Georgetown University

Washington, D.C. – Georgetown University alumnus Mary O’Loughlin (SFS’09) of Pittsburgh was selected by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to receive a Fulbright award to study China’s new environmental regulations, particularly the ban on the distribution of free plastic bags in stores.

In nine months, O’Loughlin will conduct research in three cities -- Wuhan, Beijing and Kunming -- each of which has traditionally taken a fundamentally different approach to environmental policy.

“I see my Fulbright as the next step in what I hope will be a life-long pursuit of things I care about, including, as it does, my interests in environmentalism, public policy formulation, and Chinese culture and language,” O’Loughlin wrote in her application.

At Georgetown, O’Loughlin served as chair of the lecture fund and played for four years on the varsity women’s tennis team. She also served as part of the Georgetown alumni ambassadorial program and the Georgetown student association.

"The topic of (Mary’s) project is of great significance for China as well as more broadly in the world," said Robert Sutter, professor of Asian studies in the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. "It’s hard to imagine an American who would make a better impression of the United States in China than Mary O’Loughlin."

Congress established the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for the purposes of supervising the Fulbright Program and certain programs authorized by the Fulbright-Hays Act and for the purpose of selecting students, scholars, teachers, trainees and other persons to participate in the educational exchange programs. Appointed by the president of the United States, the 12-member Board meets quarterly in Washington. The Board maintains a close relationship with both the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) at the U.S. Department of State and the executive directors of all the binational Fulbright Commissions. Since its inception more than 30 years ago, nearly 300,000 Fulbrighters have participated in the program. More information is available here: http://fulbright.state.gov/.

About Georgetown University

Georgetown University is the oldest and largest Catholic and Jesuit university in America, founded in 1789 by Archbishop John Carroll. Georgetown today is a major student-centered, international, research university offering respected undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in Washington, D.C., Doha, Qatar, and around the world. For more information about Georgetown University, visit www.georgetown.edu.