Fulbright Amazonia Week in Washington, D.C.

December 9 – 12, 2024

For the past 18 months, eighteen Fulbright Amazonia Scholars have been working together to conduct action-oriented research to support a sustainable Amazon Basin. This unique group of scholars from across the Amazon region and the United States is addressing critical challenges facing the Amazon through innovative, multidisciplinary approaches.

They will convene in Washington, D.C. to share actionable outcomes and policy recommendations developed during their collaborative research.

Researchers, policymakers, and members of the public are invited to meet the Fulbright Amazonia scholars and engage with their work virtually and in person by joining in these two events.

Fulbright Amazonia Poster Exhibition

Monday, December 9, 2024 | 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET
At the National Academy of Sciences (2101 Constitution Ave. NW)

The sixteen researchers and two co-lead scholars will be at the National Academy of Sciences to speak with visitors one-on-one and display and discuss key findings from their Fulbright Amazonia research. The exhibition is free and open to the public, with advance registration only.

Fulbright Amazonia Virtual Symposium

Thursday, December 12, 2024 | 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM ET
Livestreamed Event

Join us online to as the scholars present their research, insights, and policy recommendations in dynamic panel discussions addressing three key themes:

Climate Change Adaption and Mitigation
Bioeconomy and Sustainable Development
Strengthening Human and Environmental Health and Security.

More About Fulbright Amazonia

The Amazon River Basin contains the world’s largest and most biodiverse river as well as its largest rainforest, providing the planet with an irreplaceable ecosystem that is a habitat for 30 percent of the world’s plant and animal species and that absorbs two billion tons of carbon dioxide each year. The Amazon River is also a key source of food, medicine, and livelihood for more than 30 million people across the region.

The Fulbright Program launched Fulbright Amazonia in 2022 to create an international network of scholars and practitioners who will conduct research and recommend policies dedicated to protecting fragile eco-systems and improving lives and livelihoods in rural and Indigenous communities of the Amazon.

Fulbright Amazonia is a program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs , with funding provided by the U.S. Government and the Fulbright Commission in Brazil, with the additional support of other binational Fulbright Commissions and U.S. Embassies in the Amazon region. The program is administered by the Institute of International Education.

Who are the Fulbright Amazonia Scholars?

The current group of two co-leads and 16 scholars is the first cohort of Fulbright Amazonia Scholars, representing countries that make up the Amazonia region as well as the United States. Fulbright Amazonia supports research in the countries that border the Amazon river: Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. They are led by two notable Amazonia experts, Dr. Carlos Valério Aguiar Gomes, from the Federal University of Pará, in Brazil, and Dr, Jeffrey Hoelle, from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the United States. Meet the Fulbright Amazonia Scholars

What kind of research have the Fulbright Amazonia Scholars been doing?

The research projects supported by Fulbright Amazonia reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the most pressing social, economic, and environmental issues in today’s Amazon basin. From fisheries and livestock to agriculture and forestry resources, some projects illuminate local case studies of sustainable bioeconomies. Others focus on the impact of climate change on public health in order to better understand challenges faced by children as well as marginalized, rural, and Indigenous communities—such as food and water security. A third set of researchers explored the forests of the Amazon to better understand their ecological and political vulnerabilities and advocate for their prosperity. Shared goals of inclusivity, dissemination, and policy impact unite these wide-ranging projects to ensure the applicability of their findings to those who inhabit this critical and unique region.