Vol 1 No.

1 August 2011

Engaging with America

page 3 Inside
Page 1 Message from the Executive Director Page 2 Fulbright Experience: Keeping the Fire (and Network) Burning Page 2 The Remark that Forever Dwells in memory Page 3 Engaging with America Page 5 My Diary of April 2, 2004 at Duke University Page 6 Indonesia Fulbright student grantees received the International Fulbright Science & Technology Award for three years in a row Page 7 NELL: a computer system that seeks to read and to learn like humans Page 8 English Teaching Assistant report

How We Measure Success as One of the Largest Bi-National Fulbright Commissions in the World: Message from the Executive Director.
about Indonesia and to take that experience back to the US and to share that experience with other Americans. I believe strongly that in the coming years we will see a revitalization of Indonesian study programs, the development of study abroad programs in Indonesia offered by US Universities and more and more collaboration and cooperation of US university departments and scholars with Indonesian counterpart universities and scholars. Both the Indonesian Ministry of National Education and the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and other ROI and USG ministries and agencies, believe that this type of cooperation is a key to the comprehensive partnership in Higher Education that has been developing between the Republic of Indonesia and the United States of America. Proof of this can be seen in the increased number of grantees, both Indonesians and Americans, that will be sponsored by Fulbright in each of the respective countries in 2011. This will occur in very important fields and we will see an expansion related to science and technology. STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) are key fields that drive development and collaboration in many areas of mutual interest to Americans and Indonesians alike. But increased numbers of grants is not the measure of success. Success is measured one grantee at a time and through the experiences they have had-and most importantly what they do after their Fulbright or exchange experience. Through our grantees and alumni, with their voices, we see the the power of education and educational exchange and Senator Fulbrights vision of education as a slow moving but powerful force. Only through our grantees experiences and lives can we really know how successful our exchange programs are.

I remember in 2006 when I became Executive Director of AMINEF, I was tasked by the Board of AMINEF to try to accomplish several important things during my tenure. One was to build balance into the Fulbright program in Indonesia. Fulbright around the world is a program that promotes mutual understanding, but often times the Fulbright program is viewed and measured by the number of grantees from host countries that study, lecture or do research in the United States of America. However, first and foremost Fulbright is an exchange program-and a program that places equal importance on giving Americans the opportunity to lecture, do research, or study in some 130 different countries that have Fulbright Programs. This is one of the most important aspects of the Fulbright Program in Indonesia. So many Americans know very little about the 14,000 plus islands that comprise the Indonesian archipelago, and the wonderful diversity of culture and language that are what make Indonesia such an amazing country. In 2011, we anticipate bringing some 70 Americans to experience Indonesia in various capacities. Considering the small numbers of Americans who study in Indonesia annually (estimated at far less than 300), AMINEF and Fulbright in 2011 are making a very positive contribution to American students and scholars to learn

Page 9 Fulbright Global Food Security Seminar University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Page 10 The Differential Effects of Online Lectures and Collaborative Learning on Academic Achievement of First-Time Online learners at Ganesha University of Education Page 11 Reflection on my experience as ILEP Fellow Page 13 We Are All Part of the Circle Page 14 Alumni News Page 15 How I live and Learn in the U.S. Page 17 2011 Fulbright Award DInner Page 17 Our ILEP Experience

It is true that the number of grantees and programs that AMINEF now administers has grown exponentially the past 5 years. There are many people who have made this growth possible and the names are too numerous to mention. However, I think it is important to thank all who have made our programs available and all those who are involved daily in administering these programs. We owe thanks to the AMINEF Board which includes equal numbers of Americans and Indonesians who provide the vision and mission of our Commission and Fulbright and related programs, The U.S. Department of States Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, The Directorate General of Higher Education-Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Indonesia, KEMLU, and many other Indonesian government agencies. We also would thank our partners and colleagues at the U. S. Embassy in Jakarta, IIE in New York, CIES in Washington DC. It takes the cooperation of hundreds of universities in both Indonesia and the United States, their faculty and administrators, Indonesian high schools and madrasah,

and their teachers and administrators, to make our programs a success. This list goes on and on and if I have not mentioned some, it is only because the list is so prolific. We thank you all. Least I forget, there is one particular and very professional group of people who every day of the week make Fulbright and related programs and our EducationUSA offices, second to none and who keep Yayasan AMINEF operating with dedication and hard work that often goes unnoticed. The AMINEF Secretariat staff is without question, the most professional and hardworking team that I have ever had the honor to work with. It is their hard work, that makes AMINEF number one and in turn through our grantees and the public we serve, unequalled in our desire to be sure our grantees and students and scholars, are successful in their endeavors.
Michael E. McCoy Executive Director American Indonesian Exchange Foundation Fulbright Indonesia/EductionUSA

The Fulbright Experience: Keeping the Fire (and Network) Burning

Experience in studying abroad is a privilege not many Indonesians have. Its even rarer to get a great opportunity to study under the Fulbright scholarship program. matically handled by the mailing list application. However it is a difficult task in terms of maintaining the interests of its members to keep talking to one another. Keeping the fire burning turns out to be not an easy task after all. It needs all the Not only that we got the chance to fuel we can get. We the alumni are study abroad under a very prestigious that fuel. scholarship program, we also benefited So lets contribute our fuel to from the Fulbright connections. Many keep our Fulbright experience and netopportunities are available to us due to these networks. Thus it is essential for us works alive. Lets network network to maintain and even broaden these and network. Congratulation for AMINEF networks, either for our personal and pro- for launching this e-News for its alumni. fessional growth, as well as for facilitating Pak Piet, thank you for always thinking and taking care of us. I do appreciate it. us to contribute more to the society. I appreciate AMINEF for its continuous efforts to maintain the networks of alumni from various different programs. The idea to create an e-Newsletter is a great idea that we all should support in light of the importance of networks among us. I believe that this e-News will provide a better platform to enable us to know one another better since it will enable the sharing of pictures and other more expressive contents than merely email (text) messages. However publishing an e-News is not an easy task that it is crucial that AMINEF gets all the supports it can get. I myself maintain a mailing list for the Fulbright 2001 alumni. I can say that it is an easy task technically since everything is auto(Liauw Toong Tjiek or Aditya Nugraha - anugraha@petra.ac.id is Head of Library at Petra Christian University (PCU) in Surabaya, East Java. He was a Fulbright 2001 alumn in Library and Information Science earning his graduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His interests are in digital libraries, institutional repositories, digital collections, digital heritage, and library technologies. He initiated a project called Desa Informasi (Information Village) in 2005. It is a digital library that contains digitized works of PCU communities. Another project is called Surabaya Memory, was initiated just before his departure to the US in 2001. He is currently working on a project called DIVo (Desa Informasi teleVision), a digital signage media that will integrate digital collections at Desa Informasi into the campus communication systems)

