Sonnenfeld Receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for lightning research

March 11, 2019


NMT physics professor will conduct atmospheric physics research in Australia

Richard Sonnenfeld
Dr. Richard Sonnenfeld

The U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board have announced that Dr. Richard Sonnenfeld of the New Mexico Tech department of physics has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to travel to Australia for atmospheric physics.  Sonnenfeld will research at Curtin University in Perth and Kalgoorlie as part of a project to study the process of lightning attachment to tall structures in the energy industry.

Professor Sonnenfeld is one of over 800 U.S. citizens who will teach, conduct research, and/or provide expertise abroad for the 2018-2019 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as record of service and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given more than 380,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Fulbrighters address critical global in all disciplines, while building relationships, knowledge, and leadership in support of the long-term interests of the United States. Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in many fields, including 59 who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 82 who have received Pulitzer Prizes, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit http://eca.state.gov/fulbright.