Fulbright Visiting Scholar, 2016-2017

At the time of submission, the main envisioned significance of my application for the Fulbright Visiting Scholar was solving a scientific issue related to nicotine degradation in bacteria. Now, eight months after completing my grant at Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, I am sitting in my office in Iaşi and I realize that I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Now let me be fair. As part of the Darie Biochemistry and Proteomics Group (http://people.clarkson.edu/~cdarie/) at Clarkson I had my share of extremely good science. The research facilities were more than I required for my needs and, with the help of the group’s members, I’ve discovered that the mass-spectrometry techniques have the power to change the way we currently do protein science. Most, if not all, the science questions raised in my original application were answered and, as a consequence, a manuscript was submitted for publication.

What I failed to identify in my original application was the impact that the Fulbright experience will have on my personal and professional life. First, the lectures that I gave at Clarkson University, at SUNY Potsdam in St Lawrence University, Canton, NY, as well as at various conferences, allowed me to better understand my performance as a researcher and to discover that I kind of like to talk science to people.

Secondly, the fruitful talks that I had with Associate Professor Costel Darie, his Ph.D. students, as well as other faculty members from different universities on subjects such as academic life or research funding helped me re-think and redefine my role as a Faculty member and Ph.D. coordinator in my home country.

Moreover, traveling around Potsdam in the great Adirondacks, as well as in several states around New-York, I was overwhelmed by the huge contrast between a small European country like Romania and the U.S. To sum up my overall experience, I’ve discovered the real meaning of two words: distance and diversity. The US is huge and traveling from one place to the other takes an awful lot of time. This is especially true for the region around Potsdam and upstate New York. Being able to drive and use a car was a must for any tasks, starting from doing groceries to going to the lab or visiting the region. Diversity refers to the great variety of people and ideas that I’ve encountered even in a small town like Potsdam. Traveling to bigger cities such as Buffalo, Chicago, Indianapolis or New York gave me a glimpse of the huge diversity in thinking and ideas across the US.

I do not feel I am exaggerating when I say that my overall Fulbright experience helped me rediscover myself as a person, helped me redefine my role in the society as a teacher and urged me to rethink my approach to doing science. This has been the ultimate significance of my Fulbright application.