Graduate Cesar Hernandez to Study in Denmark

Farmingdale State College is pleased to announce that Fulbright Finalist Cesar Hernandez, Fall Class of 2021, has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to study neuroscience in Denmark for the 2022-2023 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Hernandez is the son of Maria and Anthony Hernandez of Port Washington, NY.

As a Fulbright participant, Hernandez will study, conduct research, and teach abroad for the 2022-2023 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected in an open, merit-based competition that considers leadership potential, academic and/or professional achievement, and record of service. As Fulbright alumni, their careers are enriched by joining a network of thousands of esteemed alumni, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Fulbright alumni include 61 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients, and 40 who have served as a head of state or government.

Hernandez plans to study how genetic mutations in the Danish population affect the functioning of the nervous system, leading to psychiatric diseases. He will be conducting research at a lab at the University of Copenhagen.

“The Fulbright Award is one of the most prestigious in the nation,” said Farmingdale President Dr. John S. Nader. “We are elated for Cesar, who will undoubtedly excel as a researcher. The award recognizes his intellectual ambitions and his remarkable work ethic.”

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered at Farmingdale State College by Fulbright Program Adviser Lisa M. Cullington, Ph.D. Hernandez is the first Fulbright Scholar from Farmingdale since 2013. He majored in applied psychology with a minor in biology. “He has a really strong research mindset,” according to Cullington. “This is such a great thing for him and such a great thing for the institution,” she added. “It’s the kind of opportunity that FSC students are ripe for; they really understand how to apply research to real-world issues and challenges in a way that is uniquely Farmingdale.”

Hernandez was tapped for another Fulbright as well; he was awarded a research opportunity through the Fulbright Canada Mitacs Globalink Program for the summer of 2021, but chose to pursue another research offer.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from over 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright program is an annual appropriation by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.  

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit https://eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office by telephone 202-632-6452 or e-mail ECA-Press@state.gov.