Rigsby receives Fulbright Scholar Award

GREENVILLE, NC  —   ECU Geology professor Catherine A. Rigsby has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture and conduct research at Universidade Federal do Pará in Belém,Brazil, during the 2006-2007 academic year. Rigsby will study the Quaternary history of fluvial terraces in the upperAmazon Basin and teach a graduate-level seminar in fluvial sedimentology.

Her research will focus on Amazon Basin climate variability; expand on her previous studies in the adjacent Andean highlands; and providing important insights for ecologists studying species diversity and biogeography. Her research will also benefit anthropologists investigating natural and cultural responses to climate variability and researchers trying to understand the Amazon Basin’s influence on the global climate system. It will also help forge lasting scientific collaborations between East CarolinaUniversity and Brazilian scientists and students.

Rigsby is one of about 800 university faculty members and professionals who will travel abroad to about 150 countries this academic year with the Fulbright Scholar Program. Established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Sen. J. William Fulbright ofArkansas, the program’s purpose is to build mutual understanding between the people of the United Statesand other countries.

The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international educational exchange activity, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Recipients of Fulbright Scholar awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement and because they have demonstrated extraordinary leadership potential in their fields.