USM PENANG, 11 Aug 2022 – A senior lecturer from the Centre for Chemical Biology (CCB), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Dr. G. Veera Singham is awarded the prestigious Fulbright Malaysian Scholar Award for the year 2022-2023 (6 months) sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs administered by MACEE (Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange).

Under this award, Veera will be fully sponsored to conduct his research for six months with the host institute of his choice, University of California, Riverside, USA.

His grant work will focus on seeking solutions on insecticide resistance and resistance management of the public health pest, the tropical bed bug, Cimex hemipterus, which is currently a major cosmopolitan pest around the globe.

Led by the United States government in partnership with more than 160 countries worldwide, the Fulbright Program offers international educational and cultural exchange programs for passionate and accomplished students, scholars, artists, teachers, and professionals of all backgrounds to study, teach or pursue important research.

The Fulbright Program is recognized globally as one of the most prestigious educational and cultural exchange programs, being one of the largest and most significant movements of scholars across the world, offering diverse opportunities in over 155 countries, funding approximately 8,000 exchanges each year.

The Fulbright section at MACEE is responsible in administration of Fulbright grants which send Malaysians to the United States and Americans to Malaysia that served as a catalyst for collaborations between the scholars’ home institutions and their host institutions.

It also brought together and created a network of likeminded professionals who continue to work together to change their professional fields. 

The Fulbright program is known to have produced and enriched some of the best achievers in their field of expertise.

Through participation in the Fulbright Scholar program, scholars developed skills important for international and cross-cultural collaboration. They applied these skills to their professional and personal lives and use their enhanced technical and intercultural skills to their teaching, research, and creative work at their home institution.

Through these changes they better supported their students and introduced new developments into their professional field.

First-hand experience of the benefits of the international academic exchange led scholars to promote campus internationalisation at their home institutions.

Text & Photo: Dr. G. Veera Singham