Two Ohio State students, rising juniors and Eminence Fellows Catherine Adams and Abi Dumm, have been selected to participate in Fulbright’s nationally competitive UK Summer Institutes. The three to four week summer institutes allow participants who have no or very little travel experience outside North American, to explore the culture, heritage, and history of the UK while experiencing higher education at a UK university. Adams and Dumm were selected for the institutes based on their strong academics, leadership, community involvement, and ambassadorial and intercultural skills.
Adams, a double major in Environmental Policy and Decision Making and Geography with a minor in Creative Writing, co-founded Ohio Youth for Climate Justice as a high schooler. Now serving as the Creative Director, she grew the organization from four founding members to over 300 members across the state of Ohio. She has also served on the communications team of U.S. Youth Climate Strike and interned for the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. She worked on a project for the Colorado Local Science Engagement Network called Better Know a Border that bridges the gap between scientists, policymakers, and local stakeholders on environmental issues. In Baca County, Colorado, a rural community known for its resiliency during the Dust Bowl, Adams interviewed residents for a documentary advocating for shifts away from fossil fuels. In the face of environmental issues, Adams aims to use her scientific knowledge and communication skills to build community and uplift marginalized groups. Adams will participate in the UK Summer Institute on Global Sustainability, which focuses on climate change issues in South West England and is hosted by the University of Exeter.
Dumm, a Health Sciences major with a Disability Studies minor, is passionate about assistive technology and making such technology accessible to all people, not just those who can afford it. In high school, she volunteered at an adaptive sports facility, Youth Challenge for Sports. At Ohio State, Dumm co-founded The Main Menu Project, which partners with local Columbus restaurants to create menus that are accessible to the visually impaired community. Additionally, Dumm works with GoBabyGo, an organization that takes children’s drivable cars and reconstructs them into mobility vehicles. The cars allow children to move independently and help work around the cost barrier for child wheelchairs that are quickly outgrown. She has also engaged in DEI work by earning the Diversity, Intercultural, and Community Engagement Certificate, and learning American Sign Language. Dumm will participate in the UK Summer Institute on Technology, Innovation, and Creativity, which highlights the development of Scotland as a technological nation and an innovative and creative society. This summer institute is hosted by Glasgow School of Art and the University of Strathclyde.