Written by Lucero Benitez, COSS Communications Specialist

The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board are pleased to announce that Dr. Mohan Dangi, Professor in the Geography and City & Regional Planning department with specialization in Environmental Science and Engineering at Fresno State, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Nepal. Dangi will research/lecture seven months at the Central Department of Environmental Science (CDES), Tribhuvan University (TU) as part of a project (Developing an Environmental Engineering Curriculum and Studying Municipal Solid Waste in Nepal) to design, develop, and teach an Introduction to Environmental Engineering course at CDES, TU, the first of its kind, deliver the course online, essential during current pandemic conditions, and research life cycle assessment of municipal solid waste management in Kathmandu. 

As a Fulbright Scholar, Dangi will share knowledge and foster meaningful connections across communities in the United States and Nepal. Fulbrighters engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning to their institutions, labs, and classrooms, in the United States, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad. As Fulbright Scholar alumni, their careers are enriched by joining a network of thousands of esteemed scholars, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Fulbright alumni include 60 Nobel Prize laureates, 88 Pulitzer Prize recipients, and 39 who have served as a head of state or government.

“I feel very honored and humbled to receive the high award from the U.S. Department of State and Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and I am so thankful to my students, collaborators, and Fresno State community for trusting and supporting us for our work in Nepal and internationally,” said Dr. Dangi.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is pleased to announce that 2021 marks the 75th Anniversary of the Fulbright Program. Celebrations throughout the year will highlight the impressive accomplishments and legacy of the program and its alumni over its first 75 years, both in the United States and around the world. 

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from over 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright program is an annual appropriation by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.  

In the 2017-2018 academic year, Dr. Dangi also received the Fulbright Specialist Award to Nepal.

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright