Professor Grant Mathews has been selected to receive a U.S. Faculty Scholar Grant from the Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF) for the 2013-14 academic year. Mathews will be part of the sixth group of faculty selected. The VEF was established by the U.S. Congress in December 2000 as an independent federal agency. VEF's primary purpose is to promote the bilateral relationship between the United States and Vietnam through educational exchanges.
This faculty visit by Mathews from January to June 2014 will contribute to scientific education capacity building in Vietnam through teaching of two modern courses in astronomy and relativity/cosmology and also through collaborative research with Vietnamese faculty in cosmology and astrophysics. This work will address specific educational issues previously identified in VEF reports, including development of hands-on interactive learning and the development of web based student evaluations. The proposed exchange will also strengthen the future collaborative relationship between the University of Notre Dame and the Hanoi National University of Education.
“This is a labor of love on my part to help this developing country,” says Mathews. “When I was an impressionable young man Vietnam was ravaged by a tragic war between our countries. This is my small effort to help mend the wounds of decades past."