By Maria Kostova

The Fulbright Open Lectures, an event sharing and highlighting alumni scholarly and professional achievements, took place right before Thanksgiving on November 27, offering a chance for us all to express our gratitude for and celebrate the opportunities provided by the Fulbright program.   

Within the general theme “Transcending boundaries – Expanding Knowledge,” ten illustrious, newly returned Bulgarian Fulbrighters shared their diverse and exciting perspectives on contemporary science, entrepreneurship and art in the form of 15-minute TED Talks.  

Assoc. Prof. Katerina Zlatkova-Doncheva (VTU) presented an inspiring and encouraging view of professional and transitional programs for people with disabilities, based on her enriching experience studying special education at Michigan State University, while psychologist Dr. Margarita Pavlova (NBU), who acquired her PhD as a Fulbright graduate from University of Kansas, focused our attention on the role of analogy in the process of learning and education. The immersion in the depths of psyche continued with Dr. Eliza Ivanova’s (SU) enlightening and practical advice on emotional regulation.  

The next panel engaged the audience in reflection on cutting edge technology. Prof. Atanas Gotchev (University of Tampere/Technical University) invited us on a journey into virtual reality and visual comfort in near-eye displays as part of his signal processing work. Big data expert Dr. Desislava Nikolova enhanced the idea of bridging virtual and actual reality by presenting her research on synthetic data generation for human action recognition, while neuropsychologist Dr. Gulten Husein (Koç University) outlined a fascinating story about the connection between hand gestures, mental images, creative thinking and memory retention.  

Our final panelists delved into the mysteries of life preservation and future prediction. Geneticist Assoc. Prof. Tzvetoslav Koynarski (Trakia University) outlined his audacious scientific journey into creating a component for an mRNA vaccine against African Swine Fever, while mathematician Assoc. Prof. Venelin Todorov (BAS) awed the audience with his presentation of the application of Monte Carlo algorithms to large computational problems. Our Civil Society alumna Elena Nikolova shared the inspiration and productive ideas on female entrepreneurship, acquired during her visit to a partner organization in New York. The Lectures closed with the presentation of a monograph on Bulgarian Folklore singing by our talented alumna Dr. Ana Borisova (VTU), and ethnomusicologist and educator who also treated us to her vibrant and beautiful folklore singing – and even gave a short vocal lesson to a brave volunteer from the audience!  

The event offered all of Fulbright Bulgaria friends the chance to network and connect over a glass of wine and lovely snacks. Our Open Lectures party was colored by the joy of new acquaintances, happy reunions and future plans. Stay tuned for new editions soon – it could be your chance to share your Fulbright experience with our wider community! 

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