Aditya Nugraha

The Remark that Forever Dwells in My Memory: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Meets Fulbright Teaching Assistants
On the first day of the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants Conference, held December 9 this year, 418 language teaching assistants from 50 countries met with the Secretary of State of the United States, Hillary Clinton, at the Dean Acheson Auditorium of the State Department building in Washington D.C. During her 10-minute speech that warmed the audience, Secretary Clinton reminded all FLTA scholars about Senator James William Fulbrights dream when he first established the Fulbright program, the importance of mutual understanding between the countries that this program helps to develop, and the contribution that FLTA have given during their service in the United States. national Institute of Education (IIE) staffs kept as a secret for us. However, clapping hands and cheers were what came up next when Secretary Clinton entered the room, introduced by Mrs. Ann Stock, the Assistant Secretary of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Not until she stood up in front of the podium and started talking to us that some of the FLTA could believe it was really her.
Henry Wijaya

When asked about the reason why it was kept a secret, Ms. Mary Kirk, the IIEs Vice President for Student Exchanges, told me and the other FLTA during the lunch that IIE staffs did not want to disappoint the FLTAs. She explained that as a Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Clinton always has a busy schedule and the schedule may change at the last moment. She also told us that it was the first time FLTA were given such a chance, making us all in the Secretary Clinton recalled for the table feel grateful. FLTA some of Senator Fulbrights ideas, All FLTAs were very excited about which became the foundation of this prothis special event. This event was mengram. While telling us about joys that we can experience during the program, she tioned almost in everyones Facebook acalso brought to our mind Fulbrights mis- count, whether in the status update, link to sion of promoting understanding of each the videos, or link to the remark text. The others differences that will help create cheers and clasps that welcomed Secrelasting peace. She emphasized the impor- tary Clinton that day have ended and soon tance of educational exchanges, which the event mentioned in our social media gives people a chance to see the common will be replaced by something else. Yet, I have a big hope that along with the pride humanity that connects each other. and excitement, the message delivered to Educational exchanges turn nations us that day will dwell in our memory, eninto people, said Secretary Clinton, quot- couraging all of us to contribute more and ing the words of Senator Fulbright. She spread to everyone who knows us, here in also reminded all of us to put ourselves the States and back home. in each others shoes so that we develop mutual understanding and break the bar- New York, December 14, 2010 rier that exists. Her remarks that day were is a Faculty Member filled with a call to understanding and Hen r y Wijaya, whoChristian Univer sity in at Satya Wacana peace. Salatiga, is a Fulbright Indonesian LanSecretary Clinton mentioned sever- guage Teaching Assistant to Columbia Unial of FLTAs past achievements that have ver sity. helped the society at large. She also revealed her hope that all FLTA scholars will continue to develop themselves and reach their highest dreams. This special occasion was truly a surprise for all of us. During the bus trip to the Department State building and the long waiting on the line in the freezing weather, none of us had anticipated it. Questions and confusions were all in our minds when we had to sit impatiently on our seats waiting for the special guest, which the Inter-

Melani Budianta

Engaging with America

Melani Budianta (Fulbright Alumni, 1981 & 1992)
When President Barrack Obama, in his In the Borderlands speech at the University of Indonesia you are the battleground said, in well articulated Indonesian lanwhere enemies are kin to each other; guage, that Indonesia is a part of me, you are at home, a stranger, he won the hearts of many Indonesian . people. To survive the Borderlands you must live sin fronteras The same expression, reversed, be a crossroads. would apply to majority of Indonesian, though not many would openly acknowlMany Indonesian Fulbright alumni edge it. Many might not even realize it. In- have experienced this difficult position donesian youth consume American popular during the New Order time, when launching culture, especially film and popular music critical voice against the New Order govwhile munching popcorn and carrying the ernment could be interpreted as being unMcDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chickens patriotic, betraying your own country. The take away bags. Especially in todays same way, being critical against U.S. forglobalized world, cultural boundaries are eign policy during the Iraqi War can be inseamless, with heightened cross cultural terpreted by the local anti-American group as siding with their negative campaign, which is neither your wish nor your agenda.

exchanges. A country of immigrants, what is American today and before is made up of the worlds cultural contributions, and as American culture is globalized, it is internalized as part of modern urban life style. As Indonesia is part of President Barrack Obama, America is definitely an inseparable part of Indonesian Fulbright Program Alumni. How much more then, it is for me, who had spent 6 years doing MA and Ph.D in American literature/studies and have taught the subject since the 1980s up to the present? Yet, as we all know, our affective, intellectual and cultural affinity with our own as well as other nations, ethnic or social groups can be very complex, sometimes ambiguous and conflicting. It is not an easy either or as what President Bush one said, If you are not with us, you are against us. Being an Indonesian intellectual studying America, you can be caught in the middle ground a tricky and not safe ground. Gloria Anzaludia in aptly captures this feeling being at the borderlands: To live in the Borderlands means knowing that the india in you, betrayed for 500 years, is no longer speaking to you, that mexicanas call you rajetas, that denying the Anglo inside you is as bad as having denied the Indian or Black; .

The first difference is the plurality within.

What I find most helpful in these difficult moments as an Indonesian scholar studying America, is American literature, as it is in this wealth of human inspiration that I can find not only the diverse voices of American people, but also what makes Americans and Indonesian similar as human beings. Since returning from my MA program in 1980s, I have taught American literature to Indonesian students at the University of Indonesia. One of my favorite subjects in the 1980s and 1990s was multiculturalism in American Literature, where we discussed issues of cultural identity (race, ethnicity, gender, religion, class etc) in Toni Morrisons, Louis Edrichs, Alice Walkers, Maxine Hong Kingston and other novels. This was the time when discussion of such topics in Indonesian context was considered sensitive (according to the

Melani posed with her spouse Eka Budianta who is also a Fulbright program alumn, teaching Indonesian language and literature at the SEASSI program at Cornell University

policy issued by the New Order government called SARA, censorship regarding issues on ethnicity, religion, race, and social division). Now the list includes more recent works of contemporary writers.1 From the
1 Younger generation of Indonesian students sometimes suggest to me their choice of reading from the youth popular literature, and reading new texts with them has enriched my horizon.

discussion of American texts we actually engage not only with American psyche and American issues but also eventually with issues related to Indonesia. This is what call double mirror: American literature serves as a mirror through which we reflect comparatively, not only on American and Indonesian issues, but on the root of our humanity. 2 There are ample readings for different contexts. In the time when Indonesia and American seems to be in the opposite sides in terms of their foreign policy, we read through Mark Twains satiric critique on colonialism (To the Person Sitting in Darkness). American writers have served as the conscience of democracy, and they are always the toughest critic of racism, discrimination, violence done by the State and by the dominant power structure in American life without losing faith in American dream. To engage with America, through literature and the social-political context from which it grew, is also to see difference. The first difference is the plurality within. By reading the multifaceted American literature we can see that American is not one, not the one represented by its foreign policy, not by the global expansion of its capitalist ventures. Reading the voice of American Muslim writers, from Amiri Baraka, Malcom X to the newer generation mentioned by Kahf (2010), 3 we see that the dichotomy of the West vs. Islam in the so called the Clash of Civilization theory does not hold. Islam is in America, and at the same time, literature written by newer immigrants from all over the globe help us to see that America has always been transformed by the cultures of the world. The second difference is the contradiction and ambiguities, which has been there since the beginning of American history. Michael Kammen in his classic historical work names it as The People of Paradox; while Whalt Whitman celebrates this complexity: I am large, I contain multitudes. America is the home of pro-choice as well as pro-life activists, pro and anti gun control adherents, the home of Martin Luther King as well as the KKK fanatics. America is still and will always grapple with this internal difference, as it is the basic foundation of democracy, a system now spreading all over the globe. As much as we see common humanity which binds us, however, the study of American literature and society also make us see that Indonesians and Americans are indeed separated by different historical forces and socio-cultural contexts, which shaped the two countries. It is therefore particularly important and crucial that we
2 I have discussed this earlier in an article published by American Studies International, October 2000, Vol. 37.3 3 See the list prepared by Mohja Kahf, Teaching Diaspora Litearture: Muslim American Liteature as an Emerging Field, The Journal of Pan African Studies, vol 4,no2, December 2010: 163-167.

