The Fulbright Academy of Science & Technology (FAST) is an international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging Fulbright scholars and other leaders in partnerships that advance science and society. Membership is open to Fulbright scholars, hosts and friends and to institutions having an interest in our work.

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“Futuropolis 2058: Creating Sustainable Urban Environments through Innovation” is the title of our Fourth International Conference, which will be held in Singapore on October 21-22, 2008.

Hosted by FAST and Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR), this 2-day conference aims to bring together many of respected technical experts and visionaries to shape the thinking and practice of urban leaders. The conference will be a catalyst to influence how the urban environments of the future are studied, planned and managed through areas such as urban infrastructure, city management, renewable energy, social networking technologies and future transportation systems.

Our partner is A*STAR, Singapore's lead agency for fostering world class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based Singapore. A*STAR actively nurtures public sector research and development in Biomedical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Engineering, with a particular focus on fields essential to Singapore's manufacturing industry and new growth industries. It oversees 14 research institutes, 7 research consortia and supports extramural research with the universities, hospital research centers and other local and international partners, such as FAST.

Between now and February 14, FAST is soliciting suggestions from the Fulbright community for speakers, exhibitors and presenters in the poster session. The program will be filled with senior leaders who have expert business or technological knowledge in creating and maintaining sustainable urban environments. Please contact us via email (ehoward@FulbrightAcademy.org) if your ground-breaking research should be included in the poster session or if you or your colleagues match the speaker profile and have valuable experience to share with our delegates.

Our Third International Conference – Energy & Innovation – begins in exactly three weeks (February 14). Registration for the four-day conference will be closing soon, so it is not too late for you to make plans to come to Boston on Feb. 14-17. You also may attend just the weekend program or only the opening banquet on Thursday evening.

As previously announced, we will have Fulbright scholars and alumni from at least 15 countries. The program will address innovation and research in the following disciplines: renewable energy, interplanetary research, linguistics, social science, microbiology, nanotechnology, urban planning, environmental policy, North Africa collaborations, forensics, engineering/transportation research, women in science, K-12 education, soil science, architecture and coral reefs.

If you would like more information, please call us at 207-799-3098.

For those unable to come to Boston in February, we will be having a program at the MIT Faculty Club on March 5 and a table at the Women in Science Luncheon at Boston’s Museum of Science at the end of April (date TBA). Also in April, we may have a program in Atlanta, GA. Programs in Ohio and further west are being developed for the fall.

To register for the luncheon at the MIT Faculty Club on March 5, please call Lisa at 1-207-799-3098.

The Catholic University in Ecuador (PUCE) hosted a symposium with over 100 participants on January 8 in Quito. The First International PUCE-Fulbright Symposium was held in order to promote cultural and scientific cooperation between students, faculty and the local community. PUCE, FAST, Wilmington College and the Fulbright Commission in Ecuador were jointly involved in the organization of the program.

The three-part program included an undergraduate research symposium, a symposium on environmental assessment featuring local and international speakers and a poster exhibition featuring research by students and faculty from the PUCE School of Biological Sciences and Wilmington College in Ohio. The program was one of many highlights for a group of undergraduate students and faculty from Wilmington who were in Ecuador for two weeks for a study-tour that resulted from contacts made at the FAST Annual Conference in Panama last March.

In accordance with a newly-approved FAST Policy, FAST was able to make a financial contribution to help assure that this event would be successful. Our 2008 budget includes funds for similar collaborative efforts organized by our institutional members and Fulbright organizations. For information or to submit ideas or proposals, please contact Eric Howard, our Executive Director, at 207-799-3098.

FAST is a non-profit 501-c-3 membership-based organization that serves scientists, executives, and scholars worldwide. Our annual report is available upon request, and our federal tax return is available through Guidestar.com. At their January 2008 meeting, the board adopted a $222,000 annual budget - not including an estimate of $210,000 of in-kind support in 2008 from organizations such as A*STAR, the Qatar Foundation, NASA, and many institutional members and supporters.

FAST is not affiliated with the US State Department or the Fulbright Exchange Program. Our members and sponsors include individuals and institutions such as universities, corporations, government agencies and foundations.

Ms. Lisa Smith joined FAST on January 2, 2008 as our Deputy Director. A graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Zoology, Lisa’s first position was as a zookeeper. Since then, she has had some 15 years of sales & marketing experience in the medical services industry (SmithKline & others), followed by ten years of program management experience in the non-profit sector.

Those FAST members who attend our conference in Boston next month will have a chance to meet Lisa in person. Others can interact with her via phone and email (info@FulbrightAcademy.org). Lisa is the third person to work at the FAST office; Emily Peckenham – the second one – has left FAST and is now in graduate school at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. We anticipate adding additional staff later in 2008 or early in 2009, based in Maine or at a satellite office outside of the United States.