Texas Tech Psychology Professor Receives Fulbright Grant
April 30, 2009
By: John Davis
Roman Taraban becomes the third Texas Tech faculty member to receive a grant this
year.
A Texas Tech University expert in the psychology of learning has been awarded a
Fulbright Scholar grant to do research at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT)
in Kharagpur, India, during the 2009-2010 academic year.
Roman Taraban, the associate department chairman of the Department of Psychology,
will conduct cross-cultural research on engineering education, comparing practices
in India to those in the U.S. He becomes the third Texas Tech faculty member to receive
a grant this year.
"The Indian Institutes of Technology are regarded worldwide as premier institutions
for training engineers," Taraban said. "As a cognitive psychologist, my goal is to
compare the cognitions and mental processes of engineering students in the U.S. to
those in India, with the goal of understanding how students attain professional excellence
through their educational training programs. Popular culture has brought cross-cultural
differences in education to the forefront in '2 Million Minutes,' showing that Indian
students spend significantly more time on academics than American students. That may
be part of the answer."
David Rudd, chairman for the Department of Psychology, said that the Fulbright grant
brings prominence to Taraban's studies in educational psychology and engineering
education.
"This is a well-deserved award for Dr. Taraban," Rudd said. "He is a genuine international
leader in science education and outcomes. This award will provide a unique opportunity
to further his research agenda with international collaborators in India."
The Fulbright Program, America's flagship international educational exchange program,
is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs. Since 1946, it has provided 108,160 Americans who have studied, taught or
researched abroad and 178,340 students, scholars and teachers from other countries
who have engaged in similar activities in the United States with the opportunity to
observe each other's political, economic, educational and cultural institutions, to
exchange ideas and to embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare
of the world's inhabitants.
The Council for International Exchange of Scholars, under a cooperative agreement
with the United States Department of State, administers the Fulbright Scholar Program
for faculty and professionals. Each year, the traditional program sends some 800 U.S.
faculty and professionals to 140 countries to lecture, research or participate in
seminars. At the same time, approximately 800 foreign faculty members come to the
United States each year.
Find Texas Tech news, experts and story ideas at www.media.ttu.edu.
CONTACT: Roman Taraban, professor, Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University, (806) 742-3711
ext. 247, or roman.taraban@ttu.edu;
David Rudd, chairman, Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University, (806) 786-3711 ext. 224, or david.rudd@ttu.edu.