examine the translation, mistranslation, adaptation, and transformation of American values, cultures, concepts in our various localities. American fast food chains underwent their cultural value as an affordable eating place to prestigious hang out centers in Jakartas upper class malls. To engage with difference from America, in the logic of double mirror, is also to reflect on our own position, to understand our own country in its own complexity. Engaging in America is engaging in this comparative examination. For example, we can start with the concept of separation of Church and State, which lays at the foundation of the American concept of democracy. How is such concept practiced and understood in America? Historically what made the concept crucial for American? How do we understand the concept of civic religion? What contradiction and ambiguities blurs the division in everyday life and political discourse? How do we translate this understanding of democracy, in a country, which underlines belief in God as its first principle? From what sociohistorical contexts grounds this conception? What complexities and challenges does Indonesia confront in experimenting with various forms of democracy? This is the plight of Fulbright alumni, who by default, are situated in the crossroad and in the borderlands of the two countries. How could we use this difficult but strategic position to raise a better cross-cultural understanding? One of the biggest challenges of Indonesian scholars at large is the gap between what we know and have learned, and the popular knowledge of the public at large. While we realize the complexity of what makes America as well as Indonesia, we are confronted with misleading stereotypes, or reductive image of Indonesia and America in the mass media and public discourse of respective countries. As public intellectuals, how can we translate our understanding of both America and Indonesia for the public at large? Another not less intimidating is the socio-economic gaps which separates the two nations. Can a real understanding, true dialogue and cross-cultural engagement emerge from two countries, which stood unequally in terms of their bargaining positions? To engage with America is to confront this problem of unequal power relations, and to help prevent it from being wider. It is therefore crucial, to find ways to protect the marginalized people from being crushed by global capitalism. To engage with America is to empower local communities, to help them realize the value of their culture and to equip them with the ability to participate in global dialogue. We cannot but make the best of what we can conceptualize from our local

histories and realities as well as from what we have learned from America to confront all those issues and problems. It is only when we can be true to ourselves and voice our concerns and conscience as a critical scholar can we truly engage with America, a country which lies not outside bu t wi thin u s .

Melani Budianta is Professor of Literature at the University of Indonesia. She is a Fulbright student grantee who earned her M.A. in American Studies from the University of Southern California and Ph.D. in English literature from Cornell University.

My Diary of April 2, 2004 at Duke University

My Japanese roommate is a generous At Duke, I feel more academic, ratiosoul and a good cook. Today, he cooked nal, systematic, and effective. Here, I have noodles and beef. my academic advisers who introduced me novels and other readings of secular cirThis story was like magic to me. It cles as well as Islamic texts. They also adhas inspired my life at Duke. Subsequently, vise me in getting to know and understand I regard my academic assignments as the non-Muslim students. I also have my great required path toward the wisdom to which professor in sociology, Prof. Lisa, who has I aspire. While there is no one to remind introduced me to a vast repository of readme to follow my ritualistic practices, the ings dealing with Western concepts of soindependent behavior of Hayy bin Yaqzn ciety like Durkheim, Marx, and Weber. The in attaining the wisdom, keeps inspiring curricula of my courses at Duke also play me to do my ritual practices as well as my important role in heightening my intellecstudies at Duke although the devotional tuality. Readings and assignments that my aspects have diminished somewhat. professors have scheduled tightly and intensively, have encouraged me to be more Thus, I have come to realize that my rational than emotional. I could not obtain religious ideals are reflected and influ- this wonderful academic experience withenced through the ideas and writings of out the financial support of Fulbright. For Ibn Tufayl specifically in the pages of his this, I am indebted to the American-IndoIslamic novel of Hayy bin Yaqzn. nesian Exchange Foundation (AMINEF) in Indonesian practices and customs Jakarta. directed me into a restricted, conservative environment with little incentive to (Usep Abdul Matin earned his Masters degree read anything but selected religious pub- from Duke University under the sponsorship lications including, of course, the Quran of the Fulbright program. He is currently purand its associated books of the Prophetic suing his PhD degree at the School of Political and Social Inquiry of the Faculty of Arts, dicta. The pressures toward conformity in Monash University, Australia) Jakarta in general and my fathers village in particular, were great to say the least.

Usep Abdul Matin

Indonesia Fulbright student grantees received the International Fulbright Science & Technology Award for three years in a row
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State sponsors the International Fulbright Science & Technology Award for Outstanding Foreign Students (Fulbright S&T) to provide exceptional foreign students with an opportunity to pursue Ph.D. study at top U.S. universities. Fulbright S&T is designed to be the most prestigious international scholarship in science and technology and to demonstrate the United States commitment to welcoming top-notch future researchers and leaders to pursue serious scientific study and research at U.S. institutions.

AMINEF and Fulbright will expand with even more opportunities for both Indonesians and Americans in Science and Technology related fields.
Since the inception of the program in 2008, Indonesia has three grantees selected as principal candidates for this prestigious program where only 40 grantees are selected annually worldwide from a pool of applicants coming from 140 countries. The first year grantee, Poetro L. Sambegoro of Bandung Institute of Technology Surya Laboratory, is now pursuing his Ph.D. degree in Nanotechnology at the MIT. In 2010, Derry T. Wijaya, a new graduate from NUS who is a native from Malang, is the second grantee who is now at Carnegie Mellon pursuing her Ph.D. de-

gree in Computer Science. In 2011, Wasti Nurani, a teacher of Penabur High School in Bandung, was selected as a principal candidate for the program and will pursue her Ph.D. program at the University of California, Los Angeles. Another Indonesian, Sidrotun Naim, was selected as an alternate candidate in 2009, but she didnt get funded by the Fulbright S&T program. Being a teaching assistant at Bandung Institute of Technology School of Life Sciences and Technology, she was then funded by the Fulbright Presidential Scholarship program, another program initiative which AMINEF administers targetting faculty members and scholars committed to be faculty members, to pursue her Ph.D. degree in Biology (shrimp pathology) at the University of Arizona. She is one of the 2009 recipients of the LOreal-UNESCO for Women in Science award in Indonesia and will represent Indonesia for a similar competition at the international level. She is also the 2010 recipient of the Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future award.

