JOHNSON CITY — Dr. Istvan Karsai of East Tennessee State University is the recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Hungary in biology.

Karsai, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in ETSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, is currently in Budapest through this program conducting research in the Department of Ethology at Eötvös Loránd University (ELU). While there, he is working with Dr. George Kampis of ELU and Dr. Thomas Schmickl of the University of Graz, both of whom are former chairholders of ETSU’s Wayne G. Basler Chair of Excellence for the Integration of the Arts, Rhetoric and Science.

Their research will be used in writing the forthcoming book, “Mathematics of Planet Earth: Interdisciplinary Approach to Environmental Conservation.” It will appear next year in the “Mathematics of Planet Earth” series published by Springer Verlag.

In addition, the authors will make their models and software available to the public for further experimentation and will use an accessible approach to mathematical biology for students of mathematics, biology and computer science.

Karsai is one of over 800 U.S. citizens teaching, conducting research and providing expertise abroad during the 2019-20 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 their records of service and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and people of other countries. It 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.

Fulbright recipients address critical global challenges 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, 84 who have received Pulitzer Prizes and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.

The program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. Additional information on the Fulbright Program is available at eca.state.gov/fulbright.