Geography, geosciences, musicology, recreation expertise shared in Peru, Chile, Spain, India

SAN FRANCISCO, December 7, 2005 -- Four San Francisco State University faculty members have been selected as 2005-06 Fulbright scholars. The awards, given by the U.S. government, allow scholars to teach or participate in research or programs overseas.

Nina Roberts, assistant professor of recreation and leisure studies, will conduct research from March to May for the Ministry of Forests and the Environment in India. As part of the Institute of International Education’s Indo-American Environmental Leadership Program, she will evaluate the effectiveness of a program in schools that is intended to spread environmental awareness and implement programs for the protection and improvement of the natural environment. In addition, Roberts looks forward to investigating recreational opportunities pursued by youth in the outdoors as a supplementary component of this study.

"Part of my heritage is from Madras in East India so this incredible opportunity will give me the unique chance to explore part of my cultural roots as well," Roberts said.

Karen Grove, professor of geology and oceanography, will lecture from March to August at University of Santiago de Chile. She will teach a sedimentology class for geology undergraduates and two seminars for graduate students who are comparing tectonic and coastal ocean characteristics of California and Chile. In addition, Grove will assist with activities such as faculty and student research projects and program development.

Hafez Modirzadeh, associate professor of music and a professional saxophonist, will lecture from March to June at University of Granada in Spain. He will discuss musical relationships between American jazz and Andalusian Flamenco cultures in Spain, and will explore its Persian and North African historical connections. This follows Modirzadeh's 2004-05 sabbatical in Andalusia, one of the 17 autonomous communities that constitute Spain.

Jeffrey Bury, assistant professor of geography and human environmental studies, completed his Fulbright scholarship in November, after four months of lecturing and conducting research at University of the Pacific in Lima, Peru. He conducted extensive field work in the Central Peruvian Andes, examining the impacts of new conservation strategies on migration and the livelihoods of households. He taught classes on ecotourism, natural disasters, impacts of El Niño in Peru and mining and development. He also taught a special Geographic Information Systems (GIS) course that was taken by students, professors, professionals and representatives from the Peruvian National Conservation Agency and sponsored by GIS software company ESRI.

The Fulbright Scholar Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with additional funding from participating countries and host institutions in the United States and abroad. The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), a nonprofit organization, manages the Fulbright Scholar exchanges. During its 59-year history, thousands of faculty and other professionals have studied, taught or conducted research abroad, and thousands of their counterparts have engaged in similar activities in the United States. About 850 U.S. faculty and professionals will travel abroad to some 150 countries during this academic year through the Fulbright Scholar Program.

One of the largest campuses in the California State University system, SFSU was founded in 1899 and today is a highly diverse, comprehensive, public and urban university.