NELL: a Computer System that Seeks to Read and to Learn Like Humans
Imagine knowing everything you ever want to know about a particular company, a particular country, or a particular person at the click of a button. In a world where having information is key, yet pieces of information are scattered over hundreds of millions of Web pages in various formats, styles, and languages; extracting these pieces of information, organizing them, piecing them together, and actually understanding them become an important task. Doing this manually will be nearly impossible since a human would need to scan hundreds of millions of Web documents to read, extract facts, organize them, and piece them together in an unSince January 2010, my research derstandable manner. team at Carnegie Mellon University with supports from Defense Advanced ReUnfortunately, computers which are search Projects Agency, Google, and Yausually more suited to such a computa- hoo has been developing a computer systionally extensive task than humans (due tem called NELL (Never-Ending Language to their massive computing and storage Learning) that tries to read or extract powers) are no match for human intelli- facts found in the Web by learning cumulagence in this task, particularly due to the tively, like a human. The facts are grouped language understanding aspect of the into categories: cities, companies, actask. Understanding language, the mean- tors, universities, emotions and 274 othing of words and phrases, is more than un- ers, and relations: play for, acquired by, derstanding their semantics or dictionary coached by, capital of, and 330 others. definitions, since meaning also depends Category facts are things like Chicago is on context and background knowledge a city, sad is an emotion, and Abhishek that we have on these words and phrases. For example, in the sentence: He feeds the monkeys the bananas because they were hungry; although it is obvious to a human reader that it is the monkeys (and not the bananas) that are hungry, it is not obvious to a computer. A human reader understands from his background knowledge that a monkey is more likely to get hungry than a banana. A lot of human understanding of a language is thus based on background knowledge accumulated over time. Imagine teaching a child how to read, but instead of a child, teaching a computer how to read.

Derry T. Wijaya

Bachchan is an actor. Relation facts are things like Peyton Manning plays for Indianapolis Colts, Good Fellas is directed by Martin Scorsese, and Pixar Animation Studios is acquired by Disney. Each category and relation is seeded with a dozen or so examples that are true for the category or relation. In the category for actor for example: Al Pacino is an actor, Bruce Willis is an actor, and a dozen or so others. Starting from these seeds of categories and relations, NELL scans hundreds of millions of Web pages with its tools that look for patterns and correlations to indicate that other words or phrases may be positive examples of the categories or relations. For a category baked goods for example, a phrase in the form of XXX cookie could indicate that the phrase is a baked good; for example chocolate chip cookie, raisin cookie or ginger cookie.

ries and relations using what it already knows, it may go astray. For example, for the category baked goods things went awry when NELL decided that internet cookie is also a baked good. Reading many a sentence I deleted my internet cookies led NELL to decide next that files in the sentence I deleted my files is probably a baked good too! Since then, NELL is given about five minutes of human supervision for each category and each relation every two weeks. When an error is found, it is labeled as negative examples by its human buddy, putting NELL back on its track. My task is now to automate this process, to enable NELL to reflect, to ponder upon its gathered facts, and to discover errors on its own by automatically querying independent sources of information such as Web Search Engines on its gathered facts. NELL is not yet perfect, but we are working on it. For now, it happily tweets every new fact it finds at http://twitter. com/cmunell. For more fun facts, you can read a New York Times article on NELL at ht tp://w w w.ny time s .c om/2010/10/05/ science/05compute.html?_r=1. NELL had also the honor to be mentioned in the report submitted to the US President and Congress in 2010: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ ostp/pcast-nitrd-report-2010.pdf. For more in-depth look into NELL, to give your feedback, or simply to browse its knowledge base of facts, you can visit our team website at http://rtw.ml.cmu.edu/rtw/.

Taylor Smith

To resolve ambiguity, NELL is designed to learn many things at once. For example, in the future, for the sentence He gives the monkeys the bananas because they were hungry, if NELL has previously learned with great confidence that hungry is a property of an animate thing, as it learns more that the monkeys is an animate thing and the bananas is not, it will be able to understand that it is the monkeys that are hungry in the sentence and not the bananas. Therefore as NELL learns more, it improves its reading competence and all while being highly automated. As of October 2010, NELL has extracted nearly 500,000 facts with an estimated accuracy of at least 87%. Derry Tanti Wijaya (dwijaya@andrew.cmu. However, NELL is not without its edu) 2010 Fulbright Science and Technology , School of Computer Science fault. As it exercises its curiosity on its Grantee Mellon University Carnegie own and finds more examples of catego-

Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Report

After I finished my service as a Teach For America Corps Member in New York City, I was really interested in an opportunity to impact the education of students outside of America. ty I lived in was a just an overall fantastic experience. Despite moving from New York City to an agricultural town in the mountains, the students and teachers were so welcoming and hospitable that I felt assimilation into the community and lifestyle I wanted an opportunity to experi- was quite smooth. ence the education systems in a dynamic Moreover, my students were so eager and culturally rich foreign country. The Fulto learn that it made my job as a teacher bright English Teaching Assistant program in Indonesia afforded me that opportunity much more engaging and fruitful. I taught English in various levels, from grammatiand more. cal issues to colloquial sayings. There was Through the Fulbright Grant, I was also this tremendous cultural exchange not only able to teach English and Ameri- between myself and the people I worked can culture but also able to learn so much with, that we were all constantly learning about the incredible country. I taught at a something and at the same time becoming Pesantren in rural East Java and my inter- more interested in what we were teaching action with my students and the communi- each other. Because of my presence there

as an American and this exchange we had, it inspired the students and teachers to seek out opportunities on how they could experience the United States firsthand.

value of cultural exchange went both ways.

The Fulbright grant provided me with an experience and global perspective that I find invaluable and it was rewarding to Therefore, two teachers I worked see that these funds provide incredible with very closely, Tutik Mariani and Dewa opportunities for all of us. The experience Ratri applied for and received grants from I had as a Fulbright ETA also inspired me AMINEF to learn and teach in America. Tu- to continue working with foreign countries tik received the Education Leaders grant on some level, so I currently live in New and spent time at the University of North- York City with my wife and work at Coveern Kentucky and Dewa is now a Foreign nant House International, a large NGO that Language Teaching Assistant at the Uni- operates crisis shelters and rehabilitation versity of Georgia. When I met up with centers for homeless youth and victims them in America and saw how excited and of human trafficking in North and Central happy they were to be studying and teach- America. ing in America, it was great to see that the

Fulbright Global Food Security Seminar, University of NebraskaLincoln (UNL), October 20-24, 2010
Attending the Fulbright Global Food Security Seminar in Nebraska was a worthwhile experience for us. We met other fellow Fulbrighters from different countries. The participants came from different field of studies related to the food security issues, such as agronomy, agriculture economy, water resources policy and management, food science, plant biotechnology, parasitology, and public health. During our meeting with the host university (UNL) speakers and the professionals, we were given important information concerning the recent science and technology development in agriculture. Each speaker gave a very interesting approach in providing ideas to solve the global food security problems. The discussions on the food security problems involved various food and agricultural current issues and covered technical aspects (e.g. molecular biology, food safety, nutraceuticals, water

