Patel will travel to Ghana.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: An Indian American is one of four West Virginia University students to have received the 2015 Fulbright Scholarship, which will provide them with funding to undertake research and teaching opportunities abroad.
According to WVU Today, Nikul Patel, who will be graduating with a degree in chemical engineering, plans to use the Fulbright funding to travel to Ghana, where he’ll volunteer with a nonprofit that assists rural women in Ghana with the processing and distribution of Shea nuts and Shea butter.
Patel told the university publication that more than 50 percent of rural women in Ghana serve as the head of the household. The organization, StarShea, focuses on economically empowering those women to drive growth and reduce poverty in rural communities.
“While studies have been conducted about Shea butter production, research into the purification of wastewater from the system has been neglected due to the difficulty of separation,†he said. “As a chemical engineering student, I have learned how to assess economic and environmental components of chemical processes in order to optimize efficiency.â€
Founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946, the Fulbright Scholarship is an incredibly prestigious government-run program that is designed to increase mutual understanding between the U.S. and the rest of the global community. Fulbright recipients are selected on the basis of merit related to academic or professional achievement.
“Whether they are combining technical expertise with a passion for international development, advancing medical research in a global context or connecting cultural study and career aspirations, these students are doing more than just acing their classes. They are showing us that broad knowledge and a global outlook really do make a positive impact,†said Ryan Claycomb, assistant dean of the WVU Honors College.