News Release
May 17, 2016
Contact Lisa Hall 425-352-5461 / lhall7@uw.edu
UW Bothell lecturer Keya Sen awarded Fulbright grant for public health research in India, China, Bangladesh
BOTHELL, Wash. — University of Washington Bothell lecturer Keya Sen has received a Fulbright Global Scholar Award to conduct public health research in India, China and Bangladesh.
Sen is a lecturer and scientific adviser in the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Her project is based on research she began in 2014 at UW Bothell on the pathogen campylobacter carried by crows that roost in the campus wetlands. The bacteria can cause severe gastroenteritis, an inflammation that causes nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. But the crow may not play a significant role in spreading the disease. Sen explores this hypothesis at the genetic level.
Sen is a public health microbiologist who previously worked for the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration. She says she’s very excited by the grant, the chance for global research and the opportunity to extend contacts for the University and her students who are involved in all aspects of the research from gathering field samples to conducting experiments in the lab.
The Redmond resident will conduct research abroad for two months each in 2016, 2017 and 2018 during quarters she is not teaching at UW Bothell. She’ll start this summer in India, where she is from originally and did a brief stint of research in 1992.
The Fulbright Global Scholar Award supports academic visits to up to three countries to pursue a topic of global relevance. Being selected is recognition of academic achievement and an opportunity for the people-to-people diplomacy for which the Fulbright program was created after World War II, says Natalia Dyba, director of global initiatives at the Student Success Center.
“The emphasis of the Fulbright program on community involvement resonates closely with UW Bothell’s 21st Century Campus Initiative,” Dyba says. “I’m excited about the ripple effect of expanded networks and new collaborative projects that our Fulbright awardees bring back to UW Bothell.”
Sen is the seventh Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant recipient from UW Bothell. The grants are for faculty, staff and professionals. (A Fulbright U.S. Student grant was previously announced this spring for Brad Lakey to teach English in Peru. He was the fourth UW Bothell recipient of the Fulbright for graduating students and recent grads.)
About UW Bothell: Ranked No. 1 in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest on Money magazine’s list of best colleges, UW Bothell provides access to an exceptional University of Washington education for students of tremendous potential. Offering more than 45 undergraduate and graduate degrees, options, certificates and concentrations, UW Bothell builds regional partnerships, inspires change, creates knowledge, shares discoveries and prepares students for leadership in the state of Washington and beyond.
