Fulbright scholars Clinton Elliott (left), Zubaidah Al-Mashhadani, and Michael Theiler are pursuing graduate studies this semester at 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Polytechnic University.
91ΒιΆΉΣ³»is helping three scholars broaden their cultural experiences while they pursue an advanced graduate education.
Graduate students Clinton Elliott from Australia, Zubaidah Al-Mashhadani from Iraq, and Michael Theiler from Germany are eager to absorb all they can from the University.
β91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly has offered me the opportunity to work closely with faculty members in research and practical work,β said Al-Mashhadani, who arrived at 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly from Baghdad, Iraq, in the summer of 2019. βI have gained great academic knowledge and am working on my research and pursuing publications. I definitely got what I was looking for when I applied to this University.β
Al-Mashhadani has stepped up to help acclimate her new Fulbright peers, Elliott, from Cairns in Queensland, Australia, and Theiler, from Ingolstadt in Bavaria, Germany. Elliott and Theiler arrived at 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly recently for the start of the Spring 2021 semester.
βShe has shown us the University and introduced us to her friends and members of the staff,β Theiler said. βThis will be a good experience for me.β
Theiler discovered a love of cars at a young age, training as an automotive mechatronic technician. He continues to pursue this passion through studies in electrical engineering and electromobility.
βI chose the electrical engineering program because I want to help shape the mobility of the future,β said Theiler, who set his sights on studying in 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» after visiting the area in 2019.
βI loved 91ΒιΆΉΣ³», and the University was appealing because itβs focused on engineering,β said Theiler, who will study at 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly for one semester. βThe weather is really good, and the people are so friendly and open-minded.β
Continents away, Elliottβs interest in studying in 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» was piqued when he met a Fulbright scholar in 2016. He was intrigued by the Fulbright program and sought a location with a tropical climate similar to his home in Australia. Elliott is now pursuing a masterβs degree in engineering management and will attend 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly through 2022. His thesis is focused on solar exportation feasibility to markets that have less solar radiance.
βI am an electrical engineer by profession and an instrumentation electrician by trade,β Elliott said. βUltimately, I want to move into upper management roles and start a solar company in my hometown because we have some of the best solar radiance in the world there.β
For Al-Mashhadani, who graduates from the University this semester, the Fulbright experience has been fulfilling. She is studying electrical and computer engineering and is working on developing an agricultural ground robot that navigates autonomously in the field.
βIt monitors the ripe fruits and exports the number of each class to the user so they can provide equipment for harvesting where itβs needed. It also detects any diseases in tomato plants and classifies them,β she said.
Since 2017, 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly has hosted six graduate students through the Fulbright Program, as well as one Fulbright Chair. Four University students also have studied in Canada as part of Fulbright Canadaβs , and Dr. Sesha Srinivasan, chair of 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Polyβs Department of Natural Sciences, was selected to the .
Mustapha Achoubane, 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Polyβs associate director of international relations, said the University is proud to be part of the prestigious Fulbright Program because it strengthens the Universityβs standing internationally while attracting some of the brightest minds in science, technology, engineering, and math.
βAll of these students have been nominated by their countries and they are the best of the best,β he said. βI hope one day we see a 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly Fulbright student become a head of state or Nobel laureate.β
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