Many of our members work in academic institutions, and so this is a busy time of the year for them. Reading term papers, preparing for exams, advising students about their options for the future.

It is also a busy time of year for the Fulbright Exchange Program. The application process begins in the spring, and the completed applications are due in the late summer or fall for travel the following fall. So right now the program is starting to look for candidates who will go overseas in the 2007-08 academic year.

A completed Fulbright application would include letters of recommendation and a high quality project proposal. High quality means that the candidate must demonstrate why their project is great, why it needs to be done in a particular country, and why they have the right personal and professional qualifications to be a "Fulbrighter."

While the Fulbright Academy of Science & Technology is not involved in the recruiting, selection or management of Fulbright grants, many students and faculty members contact us with questions. That is what makes us busy, and because we work with alumni of the program, we have a strong interest in having the best people in the applicant pool.

We also are busy because the current crop of student Fulbright grantees are nearing the end of their grant period. Many of them are looking for jobs - summer jobs to do before going to graduate school or permanent jobs. One of our goals for the future is to help with this transition. That will be done by increasing the size and scope of the Academy's network of corporate, governmental, non-profit and individual members.

Nearly 6,000 new grants are awarded each year - about half of them are in science and technology-related disciplines. Many are working at institutions and have local hosts who are critical to the success of their Fulbright experience (in many fields it is hard to do research without access to a lab or equipment). This means that the Academy also has the challenge of keeping track of people as they move from job to job.

If you are a Fulbrighter, please go to our webpage and enter your current contact information in our database. www.FulbrightAcademy.org