Widya Agustinah Eni Hidayati Edi Dwi Cahyono

the extension expertise helped the local farmers utilize the precise application of water for farming using a developed technology; and Agriculture and Research Center at Mead (UNL experimental farm) and Gustafsons farm (medium-sized, family-owned farm) where we witnessed the practical application of an extended agriculture system. It was a fascinating and eyes-opening trip to look at the agricultural development in the US, particularly in management, and socio-economic poli- UNL, which could give all the participants cies for agricultural development) as well insights and perspectives to improve food as practical applications (e.g. environmen- security in their countries. tally and economically sustainable farmIn addition to the workshop, within ing practices and irrigation and cropping system). There was a remarkable presen- five days of interacting internationally with tation from a leading company in the US other Fulbrighters, the speakers, and the which engaged in the innovation of crop professionals, we were able to exchange field irrigation system. Their irrigation knowledge, share some experiences, and technology had been utilized in some de- obtain new perspectives on how the probveloping countries, such as in Africa and lems arose in different countries as well South Asia, and we noticed that this sys- as how the problem solving approaches tem might be useful to be applied in Indo- should be designed. We had learned to denesia, particularly in the regions outside velop social networking that could be use ful in the future. We also enjoyed our fine Java. dining session at a high end local restauIn the workshop session, the stu- rant, which was hosted by UNL students, dents were grouped into five different and the closing dinner and dance party at fields and facilitated by a project specialist a pumpkin ranch. to create a proposal addressing food secuWe definitely gained new knowledge, rity challenges around the globe through a project, product, or service. In constraint friends, understandings, and of course, timeline, the groups had learned and ex- we had fun! perienced how to design project proposals involving other students from differ- Widya Agustinah, who is a Faculty Member at ent countries and field of studies. It was Atma Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta, is a pursuing indubitable that sharing knowledge and Fulbright student grantee currentlyUniversity her Masters in Food Science at the technologies could be a powerful tool to of Massachusettes, Amherst. Eni Hidayati, address global food security problems. who is a Faculty Member at the University While seminar and workshop were the main activities, we also had field trips to several interesting places around UNL. We visited a big biotechnology building namely Beadle Center (UNL laboratory and research center for biotechnology); UNL Extension Center where we observed how
of Samawa, Sumbawa, is a Fulbright student grantee pursuing her Masters in Water Resources Management at SUNY, Syracuse. Edi Dwi Cahyono, who is a Faculty Member at Brawijaya University in Malang, is a Fulbright student grantee pursuing his Ph.D. in Rural Sociology at the Ohio State University.

Luh Putu Putrini Mahadewi

The Differential Effects of Online Lectures and Collaborative Learning on Academic Achievement of FirstTime Online Learners at Ganesha University of Education
Luh Putu Putrini Mahadewi, 2008 Fulbright student grantee who is faculty member at Ganesha University of Education in Singaraja, Bali, successfully defended her masters thesis in October 2010 at Western Illinois University College of Education and Human Services. Her thesis is on The Differential Effects of Online Lectures and Collaborative Learning on Academic Achievement of First-Time Online Learners at Ganesha University of Education. There were three reasons why she

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chose to write on the design, the development, the implementation, and the evaluation of online instruction for her thesis. They are: (1) the topic met with her study objective to deepen her knowledge and gain an experience in conducting research in the field of Instructional Design and Technology (IDT); (2) the future use of innovative online instruction to facilitate students in Indonesia, particularly at her home institution, would be very promising to ensure sustainable development in the education sector; and (3) the current study provided a foundation for her future research at the Ph.D. level. Following is the summary of her thesis: Today, the expanding adoption of online learning has been a trend in higher education. Online learning is believed to be able to solve educational problems in terms of distance, time, instructor availability and learners access to the course. Bliuc, Ellis, Goodyear and Piggott (2010) stated that currently online learning has been a significant part of the learning experience at the university level, not only in distance education but also in campusbased settings. Despite the concern and excitement produced by many possibilities of online courses, most of the time faculty members have little time to examine the course content and how this content will be presented online (Cuthrell & Lyon, 2007). Therefore, having an online course, especially for the first time, is a challenge for both the instructor and the students. To answer those challenges, effective instruction that facilitates learners in learning process is one essential factor among many factors that influence learners to be successful in their online learning. The current study examined the effects of two instructional strategies on the academic achievement of students taking an online course for the first time. The strategies were 1) online lecture only and 2) a combination of online lecture and collaborative learning. Online lecture format is a common instructional strategy that includes text, slide presentations, narration, and video (Illinois Online Network, 2010; Ko & Rossen, 2001). Collaborative online learning encourages participation through group work, discussions, and shared expe-

riences (Palloff & Pratt, 2005). The participants in this study were 42 undergraduate students enrolled in a Seminar: Problems in Educational Technology online course at Ganesha University of Education. Moodle, an open source learning management system, was the online course delivery method. One class section was randomly assigned as a control group and the other as an experiment group. Students in the control group were taught using online lectures only, while students in the experiment group were taught using online lectures and collaborative learning strategies. Final projects were assessed using a rubric to determine the competency levels of the students. The instructor and the students were interviewed on their perceptions of the factors that influenced the students experience as first-time online learners and academic performance. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data of students academic levels. The inferential statistics that was used to compare students academic levels were the Wilcoxon test and the sign test. In analyzing the interview data, the steps for qualitative data analysis sequenced by Miles and Huberman (1994) were used.

Today, the expanding adoption of online learning has been a trend in higher education

The quantitative data revealed a significant difference in the academic achievement of first-time online students taught through collaborative online learning compared to those taught through online lectures only. The implementation of collaborative online learning resulted in greater academic achievement compared to the one using online lectures only. The following factors contributed to the differences of academic achievement of firsttime online students: (1) the opportunities for students to collaborate with their friends and other relevant sources, (2) the use of supportive online tools to collaborate online, (3) students had both individual and group responsibilities, and (4) authority shared between the instructor and students in the online teaching and learning process.

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Sri Maryati

Reflection on my experience as ILEP Fellow

International Leaders in Education Program has truly been a transformational experience for me, providing me with the new classroom experience, teaching skills and passion to develop and act upon my capacity as teacher. My experience as an ILEP Fellow has been, without a doubt, the richest and most meaningful experience of my career as an educator. This experience has enabled me to develop my classroom management skills through my experience explored in American classroom. Being part of American classroom where I can talk with American students and discuss with U.S. teachers in Boone County High School in Florence Kentucky is the unforgettable experience to me. First, I had the fear of being rejected by my American students and teachers, but then I found that wherever it is, the heart of teaching remain the same, the students.

