Kaitlyn Szekerczes is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). She previously earned her B.S. in Physics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2022. At Penn State, her work has focused on preparing for the science that can be done with the upcoming space-based mission by the European Space Agency known as LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna). This mission will detect gravitational waves, or ripples in spacetime, from within our Milky Way Galaxy and even out to the early Universe. The goals of her research have varied from identifying types of stars that can mimic the light from massive binary black holes detected by LISA to using LISA to learn more about the Milky Way and the number distribution of stellar masses throughout the Galaxy, which is a focus of her dissertation. To do these studies, she uses simulations to build up mock populations of stars. During her time at Penn State, she has become active in science outreach and led classroom astronomy activities for elementary through high school age groups and the broader community. This has included volunteering at community fairs, AstroFest (a four-night festival of astronomy and stargazing at Penn State’s Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics), and the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Summer Games. She has also had the opportunity to serve as the mentor of fellow graduate and undergraduate students.

During her Fulbright-IKY fellowship, Kaitlyn will be conducting research at the Institute of Astrophysics, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (IA-FORTH) at Heraklion, Crete under the mentorship of Dr. Maria Charisi. Her research will build upon her work investigating the types of “imposter” stars that can mimic light from massive binary black holes. Using the newly-commissioned Rubin Observatory, she will construct catalogs of these “imposter” stars for astronomers to reference when searching for the light from these black hole systems, thus reducing the potential for confusion and improving the efficiency in which these black holes are found. While in Heraklion, she will continue to carry out science outreach through events hosted at IA-FORTH and by leading astronomy activities for schools in the local community.

Megan B. Gatton is a field archaeologist and art historian, studying sacred contexts of the Early Iron Age and Archaic Mediterranean world. She is a Ph.D. candidate at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts. For her Fulbright project, she will study ancient objects carved from ivory and animal bone that were ritually deposited in the sanctuaries of Artemis Orthia, Sparta, and Athena Alea, Tegea, in the Peloponnese. Her work offers a new framework for understanding the movement of people, goods, and knowledge through the region during a period of increased mobility and cultural entanglement. Her dissertation provides critical insight into the agency of animals in ancient Greek art and religion. As a Fulbright-IKY Awardee, Megan will additionally perform lab work related to zooarchaeology and environmental archaeology, and conduct experimental archaeological research on ancient bone working techniques.

Megan is the Environmental Archaeology Coordinator for the Selinunte Main Urban Sanctuary Project (Sicily) and a Research Associate for the Quirinal Project (Rome). She has analyzed archaeological faunal assemblages in Greece and the United States. Her published work has appeared in the Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology and the Journal of Ancient Architecture. She earned an M.St. in Classical Archaeology from the University of Oxford (2021) and a B.A. in Classics-Art History from New York University (2020).

Nikolina Zenović is a Ph.D. Candidate in Linguistic Anthropology at Indiana University, Bloomington. She earned her B.A. with highest honors in Anthropology and Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of California, Berkeley and her M.A. in Social Sciences with a concentration in Anthropology from the University of Chicago. She also holds an M.A. in Anthropology from Indiana University, Bloomington.

Nikolina’s doctoral research interests include understanding the interconnections between discourses of sustainability, language and materiality, and soundscapes in Greece. At Indiana University, Nikolina has taught courses on aural ecologies and interpersonal communication and graded courses on language and culture. She also serves as a writing tutor and has taught Modern Greek to elementary school students in the Bloomington community. Additionally, she co-organizes the IU Linguistic Anthropology Works-in-Progress group which meets regularly to workshop research and writing dealing with language and culture. Nikolina is also one of the Graduate Representatives for the Society for Linguistic Anthropology and has served in several leadership roles for the Anthropology Graduate Student Association at Indiana University.

As a 2026-2027 Fulbright-IKY Fellow, Nikolina will be conducting her doctoral fieldwork in Astypalaia, Greece. Her research explores local experiences of sustainable development through the lens of language and sound. During her time in Astypalaia, Nikolina will conduct participant observation, interviews, linguistic landscaping, and sound recordings. She seeks to identify how local sustainability discourses are formed and circulate in relation to broader regional discourses and how changes in the soundscape and environment are reflected in local language use. Nikolina’s work brings together linguistic and environmental anthropology and sound studies to better understand the linguistic and sonic dimensions of experiences of sustainable development.