Romania took hold of my heart in 2015 and since then has consumed my mind and soul. As with any genuine commitment, my relationship with this beautiful, complex country has grown and deepened over time as I have learned of its many tragedies, as well as its many triumphs. I have surrendered myself to Romania. [...] As I continue my Romanian journey, I marvel over the resiliency and fortitude of the people. I am fortunate to have developed close relationships, familial in many ways, with many Romanians. And I am eternally grateful to have been granted a Fulbright and honored to become part of this amazing community.
Fulbright Enrichment Seminar on “Innovations in Civic Engagement: Harnessing Data for the Public Good”
Romanian Fulbright Students Maria Purcariu (University of Georgia) and Ștefan Niculae (University of Southern California) attended the Fulbright Enrichment Seminar “Innovations in Civic Engagement: Harnessing Data for the Public Good” which took place in Philadelphia, May 2-5, 2019. Here are some details about the event, as seen by Maria and Ștefan:
“It was thrilling to see 120 people from more than 50 countries and a diversity of fields gathered in one place due to one common interest: making good use of big data. Even if we conduct research in two different areas – communications (Maria) and artificial intelligence (Ștefan) – this experience helped us understand how little bits of knowledge from various fields work together to reach a goal. We were happy to be able to join the discussion and hear a variety of perspectives on this topic.
A hot topic that concerns everyone in one way or another nowadays, we discussed more than just playing with information and making it look visually appealing. We covered privacy issues, access, transparency and its usefulness in policy making among other things. The workshops and talks gave us the opportunity to meet practitioners who shared their experiences dealing with big data and the challenges involved in several projects.
Of course, the seminar was perfect for networking with people from all over the world and learning more about a diversity of cultures. Overall it felt like a few days weren’t enough, but it seemed like the beginning of a long-term collaboration and friendship.”