On September 6, Deputy Chief of Mission Bix Aliu and Embassy representatives attended the graduation ceremony of 55 Polish Fulbright Fellows who conducted research, studies, and teaching work during the 2018-2019 academic year in the United States. Hosted by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education at its headquarters in the heart of Warsaw, the ceremony honored the accomplishments of the newest cohort of Polish Fulbright scholars who returned this summer from different higher education institutions in America, including but not limited to, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Columbia University, New York University, University of Chicago, Yale University, George Washington University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and many others. The accomplished Polish scholars worked in a diverse range of fields that included, among others, aerospace engineering, environmental sciences, mechanics, experimental cardiology, architecture, computer science, structural design, medical sciences, agricultural sciences, and molecular biophysics. Congratulating the Polish Fulbright scholars on their work and achievements, Deputy Chief of Mission Aliu encouraged them to sustain and deepen the personal and professional contacts they established with their American colleagues, urging them to “Preserve and strengthen the connections you made in America. Keep them alive for years to come. Such bonds form the foundation of the people-to-people ties between our two countries and we need them to grow and stay dynamic.” The graduation ceremony concluded with a music performance by the cellist and composer Agata Kurzyk.
On an annual basis, the Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission awards approximately 100 Fulbright fellowships, roughly 50 of which go to Polish scholars and 50 to American scholars and English Teaching Assistants. This year the Fulbright program in Poland is celebrating its 60th year of operations. Happy birthday, Fulbright Polska!
