It was a great Christmas - with emails of personal greetings from Fulbright alumni in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and the US. One came from a Muslim colleague in North Africa - "I was so busy with our Lamb sacrifice Aïd preparation (this coming Saturday) that I completely forgot to wish you happy Christmas and a prosperous new 2007 year."

The best email, however, came two days before Christmas - notification that the Academy had been awarded a $10,000 grant to support participation by about fifteen Fulbrighters in Latin America - each person will get up to $600 to pay for their registration and their accommodations in Panama City. The Fulbright Commission in Mexico has nominated six people, and some Fulbrighters from other countries have been identified as well. A call for nominations is going out again next week. We have been seeking funds from other sources as well, and are hopeful that we will be successful in matching the $10,000 from SENACYT.

The other good news is that the Academy will have an office at ANCON (la Asociación Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza - the National Association for the Conservation of Nature) during the time that we are based in Panama. Moving day is Thursday, January 4, and all systems are go.