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UTEP Professor Awarded Fellowship to Travel to Israel

Last Updated on December 08, 2017 at 3:00 PM

Originally published December 08, 2017

By University Communications

UTEP Communications

Eric Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of industrial, manufacturing and systems engineering at The University of Texas at El Paso, has been awarded the opportunity to study at the Winter Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel. For two weeks, Smith will travel throughout Israel to engage in networking opportunities.

Eric Smith
Eric Smith, Ph.D.

Smith is one of 23 professors from universities and colleges throughout the United States participating in the fellowship, which is fully funded through the Jewish National Fund and Media Watch International. 

This opportunity provides a dynamic, academically productive experience by linking university professors with professionals involved in government, industry, education, media and other sectors to understand the many facets of Israel's evolving national and international policies. Participants also will gain a deeper knowledge of Israel as a startup nation, its success in water innovation, and how the country addresses regional and global challenges.

“This faculty fellowship to Israel is a wonderful opportunity to interface with a country which is now as competitive as Silicon Valley in terms of tech startups,” Smith said. “The potential to tap into a broader space of opportunities is what led me to apply for this faculty fellowship. With this travel experience to Israel, I will gain friends and connections with leaders in academia, industry and government, as well as knowledge and the understanding of Israeli culture.”

By linking scholars from diverse disciplines with their Israeli counterparts at major institutions, the aim of the fellowship is to initiate academic collaborations. It will cover topics including academic exchange, networking and collaboration, science and technology, history and law, and democracy and human rights.

Along with UTEP, other U.S. schools represented during the 2017 trip include Johns Hopkins University, Arizona State University and Baylor University.