HIGH POINT, N.C., Dec. 7, 2022 – High Point University professor Dr. Brian Augustine, interim dean of the Wanek School of Natural Sciences, has been selected as a Fulbright Specialist. Thanks to the award, he’ll start off 2023 by helping a university in Ecuador design lab spaces.

Augustine will spend the month of January 2023 at the Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial in Quito, Ecuador, where he will assist the dean of the engineering school in designing laboratory spaces, in particular the materials characterization laboratory, for training undergraduate students and developing partnerships with industry and academia leaders.

Augustine was selected as a recipient based on his academic and professional achievement, demonstration of leadership in his field, and potential to foster long-term cooperation between his host institution abroad and HPU.  

“UTE is a small but growing university in Quito, Ecuador, and they are planning to remodel an existing engineering building with a new state-of-the-art materials characterization laboratory,” said Augustine. “I will be working with the dean to plan renovation space, prioritize instrumentation purchases and design laboratory space for the strategic growth of the engineering program at UTE.”

UTE is developing programs in biodiversity, biomaterials, artificial intelligence and data science. Augustine will show them what kind of equipment they need and how they would use it. The materials characterization laboratory also will support existing programs in civil engineering.

Augustine was called after the dean of UTE’s school of engineering requested through the Fulbright Specialist Program a consultant who has experience with materials science laboratory design and various material characterization techniques. Augustine has experience designing materials for science teaching and research labs at two universities, including HPU’s Wanek School of Natural Sciences. Both project designs include dual uses for teaching and research as well as flexible growth space to accommodate adding new faculty and initiating new research projects.   

“I will be bringing to UTE the importance of designing their space not only for today but planning for the future to meet their strategic program goals going forward,” said Augustine. “UTE is hoping to leverage the immense biodiversity in Ecuador in new construction materials, pharmaceutical materials and energy materials. Their resources are quite different from those found in the United States, and in planning their new laboratory, they would like to leverage synergies with local industry and academic institutions. That will be one of the important design criteria in the new lab space.”

Through this international educational exchange program, Augustine plans to provide UTE’s dean with a report that will include preliminary designs for renovation space, recommendations for instrumentation purchases and clear priorities for existing and future undergraduate and graduate programs. He will also explore potential future collaborations or student exchanges.

Augustine is one of more than 400 U.S. citizens who share expertise each year with host institutions abroad through the Fulbright Specialist Program, designed for American academics to partner with institutions around the globe.

For more information about the Fulbright Specialist Program, visit https://fubrightspecialist.worldlearning.org.