Dr. Morgan Salisbury Receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for 2024-2025
Dr. Morgan Salisbury, Instructor of Earth Sciences at Lower Columbia College, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award in Earth Science Education to Bolivia for the 2024-2025 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Dr. Salisbury’s project is “Advancing Earth Science Education and Student Research Opportunities in Bolivia.” It is a combined teaching and research project that aims to improve Earth Science education in Bolivia by creating and nurturing collaborative networks that enhance student pathways to their next level of education. Dr. Salisbury will visit rural areas and provide specialized Earth Science education materials, engage in collaborative workshops at the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA), and help improve student opportunities for research and advancement. The project's overarching goal is to increase understanding of Earth Science processes as they relate to climate and the economy, and to promote scientific collaboration between Bolivia and the United States.
Dr. Salisbury has been teaching at Lower Columbia College since 2016. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Idaho, a Master of Science in Geology from Central Washington University, and a Ph.D. in Geology from Oregon State University. He was a Junior Research Fellow at Durham University in the United Kingdom. Dr. Salisbury’s research on Bolivian volcanoes has been published in peer-reviewed publications including Frontiers in Earth Science, Lithosphere, and GSA Bulletin. He will travel to Bolivia in the spring of 2025 and again in the spring of 2026.
“We are thrilled to have our first Fulbright Scholar at Lower Columbia College. Dr. Salisbury is an esteemed volcanologist who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the college’s Earth Science program. His involvement with the Fulbright Scholar Program will benefit Bolivia and the greater Lower Columbia College area through an ongoing exchange of scientific research and innovative ideas,” said Dr. Matt Seimears, President of Lower Columbia College.
Fulbright U.S. Scholars are faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals teaching or conducting research in affiliation with institutes abroad. Fulbright Scholars engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad.
Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges. Notable Fulbrighters include 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 80 MacArthur Fellows, 41 heads of state or government, and thousands of leaders across the private, public, and non-profit sectors.
Over 800 individuals teach or conduct research abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program each year. In addition, over 2,000 Fulbright U.S. Student Program participants—recent college graduates, graduate students, and early career professionals—participate in study/research exchanges or as English teaching assistants in local schools abroad annually.
Fulbright is a U.S. Department of State program funded by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations worldwide also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
In the United States, the Institute of International Education implements the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://fulbrightprogram.org.