Alice interview in Radio Swara Smanda

on my return to invite my U.S. partner teacher, Alice Lambert, to come and visit my school. I live in Sekayu, the capital of Musi Banyuasin Regency in South Sumatera. Its such an honor for us to have Miss Lambert in our school, SMAN 2. My students were so excited preparing the welcoming party for her. She became guest speaker in all classes at my school. The joy that she gave to members of the school wont be forgotten. During her short visit, she had also been invited to speak before the students and teachers of some primary and senior high schools in Sekayu. She has also conducted interesting workshops where my colleagues could share their classroom experience. On my return from the ILEP program, I have also launched the pen pals project involving students from SMAN 2 Sekayu and Boone County High School. I hope that the relationship of these young fellows would become longlasting friendship between the young generation of the two countries. Witnessing my students and U.S. students share their culture has brought me a perspective that we can create peace through the program. It has been appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity, said Einstein. It is so true that although I have back to my country I can still have contact with my U.S teacher friends and other ILEP fellows. The tools like computers and internet can provide me with discussion and sharing about teaching with my friend all over the world.
(2009 ILEP Fellow Sri Maryati)

NKU ILEP Fellow 09 with Kentucky Governor

Central to cultivating my identity as a teacher were my interactions with other ILEP Fellows. These teachers inspired me through their intelligence, wit, and passion for educating their students. The main thing that I learned from this experience is that effective teachers are similar no matter what country or educational system they represent. Generally, effective teachers want to give their students the best experiences in learning and trying hard to make it happen. The relationships I formed with the other ILEP Fellows relationships that both were challenging and encouraging provided me with a community in which my educational philosophies and practices could gain depth and breadth. This community of Fellows helped me to embrace my gifts and passions as a teacher and prompted me to think about how I might be able to enact my teaching skills within and beyond the walls of my school. As an ILEP Fellow, I had the chance

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We Are All Part of the Circle

every opportunity. As a result, many students wished to personally talk with me to practice their speaking skills, though others hesitated--shy and self conscious that they did not know English so well. Therefore, when making presentations to the classes, I encouraged all students to practice, be courageous, and praised them Yet, despite these memorable expe- for their efforts. Another focus was to let riences, my visit to Sekayu2 High School in them know how much they were like my Sekayu, South Sumatra has been the most own students in the United States and that unique and rewarding. basically, people everywhere are the same with similar hopes, dreams, and needs. Luckily, I was able to reconnect with Sri Mariyati--ILEP fellow who had visited my school the previous year and now host for my visit as an exchange teacher. As I found out later, it was unusual that coteachers were matched for the teacher exchange. So, I felt quite fortunate that we were able to work together once again! Prior to my trip to Sekayu, I had traveled to over twenty different countries outside the United States--literally walking back roads, sharing food and conversation, working side-by-side with local peoples to arrange scheduling and cultural exchange events. When I arrived in Palembang, Sri met me at the airport with her two daughters and husband. The next day, she and her cousin took me on a tour --visiting the Musi water front, monuments, traditional houses museum and seeing the different Alice did workshop in meeting room at SMA Negeri 2 Sekayu faces of the city. Later that afternoon, we headed to Sekayu. Though Sri had exOn the weekend, a group of teachplained that it was a small town, I did not ers arranged a tour of sites in Palmebang, realize until later that it was the last com- a boat ride on the Musi River to Summer munity before jungle! Island, a shopping trip to a traditional marArriving after dark, we went directly ket, rode in a becak, and a lunch of tradito the Wisma where I was to stay during tional foods. I also visited the homes and my visit. Sri, Lydia and others had thought- met the families of several of these kind fully prepared the room with a refrigerator, women. Always I was welcomed as more of television, cooking equipment, portable a friend than as a stranger. washing machine, and even had provided Back in Sekayu, I had the opportufood for several meals! It was just like be- nity to walk along the Musi River and see ing home! (However, I did not spend much the traditional ways of fishing and living, time in the Wisma--once the teachers dis- enjoyed eating in local restaurants tasting covered I loved to different as well as spicy a variety of traditional foods, and meeting foods, we were out every night! I would people on the street. Even though many did leave at 6:30AM for school and rarely re- not speak English, we were able to commuturned before 8PM.) nicate through smiles, facial expressions The next morning, I began nine days and gestures. There are no strangers when of visiting schools to meet faculties and one offers a smile and nod of the head! students of all ages, while at the same One of my last activities at Sekayu time learning about Indonesian culture, was to conduct a teacher workshop. It was school curriculums, graduation require- a hot and humid, Friday afternoon--when ments, class routine, teacher certification, most teachers just want to go home, forget extra-curricular activities, and regulations. work for a few hours, cool down, and relax. I was busy every minute and loved it! Instead, twelve dedicated faculty members One highlight of my trip was the open- stayed at school for the seminar which ining ceremony when Sekayu 2 students wel- cluded methods of engaging students to comed me with a wonderful performance keep them motivated and alert, classroom in English of Titanus, a student-written teaching strategies, learning games, and parody of the Titanic! It was also quite an steps to building learning communities. honor to meet the principal and officials of Though humid and muggy, we had a memthe community and education department. orable time sharing and continuing to build lasting friendships. Sekayu 2 is unique in the fact that it I am sincerely and humbly grateful encourages students to speak English at

Alice Lambert

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for the warm welcome, open-hearted acceptance, kindness and caring, and hospitality offered by my Sekayu hosts, the students, teachers, school administrators, and government officials. Prior to leaving Kentucky, I had created a face book page so that my students could communicate with the students at Sekayu and with me while I was in Indonesia. Now, there are over 400 students and facue-- creating friendships, hope for the future, cultural awareness, tolerance, and peace. We are all part of the circle. (Alice Lambert, presently teaches

senior English and drama at Boone County High School, Northern Kentucky. She has eighteen years teaching experience including working with blind and partially sighted students as well as regular education students in grades 7-12 in Kentucky and Florida. Ms. Lambert is also a published author and photographer, was program director for Easter Seals, and co-founded an international/national non-profit organization also serving as its managing director. In 1991, she was recognized as one of the Northern KY Women of the Year; in 2004, she was included in Whos Who Among American Teachers.)

Alumni News

Fulbrighter Ahmad Syafii Maarif Re- 3 Hati, 2 Dunia, 1 Cinta Wins the Best ceives the Prestigious 2010 Habibie Picture Award at the 2010 Indonesian Award Film Festival On November 30, 2010, Ahmad Syafii Maarif, Fulbright alumnus, former chair of Indonesias second largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah, was recognized with the 2010 Habibie Award for his roles in promoting interfaith dialogue and religious harmony. Ahmad Syafii Maarif earned his Masters degree in History from the Ohio University in 1978. He earned his Ph.D. degree in Islamic Thought from the University of Chicago. He is also recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award for his role in guiding Muslims to embrace tolerance and pluralism as the basis for justice and harmony in Indonesia and the rest of the world. Putut Widjanarko is the producer of 3 Hati 2 Dunia 1 Cinta (3 Hearts 2 Worlds 1 Love). The film won the Best Picture Award at the recent 2010 Indonesian Film Festival. Putut received a Fulbright scholarship for his post-graduate study in media studies at the Ohio University, Athens, in 2001-2002, and later got his Ph.D. in media studies from the same university. He has co-produced other award-winning films such as Laskar Pelangi, Garuda di Dadaku, Emak Ingin Naik Haji and Sang Pemimpi. He is President Director of Mizan Productions, and serves as the Vice President of Mizan Group. On the academic side, he is Chair of Paramadina University Graduate School of Communication. Haidar Bagir is the producer executive of this film, as well as other films produced by Mizan Productions mentioned above. He is the President of Mizan Group. Under the sponsorship of the Fulbright program, Haidar earned his Masters degree at Harvard University, conducted research at Indiana University and taught as a Visiting Specialist at University of the Sciences di Philadelphia. He received his doctorate degree in Islamic philosophy from the University of Indonesia.

