BIG RAPIDS - Thanks to receiving a Fulbright Scholar grant, Ferris State University
Biology professor Jim Hoerter is spending the current semester in Dublin, Ireland.
In addition to teaching while in Dublin, Hoerter is conducting cancer research, specifically
regarding the question “Is Melanoma Initiated by UVA/UVB Induced Genomic Instability
in Human Skin Stem Cells?”
The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Sen. J. William Fulbright. Grants provide the opportunity for scholars from the U.S., as well as other countries, to observe each others’ political, economic, educational and cultural institutions, exchange ideas, and embark on joint ventures.
Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership in their fields.
Ferris State University is fortunate to have on its staff more than 20 Fulbright scholars. After their time aboard, they return to Ferris with invaluable experiences and insights that enrich their teaching. Ferris Fulbright grantees have studied and taught biology, humanities, English as a second language, American studies, American literature, applied and theoretical linguistics, composition theory and rhetoric. They have taught and conducted research in Poland, Greece, Germany, Norway, Russia, Romania, the Sudan, Syria, Hungary, Tunisia, Israel, Paraguay, France, Belgium and now Ireland.
In addition to his teaching and research, for the past five years, Hoerter has coordinated a one-week Biotechnology Summer Academy at Ferris to allow students to experience a week of research in a molecular biology lab. Hoerter’s own undergraduate students play a vital role in his lab by designing and conducting experiments, analyzing data and contributing to publications. Students are included as co-authors on many of his research publications.