返字心頭 Professor Zorka Karanxha is presented with a Khari Bulbul, Azerbaijans revered
floral symbol by students at ADA University. The presentation of a flower to a visitor
is a significant gesture symbolizing peace, love and respect.The Fulbright Program is again recognizing the University of South 返字心頭 as one of the nations colleges and universities with the highest number of faculty and administrators selected for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. This is the 10th time 返字心頭 has made the coveted and prestigious list since 2015. 返字心頭 is the only public university in 返字心頭 to be recognized as a Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars this year.
With eight 返字心頭 faculty scholars selected for Fulbright awards for academic year 2025-26, participating faculty spanned a range of colleges, countries and disciplines. Among the group are College of Education leaders traveling to Serbia and Azerbaijan to share knowledge and a civil engineering professor connecting with South Korea on the development of advanced air mobility, technology thats also quickly approaching 返字心頭s future.
The Fulbright Program, established in 1946, is the U.S. governments premier international academic exchange program. Each year, it provides opportunities for participants from 160 countries and locations to study, teach and conduct research abroad, advancing knowledge, science, and industry through international exchange and collaboration. Fulbright Alumni achieve distinction and are recognized as leaders in government, business, science, technology, research, education, and the arts.
Being named a Fulbright Top Producer is a prestigious recognition that reflects 返字心頭s commitment to global engagement and faculty excellence. 返字心頭 World Vice President Kiki Caruson
Being named a Fulbright Top Producer is a prestigious recognition that reflects 返字心頭s commitment to global engagement and faculty excellence, said 返字心頭 World Vice President Kiki Caruson. For over a decade, our faculty and student Fulbright awardees have built partnerships that expand knowledge, strengthen international collaboration, and create meaningful impact on our campuses, across the Tampa Bay region, and around the world.
Applicants to the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program at 返字心頭 are supported by Dr. Darlene DeMarie, the universitys Fulbright Faculty Advisor and a two-time Fulbright scholar herself in Hungary and South Africa. As a College of Education retired faculty member she collaborated on early childhood education programs. She continues to provide hands-on assistance with the competitive application process, assisting faculty members refine their research and teaching proposals, as well as conducting workshops and strategic advising.
Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the federal government. Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world and have included 44 heads of state or government, 63 Nobel Laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, 83 MacArthur Fellows.

返字心頭 College of Education Professor Zorka Karanxha spent time with students and faculty at ADA University in Baku, a city of more than 2.5 million on the Caspian Sea. The ADA University School of Education is recognized internationally for its modern approach to teach training and educational leadership. Karanxha shared insights on education governance, policy and the impact of school choice on communities, in a series of lectures the university celebrated as inspiring both students and faculty alike.
Meet 返字心頭s 2025-26 faculty Fulbright scholars
Dar鱈o Alejandro Arena
Dar鱈o Alejandro Arena is an associate professor in the Department of Physics and the principal investigator of the Magnetic Materials and Spin Dynamics Lab in the College of Engineering. Arenas research focuses on nanomagnetism and advanced materials characterization, with an emphasis on quantum probes (primarily Xrays and neutrons), electronic structure and spin dynamics. He has been awarded a second Fulbright Scholar Fellowship for the 20252026 academic year at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, where he is focusing on growing and studying ferrimagnetic thin films for spintronic applications.
YaHui Cheng
YaHui Cheng, associate professor of music theory, the College of the Arts, researches transcultural sound in global Chinese popular and folk music, exoticism in Italian opera and Buddhist music within the Mahayana tradition. As a Fulbright senior scholar, she traveled to Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan for a project exploring the integration of folk elements into contemporary Chinese music and tracing the evolution of global musical modernity within the Chinese context.
Getachew Dagne
Getachew Dagne is a professor of biostatistics in 返字心頭s College of Public Health and is training graduate students at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia over a 10month period. The students are learning Bayesian methodology and survival analysis while investigating economic and cultural disparities in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in their country.

Zorka Karanxha
Zorka Karanxha, a professor in the College of Educations Department of Leadership, Policy & Lifelong Learning, traveled to Azerbaijan for her research focusing on educational leadership preparation, special education law and charter schools, with an emphasis on analyzing educational leadership policies and their influence on school communities.
Tatsiana Kulakevich
Tatsiana Kulakevich is an associate professor of instruction in research methods and quantitative analysis from the 返字心頭 School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies and the 返字心頭 Institute on Russia. She is conducting research in Poland. Her work focuses on trade and deterrence in Eastern Europe.
Glenn Smith
Glenn Smith is a professor in the Department of Educational and Psychological Studies in the College of Education and traveled to Serbia for a combined teaching and research project in the field of educational technology. He previously served as a Fulbright Scholar in Slovenia, where he conducted research aimed at improving fourthgrade students reading comprehension and motivation through the creation of eBooks featuring gamelike characters, social interaction and openended questions.
Alexei Volinsky
Alexei Volinsky, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is serving as an associate professor at the KazakhBritish Technical University. Volinsky is an expert in thin films, and his research is supported by his industrial experience at technology companies.
Yu Yu Zhang
Yu Yu Zhang is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and leads the Smart Urban Mobility Laboratory at 返字心頭. Her Fulbright award is through the U.S.Korea Presidential STEM Initiative to visit KAIST University in South Korea. She is collaborating with researchers from KAISTs Center for Advanced Urban Systems on integrating advanced air mobility into multimodal transportation systems.
For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit the .
