News Release

COLLEGE NEWS RELEASE / March 16, 2009

Boise State's Wampler Named Fulbright Scholar, Will Conduct Research on Participatory Democracy in Brazil

A Boise State University professor recently was named a Fulbright Scholar by the U.S. State Department and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Brian Wampler, an associate professor of political science, is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. university faculty members who will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

Wampler will spend the 2009-2010 academic year conducting research, teaching and lecturing at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Wampler, who is fluent in Portuguese, will team-teach graduate political science classes with UFMG faculty members and conduct research on how civic groups in a democratic society access their government.

Wampler’s family, including his wife Paula and two young children will travel and live in Brazil with him for the duration of his stay. Sebastian (5) and Ginger (3) will enroll in Portuguese-language pre-school.

“This award allows me to extend a decade-long research project,” Wampler said. “I will be investigating how community leaders and citizens use different paths to interact with their local elected officials. I have lived in Brazil for three years, so this opportunity allows me to contribute to the education of Brazilian students and the Brazilian academic community.”

The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international education exchange program, is sponsored by the U.S. State Department and operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.

“Dr. Wampler’s scholarship is well deserving of this award,” said Melissa Lavitt, dean of Boise State’s College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs. “He has an international reputation as an outstanding political scientist, and his exploration of how to facilitate participatory democracy is truly fascinating.”

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Media Contact: Mike Journee, University Communications, (208) 426-1517, mikejournee@boisestate.edu

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Last reviewed on Monday, March 16, 2009