Seven U of A faculty will travel the world as Fulbright Scholars
Brian Silverstein, a professor of anthropology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and photographed picking olives in Turkey, will soon return to study the country's olive oil industry after being named a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar by the Fulbright Program, the U.S. State Department's flagship cultural exchange program.
Brian Silverstein
In a few months, Brian Silverstein will walk among ancient olive trees in Turkey's coastal Ayvalık region, studying the oil they yield and the people, traditions and economic shifts they represent.
Brian Silverstein
Brian Silverstein
The opportunity for Silverstein, professor of anthropology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, to conduct this on-the-ground research abroad is made possible by being named a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar, the most prestigious appointment in the Fulbright Scholar program.
"I am particularly interested in people's experiences, which led me to exploring the social dimensions of olive oil production," said Silverstein. This includes olive oil and its ties to agricultural reform, national identity and cultural change.
"Food producers are incredibly important but have historically experienced lower incomes and prestige in many countries, Turkey included," Silverstein said. "There has been a shift in recent years to making higher-quality products so that you not only stay in business but enjoy a higher quality of life."
Local products are increasingly seen as part of a community's sense of self, Silverstein added, whether it's cheese, chocolates, honey or olive oil.
More than a research trip abroad, Silverstein's trip is part of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. State Department's flagship cultural exchange program. Designed to foster academic and cultural exchange, the program supports American scholars conducting research or teaching abroad for up to a year, while welcoming international faculty and students to the U.S.
"I hope food producers around the world see from my work that they can learn new techniques and practices and use new equipment in order to improve their products, income and quality of life," Silverstein said. "I hope this project will also illustrate the kinds of benefits and insights to be gained from international research, especially on food systems and producers."
Healthier lungs, starting young
Silverstein is one of seven University of Arizona faculty named Fulbright Scholars this year, each of whom will conduct research, teach or collaborate on projects that connect the University to global communities.
(Read this UA News story to meet all seven 2025 awardees.)
Among those recognized this year is Dr. Stefano Guerra, professor of medicine in the College of Medicine-Tucson. His Fulbright award will take him to Stockholm, Sweden, to work alongside long-time collaborators in studying the childhood origins of adult lung disease.
Dr. Stefano Guerra
Guerra will analyze data from a long-term study tracking the health of more than 4,000 Swedish children born between 1994 and 1996. Participants contribute over time by completing various health assessments and questionnaires that measure lung function and collect vital information.
Guerra's work in Stockholm complements a similar, ongoing study based in Tucson that began in 1980. By collaborating with international colleagues pursuing similar goals, Guerra said he is seeking not only to discover previously unknown, early indicators for lung diseases, but also to verify his findings against other researchers' work.
"These types of studies allow us to investigate early life events and their importance on adult lung disease," Guerra said. "That is something you cannot do with traditional, adult cohorts because people either don't remember what happened in their childhood, or they are susceptible to recall bias based on whether or not they have developed a lung disease. That makes these birth cohorts vital."
While in Sweden, Guerra hopes to also lay the foundation for an international consortium of health researchers who collaborate to investigate lung disease "across the life span," with the ultimate goal of fostering novel prevention and treatment strategies.
"I believe international collaboration is the future of this line of research because it not only provides validation of our own work but allows researchers to address complex questions that cannot be answered with a single study," Guerra said. "These kinds of consortia and alliances bring together investigators from around the world who can share best practices, various techniques and different ways of thinking about problems. Sharing in that intellectual richness is very powerful, and fun."
Central to the U of A's mission
Danielle Barefoot, the University's Fulbright Scholar liaison and a former Fulbright recipient, said the program provides faculty, staff and administrators a unique opportunity to share their knowledge and cutting-edge research while also building and maintaining relationships with other institutions and researchers.
"The Fulbright Program allows our research to stay relevant and fosters relationships abroad that would otherwise be difficult to maintain," Barefoot said. "That really speaks to the purpose of any university, but especially to an institution like the University of Arizona. Allowing and encouraging faculty and students to go abroad is part and parcel of a land-grant university's mission."
U of A faculty, staff and students can learn more and apply to various Fulbright Program fellowships through the Office of Research and Partnership's Fulbright website.