will focus on studying the neurodegenerative cause of Alzheimer's disease by carrying out experiments seeking preventative measures. "I have been working in Dr. Bellamkonda's neurology lab here at Georgia Tech for about two years researching a topic that could effect neurodegeneration and I wanted to continue researching in this field because of an increased interest... I have always had an interest in the neurological medical field and I wanted to continue this interest abroad because it will certainly benefit me since my professional goal is to attend medical school and hopefully become a neurologist or neurosurgeon in the future."