SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Laura Meyerson, professor of invasion and restoration ecology at the University of Rhode Island, was awarded a Fulbright Global Scholar Fellowship, the school announced in April.
“I’m very excited because one of the objectives of the Fulbright program is to not just do science but to be an ambassador for the United States,” said Meyerson in a statement.
Meyerson’s most recent award will build on the research completed in 2011, when she was awarded her first Fulbright Fellowship, and allow her to study invasive plant species – phragmites, a perennial wetland grass, in particular – and the consequences of such movement for local ecosystems and human well-being at schools in Argentina, the Czech Republic and South Africa.
“This is really the chance of a lifetime to go and spend quality time in places where the species grows as a native and to really be able to study it, experience it, talk to local people about it and learn about it,” she said in prepared remarks. “I get to do all the stuff that I love – go to interesting places where the plant grows, work with the best scientists and be productive.”
In addition to her studies, which will include taking soil samples of phragmites throughout Europe and parts of Asia, Meyerson will write a book about the species, including its use among various peoples across the globe.
“The native Indian people in Argentina have used phragmites forever for baskets and bedding, and in South Africa it’s used by the Zulu nation for fertility ceremonies,” Myerson said in prepared remarks. “I’ll be interviewing people and attending ceremonial events while I’m there and writing about it.”
Meyerson will spend October through December at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, January to March 2019 at the National University of La Pampa in Argentina and May and June 2019 at the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Established in 1946 and operating in more than 155 countries worldwide, the Fulbright Scholar Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