The late Fulbrighter Tuti Indra Malaon Wins the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Indonesian Film Festival The late Tuti Indra Malaon who won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Film Festival was a senior faculty member at the University of Indonesia Faculty of Letters when she went to Howard University in 1983 as a Fulbright Visiting Research Scholar. Aside from being an academician, she was a renowned actress with the Teater Populer and played in at least 11 films; she won two Best Actress Piala Citra awards in the 1986 and 1989 Indonesian Film Festivals.

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How I Lived and Learned in the US

The experience of studying and living in eth centuries, Worcester was a quite big the US had been for me an invaluable industrial and manufacturing center. During these periods, Worcester enjoyed its part of my life. better days. But, following the migration What makes this experience invalu- and outsourcing of manufacture to counable is the opportunity that were opened tries in Asia and Latin America in 1970s, to me to not only study many new aca- Worcester faced a great challenge. Undemic perspectives at school where I for- employment crippled the city, crime rate mally enrolled for the last two years but soared high, old factory buildings were to learn many lessons of life outside of abandonedmaking the city looked russchoolboth through and with my friends ticand the poverty of its community got of the same university and through and more severe. Since several years ago, the with American community in general. This city government has been launching a learning process is a two-way one: I was series of revitalization program to make not only being taught and educated by ex- Worcester a center of financial and health ternal factors surrounding me, but also I service in New England area. This prohelped shaping the community where I gram is more or less successful since, at lived and interacted with. I was not only least according to what the citys website the object of my education, but also was says, Worcester can now find itself in the the subject with capacity to influence my list of Ten Most Livable Cities in the US. surroundings. I entered Clark University in the While in the US, I studied at Clark Fall Semester, 2009. As suggested earliUniversity, a private university in Worces- er, during two years of my studying there, ter, Massachusetts. Clark University was in retrospect, I had a great and invaluable founded in 1887. The only university in experience. Classes at Clark University North America Sigmund Freud, the father are small: a course usually has only ten of psychoanalysis, visited to give his fa- to twenty students enroll in it. Classes mous Clark Lectures in 1909, Clark Uni- of 200-level are open only for senior and versity was originally a research-based graduate students. Some seminar classes university opened only for graduate stu- have even less than ten students, all of dents, along with Harvard and Yale uni- who are graduate students. In all those versities. Today, proud to be one of the classes, students are required to actively foremost liberal art colleges in the country participate in the discussion, panel, and with its slogan Change the World, Chal- presentation. They do it either personally lenge Convention, Clark University has or in-group of three or more. Students are 31 majors. It is also featured in the list of also required to write a one-page response 40 Colleges that Change Lives. One aca- paper for every reading material they have demic program at Clark University that is in class. This response should be posted widely acclaimed as a great breakthrough in the courses blog, known as Cicada is the so-called Fifth Year program. This which is maintained or administered by Clarks ITS, to be presented and discussed in the class. The professor and his or her TA, teaching assistant (I was myself a TA for different professor each semester), will also provide their comment and grade on the students response paper. The professors at Clark University are very friendly, approachable, and eager to help students and mingle with them. They have their own office hours set in the beginning of the semester, when the students could come to see them in their offices to discuss anything related to the course and beyond. But they are also always reachable through email. I guess that the ratio between the professors and students at program enables Clark undergraduate stu- Clark University is around 1:15. dents with minimal GPA of B+ to continue Outside my academic world, my life his or her study to get a master degree for in Worcester revolved around my friends, one year for free in the university. who are very international in nature. Worcester, where Clark University Clark University, despite the fact that it is located, is the second biggest city in is a small college with only around 4,000 the state of Massachusetts after Boston, students in total, is also a cosmopolitan the capital. In the nineteenth and twenti- campus. International students at Clark

Dono Sunardi

15

come from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. And of course, students from the US comprise the biggest percentage. Strolling down the pathways or greens of Clark University complex, we would easily bump into students from parts of the world we may have never set our feet in. Clark University is, to me, like a small cosmos where people speaking different languages, eating different kinds of food, living different cultural inheritances live together in peace and contribute to a common good. A good example of the ways to celebrate this multiculturalism at Clark is the annual International Gala Night, where Clark students (or simply Clarkies) could learn about other students cultures and introduce their own cultures to others. This year, Indonesian Clarkies presented Saman Dance, originally from Aceh. Interestingly enough, the dancers are not only Indonesian Clarkies. Students from Thailand, the US, and some other countries happily took part in it.

As mentioned earlier, Clark University is an open-campus. Clark University is open not only in its architecture and lay outClark is a fenceless university; its buildings spread over and mix with the local inhabitants apartments and houses but also in its commitment to involve in the communitys issue. Clark University, for example, owns and funds a community Dono Sunardi, 2009 Fulbright student; faculty school, maintains and revitalizes univer- member, Mulawarman University, Samarinda sity parks that are open to public, and provides assistance and help for members of the immediate community in needs. Several months ago, for instance, Clark University provided a shelter for several households in Worcester who lost their homes because of fire. Many of Clark alumni are also active in the revitalization program of the Main South area of Worcester (the area where Clark is located that is renowned for its high crime and unemployment rates). They founded and run a thrift store, a local bar, and a grocery store selling locally grown produces and dairy products. Last summer, I volunteered myself in this kind of grocery store as well as in an organic farm initiated by one of my fellow

Clarkies. It is through such involvements that I experienced direct association with American people around me. This direct association in its turn confirmed, revised, and challenged whatever preconceptions I might have had before about American. Before that, most of what I had known about American people came from secondary sources: books, magazines, newspapers, Internet, movies, friends, etc. Americans, as I found out, are people with hopes, desires, and dreams but also with challenges, weaknesses, and burdens. They also long for to be approached and acknowledged. They have their own tradition, culture, and value they inherited from their parents, which, although different from tradition, culture, and value I inherit from my community, are very rich and interesting. In short, with and through my experience as a volunteer in those Clarkies-owned-andrun local businesses, I was enabled to learn about American community where I lived as well as to introduce Indonesia and its culture to them. In the end of my study and stay in the US and upon leaving them for my own homeland, I felt a deep feeling of gratitude and sorry at the same time. I felt grateful for all the experiences I might learn; and I felt sorry because I must leave those who have taught me a lot about life and whom I have considered to be friends.

