KINGSTON, R.I. – April 2, 2026 – Scottie Chih-Chieh, an associate professor of art, architecture and design at Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, will be the Fulbright Visiting Scholar to highlight 2026 Fulbright Week, presented by the University of Rhode Island’s Office of Fellowships and the Office of Global Initiatives.
Chih-Chieh’s free public artist talk, “Nature, Technology, and Generative Design,” will be held Tuesday, April 7, at 3 p.m., in Swan Auditorium, 60 Upper College Road, on the Kingston Campus. Chih-Chieh will explore how nature-inspired systems and computational design can shape dynamic artworks and structures, as well as share his various related projects.
Along with Chih-Chieh’s presentation, the University’s Fulbright Week will hold additional events, celebrations and informational sessions sharing more about the vibrant Fulbright community on campus. It will also showcase opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, recent alumni, and faculty and staff to teach, research and study abroad.
“It will be a pleasure to have Dr. Chih-Chieh collaborate with the Arts Department, speak to the Chinese Language students, and visit Newport through this short-term exchange through the Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund which allows for multi-day visits for current Fulbright Visiting Scholars in-country,” said Keegan Scott, the University’s fellowships director. “We’re thrilled to be gathering the larger URI community together to not only share the years of international collaboration from Kingston to the world, but also inspire more eligible URI students and faculty to participate in the program and make connections worldwide.”
URI has a long tradition of producing Fulbright scholars and grant recipients. There have been 100 URI faculty Fulbright awards distributed since 1946 and 43 student Fulbright awardees since 1959.
An info session on Fulbright opportunities for undergraduate students will be held on April 7 at 5:30 p.m., in Room 402 of Lippitt Hall, 5 Lippitt Road. Sophomores and juniors are encouraged to attend to learn more about awards, timelines and next steps.
URI will hold a Fulbright presentation and reception for faculty on Wednesday, April 8, from 5-6:30 p.m., in the Great Room at Green Hall, 35 Campus Ave. The reception will celebrate URI’s vibrant Fulbright community and honor the scholars’ contributions to both the University and around the world, as well as learn about opportunities across disciplines through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar and Specialist Programs. Hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Lastly, a separate info session for graduate students will take place on Thursday, April 9, at 5:30 p.m., also in Room 402 of Lippitt Hall. Current master’s and doctoral students are encouraged to attend.
“Fulbright is for everyone, and sharing the many ways to expand one’s research, teach the next generation, receive a graduate degree, or even host a foreign faculty member through these federally funded programs is paramount,” Scott said.
The University of Rhode Island’s Fulbright Program offers grants to study, teach and conduct research for U.S. citizens to go abroad and for non-U.S. citizens to come to the United States. For more information, visit the Fulbright at URI website.