The College of Science at the University of Notre Dame is pleased to announce that Umesh Garg, a professor in the Department of Physics, has receiveda Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to India from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Garg will carry out research and deliver lectures at the University Grants Commission-DAE-Consortium for Science Research, Kolkata, as part of a project to investigate novel quantal rotations in nuclei. This work will focus on studies of wobbling motion in triaxial nuclei (the shape of a three-dimensional oval with three unequal axes) and on exploration of the chiral parity violation phenomenon.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Garg will share knowledge and foster meaningful connections across communities in the United States and India. Fulbright recipients engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad. As Fulbright Scholar alumni, their careers are enriched by joining a network of thousands of esteemed scholars, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Fulbright alumni include 60 Nobel Prize laureates, 86 Pulitzer Prize recipients, and 37 who have served as a head of state or government.

This is Garg’s second Fulbright award. He was previously named a Fulbright Specialist in 2015. Garg joined the University of Notre Dame in 1982 as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics, and was appointed full professor in 1994. He earned his bachelor and master of science degrees from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India, and his doctorate in physics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He has been a Fellow of the American Physical Society since 1999. He has also received a Kaneb Award for Excellence in teaching, the Notre Dame Faculty Award in 2018, was named the recipient of the inaugural Terrence Akai Award for service to international students, and in 2017 was named an AAAS Fellow.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to forge lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, counter misunderstandings, and help people and nations work together toward common goals. Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has enabled more than 390,000 dedicated and accomplished students, scholars, artists, teachers, and professionals of all backgrounds to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and find solutions to shared international concerns. 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 more than 160 countries worldwide.

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

Originally published by Tammi Freehling for science.nd.edu.