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2011 Fulbright Award Dinner

It was a big surprise for me when I got an email from One To World to participate in supporting the committee on the 2011 Fulbright Awards Dinner. The 2011 Fulbright Awards Dinner was held on May 25, 2011 in the WaldrofAstoria Grand Ballroom, New York. Fulbright Awards Dinner is an annual event hosted by One To World to encourage the awareness on Fulbright program. This event is also intended to honor those who show their dedication to the International world in the spirit of Senator J. William Fulbright. The audiences of this event are current Fulbright grantees in New York area, Fulbright alumni, and international leaders in business, higher education, the arts, and government. One To World since 1977 brings to both American and International students in the New York the opportunity to interact and share global understanding. One To World is also designated by the U.S. Department of State to support the enrichment program for 800 international Fulbright grantees in New York area.1 It is an honor for me to be able to contribute in this event, and also to have the opportunity to meet Harriet Mayor Fulbright, wife of the late Senator J. William Fulbright, who serves as the Honorary Chair of the event. In this event, Harriet personally presented the award of Fulbright Award for Citizen Diplomacy to Sherry Lee Mueller, the President of National Council for International Visitors. There were three more awards which were presented by the current Fulbright grantees on that night. The Fulbright Rising Star Award was presented to Jacob Haar, former Fulbright scholar in Yemen and Co-Founder & Managing Director on Minlam Asset Management by Ibrahim Tahri, Fulbright grantee from Morocco. The Fulbright Award for Outstanding Global Achievement was given to Gary G. Mueller, former Fulbright scholar in Germany, Managing Director of Eagle Capital Management, and Founder & Former Chairman & CEO of ISI Emerging Markets. This award was presented by Rose Kiwanuka, Fulbright grantee from Kenya who is pursuing her Ph.D in Rutgers Business School New Jersey. The last award is Fulbright Award for Global Business Leadership which was presented to Roelfien Kuijpers, the Managing Director & Global Head, Deutsche Bank Advisor of Deutsche Bank. This award was presented by Alma Zadic, Fulbright grantee from Austria.

Ni Wayan Swardhani

This event does not only open the opportunity for both the current Fulbright grantees and the alumni to interact to each other, but also to encourage both the current grantee and the alumni to hold on the spirit of Senator J. William Fulbright ad contribute more to the world.
Ni Wayan Swardhani Wiraswastiningrum who is currently pursuing her Masters program in American Literature at Montclair State University related her recent experience to meet with Mrs. Harriet Mayor Fulbright at the 2011 Fulbright Awards Dinner in New York. Wayan is a faculty member at the Brawijaya University in Malang.

The detail on one to world and the event is taken from the One To World web page, http://www.one-to-world.org/ content/view/8/10/ and http://www.one-to-world.org/content/ view/140/209/ and the event booklet.

Our ILEP Experience

Our travel from Indonesia to WashIt is a pleasure for us to share our experience as participant of International ington D.C. was a great traveling. We Leaders Education Program (ILEP) in transit in Changi International airport in Singapore and in Frankfurt International 2011. airport in Germany, and finally we arrived We were so delighted to hear about at Dulles airport in Washington D.C. We our selections for the ILEP fellows 2011 were staying in Washington Plaza Hotel in from the AMINEF. We cannot wait to be the middle of Washington D.C. only about able to work with other teachers from all 20 minutes of walking to Capitol Building. over the world in United States of America. Our accommodation in the hotel was very Both of us were placed at Kent State Uni- great, the schedule was very nice, and we have learned a lot there. We were also versity. requested to make poster about our coun-

Novianti Mulyana Betty Rahmawati

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Fulbright Indonesian Newsletter is published by : AMINEF CIMB Niaga Plaza 3rd Floor Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 25 Jakarta 12920 Tel. 021-52961977, 5296-1966 Fax. 021-52961962 Email: infofulbright_ ind@aminef.or.id www.aminef.or.id Information on the scholarships, awards and fellowship are available at AMINEF website at: www.aminef.or.id AMINEF is inviting articles for its e-Newsletter which is published quarterly on its portal. All articles received will be reviewed for acceptance before publishing. Please also submit one photo or more with size more than 200kb for good resolution and clarity.

tries and we displayed the poster in the Cultural Night held by the IREX Committee. They gave us some questions to be asked to other fellows from different countries related with their poster. For us, it was a very nice way to know each other better. The welcome program was also included the visit to the Capitol Hall and the White house. We were so excited and it was a very great experience for us. It was also a great surprise and an honor for us to have the Indonesia Ambassador for United States of America, Dr. Dino Patti Djalal, joined us for the luncheon held for the ILEP Fellows 2011 at

our complex apartment. The Recreational Center in Kent State University also provides gym equipments, tropical temperature swimming pool, whirlpool, and sauna. All facilities provided for the students and ILEP fellows are free of charge. All ILEP fellows have the opportunity to get the courses on the methodology of education, application technology in learning and multicultural knowledge at the university. Beside taking that courses, we are also allowed to choose two other courses. I take the Seminar Mathematics Class and Improving Teaching Mathematics in the Middle School. Meanwhile, my friend, Betty Rahmawati takes Multicultural Education and Multicultural Counseling for her additional courses. We also participate in various seminars relating to education in Kent State University and other places. We are invited to share our countries and cultures with various departments at Kent State University. Each ILEP participant at Kent State University is asked to present various themes at Cultural Dialogue Program. I am presenting Caring about the Profession, and my friend, Betty Rahmawati presents Caring about The Environment. This program is attended by university leaders, faculty, and students from various major. It was also being released in Kent State University News paper. Beside the activities at the University, we also do school internship and work closely with counterpart U.S. teacher at Kent Roosevelt Senior High School, and my friend Betty at Streetsboro Senior High School Where we conduct some projects such as making a joint project which will involve students from the U.S. and Indonesia as the follow up of this program by using technology access. In the beginning of March, we participated at Poster Contest celebrating Womens day at Kent State University. We had a story about Ni Reneng a Legend Dancer from Bali for this contest. We both won and received The Most Informative Poster of Womens Day certificates. We were so happy and excited to get this certificate. Dr. Linda our supervisor from Kent State University always tells us that we are The cream of the cream. She said that we are the future leader of every country and with this rich experience we feel and believe that we can be that.
Novianti Mulyana, a Math teacher at Madrasah Aliyah Negeri 4, Jakarta, and Betty Rahmawati, a Social Study teacher at Krida Nusantara Integrated Senior High School Bandung,West Java.

Washington Plaza Hotel. We were able to sit together in the same table. We had a good conversation with the Ambassador during the luncheon. He gave his support to all of us and reminded us that to do all things with our best since we are also representing Indonesian Country while we are in the U.S. The conversation with the Ambassador makes us to be more enthusiastic than ever to do our best while in the program and upon our return so that we can together help Indonesia. After the welcome program, all fellows went to each university placement. It was so lucky that we were placed at the same university, Kent State University. The university provided us with an apartment that has separate bathroom in each room for the fellow. It was so blessed to know that we dont have to share bathroom with other fellows from different countries since we have different culture and habits. They were three fellows lived at one apartment. Since there is only one kitchen, a washing machine, and a drying machine in the apartment, we made some discussion at the very beginning to make the arrangement in using the machines and avoiding clash among us. By having our own room, we have our own privacy and every fellow have known each other territory in the apartment. For transportation is also so convenient, the bus shelter is very near to our apartment and our campus. We could also maintain our health in the fitness center that continuously open for 24 hours in

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