UAF research scientist selected as Fulbright Scholar to Finland
June 21, 2024
Eug茅nie Euskirchen, associate professor of ecology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of Arctic Biology, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to Finland.
Euskirchen is one of more than 800 U.S. citizens who will conduct research or teach abroad through the for the 2024-2025 academic year. Fulbright is the U.S. government鈥檚 flagship international education and cultural exchange program, operating in 160 countries worldwide.
During her time in Finland, Euskirchen will study how extreme weather events (e.g., rain on snow, excessive heat, drought) impact carbon cycling in high-latitude ecosystems.
鈥淲e think these extreme events probably result in less carbon being taken up by the environment, but this hasn鈥檛 been studied extensively enough yet,鈥 she said. 鈥淚f that鈥檚 right, these events create a positive feedback loop, putting more carbon in the atmosphere. That accelerates climate warming.鈥
Euskirchen will be based at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, a city located above the Arctic Circle, which her colleagues have compared to Fairbanks. In addition to her research, she said she鈥檚 looking forward to the opportunities for cultural exchange.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited to see how science is done in other parts of the world and to learn from scientists in other countries,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 expect there will be a lot of interesting parallels between the research being done at the and at .鈥
The U.S. Department of State administers the Fulbright Program, which has given more than 400,000 people the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research abroad since Congress created it in 1946.
Fulbright scholars exchange ideas and work to address complex global challenges. Notable Fulbrighters include 62 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 80 MacArthur fellows, 41 heads of state or government and thousands of leaders across the private, public and nonprofit sectors.
was originally published by UAF on June 12, 2024.