Fulbright Research Lectureship in Education
The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), Georgetown University, and Fulbright, offers the Fulbright-NIAF-Georgetown University Research Lectureship in Education to support an Italian elementary/middle school teacher or university lecturer/researcher with interests in early childhood intervention, teaching methodologies, and disabilities for a 4 to 6-month research lectureship at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. For more information about the requirements, documentation, and the selection procedure, visit the program site .
Hear From Past Fulbright Scholars
Carlotta Rivella (2023-2024)
Carlotta is an Italian post-doctoral researcher in Developmental Psychology. Her research interests mainly concern executive functions in typical and atypical development and in acquired brain injuries. She collaborates in the development of software for the assessment and intervention of executive functions in school-age children.
While at the GUCCHD, Carlotta collaborated with several professionals in adapting a pre-existing Executive Functions training program for preschoolers called “Chuck and Nelly Adventures” which was developed by her research group at the University of Genoa (UniGe) (Traverso et al., 2019). She enhanced the training by adding a family handbook and refining the school manual.
She also had the opportunity to join several GUCCHD courses and services. She participated in in the GU Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities (LEND) Program and the GU Certificate in Early Intervention program and lectured in the Children with Disabilities course. In addition, she participated alongside professionals from GUCCHD in the Home Visiting Program for mothers with disabilities and in the Developmental Evaluation Clinic.
Once back in Italy, she plans to disseminate the work she started on the executive function training program and make the training available to schools both in Italy and in the U.S., and to continue collaborating with GUCCHD to test the feasibility and effectiveness of enhanced training.
This was Carlotta’s first opportunity to work abroad, and it was an enriching experience both professionally and personally, thanks to the wide variety of activities carried out and the interdisciplinary nature of the people she collaborated with. The experience not only allowed her to learn about the approach used by GUCCHD and by the U.S. in supporting people with disabilities, but also to generate new questions and stimuli to improve the Italian system.
Carlotta has a PhD in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Genoa (UniGe), Liguria, Italy. She completed her undergraduate studies at the Universities of Genoa and Padova, Italy, where she also took a specialization in Learning Disabilities.
Nadia Ferranti (2019-2020)
Nadia Ferranti completed her Fulbright program during the 2020 Covid Pandemic. Nadia is an Italian teacher and musician (flutist) currently working as a primary school teacher and flute teacher throughout Milan, Italy. She has a particular interest in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Montessori Method.
Nadia has degrees from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Pedagogy and Didactic for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder); Italy Music Conservatory Giuseppe Verdi (Music opera as a Didactic Tools in Primary Schools and the Flute); and Italy Accademia Teatro alla Scala (Music degree in Flute). While at Georgetown Nadia completed the now published study, Children With Disabilities Attending Montessori Programs in the United States . Although her Fulbright was completed via zoom, she recalls how lucky and honored she is to be part of the GUCCHD community and how grateful for all the opportunities she had and continue to have as part of the Fulbright and Georgetown communities.
Ilaria Navarra (2018-2019)
Ilaria Navarra, the first recipient of the Fulbright-National Italian American Foundation (NIAF)-Georgetown University Research Lectureship in Education, is completing her doctoral degree at the University of Macerata in Macerata Italy. Navarra is a primary school teacher in Episcopia, Basilicata, Italy. She was awarded the Fulbright grant to study the implementation of the Montessori method in US based preschools and primary grade classrooms.
While at the GUCCHD, Ilaria participated in a variety of activities. Along with school visits she taught within the GU undergraduate Disability Studies minor, participated in the GU Certificate in Early Intervention program, created a short documentary on the Montessori method and US education system, presented at the Association of University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (AUCD) conference, and lectured at the Italian Embassy. When she returned to Italy Navarra continued her CCHD research at the University of Macerata. Ilaria was especially impressed with the interdisciplinary nature of the GUCCHD. This is the first opportunity she had to collaborate with so many different professionals, creating an “incredible and stimulating work environment”. Ilaria completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Salerno and spent a year studying communications at the Paris-London University in Salzburg, Austria. She then earned a degree in Italian language instruction at the Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, Italy. She is GU-Sponsored University Associate within the Educating Young Children with Disabilities – A Global Comparison undergraduate summer study abroad program in Fiesole, Italy.