Mihai Doroftei

Over the course of my career, I have witnessed wetland restoration in the Danube Delta, Romania. These works are commendable but have lacked key elements such as vegetation assessment before and after restoration, as well as the use of reference sites for assessment. The restoration projects in the Salmon River Estuary, Oregon have included all of these, and present a good case study, enabling me to bring more effective monitoring tools to the Danube Delta. I proposed a study that included three types of sites within the Salmon River Estuary: unrestored modified areas, restored sites, and reference sites. The results of my research in the U.S. will help define new tools for Danube Delta.

This was my main reason to contact the scientists from Oregon State University (OSU), namely professor Mary Santelmann and Dr. Rebecca Flitcroft. I was fortunate to meet them, they were kind and ready to help me, from the first day of my arrival until the last day of the program. They guided me through all the logistic issues for making myself and my family stay comfortable. Doing my research at OSU was inspiring and challenging because I was exposed to different new situations from a cultural and professional perspective. It meant a lot to me, both professionally and personally because I have established close friendships with their families too.

The Fulbright program offered me a Visiting Scholar Award to enrich my experience in wetlands restoration, and yes, it happened. This amazing opportunity of being part of an American team of scientists, in a research project, helped me to better understand it and to take advantage of all the good things it has to offer. It helped me to grow as a researcher and as a person. I had the opportunity to work in two research institutions with two great and very involved advisors, Dr. Mary Santelmann at OSU and Dr. Rebecca Flitcroft at U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station. The work conditions in the laboratory, in the office as well as the field, were impressive and they covered all the requirements in the Covid situation. Having our daily life in Corvallis was life-changing from all possible perspectives, for me and my family. With so much nature and protected areas around the city, I was seeing, almost every day on the streets, wild animals (deer, rabbits, squirrels, turkeys, and eagles) just being around. The big and beautiful campus is organized in such a way that all human rights and expressions are accepted. The very beautiful gardens and neat city with free public transport and bicycle lanes everywhere. The people say hello everywhere on the street and are proactive and supportive toward everyone. All these things made me feel welcomed and they inspired me to be a better person.

There are not enough words to express my ground-breaking experience in the US. I will be forever grateful for this amazing opportunity and I warmly recommend the Fulbright Program in its entirety as one of the best academic experiences possible.