NC State Education Associate Professor Margareta Thomson Concludes Fulbright Year in Romania

Margareta Thomson, an associate professor of educational psychology at the NC State College of Education, will soon conclude her year in Romania as a U.S. Core Fulbright Scholar, where she worked to create science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) experiences for area students.

Her project “Fostering Academic Motivation and a STEM Growth Mindset in High-Poverty Schools through Authentic Research Experiences” also provided interdisciplinary research collaborations among researchers and educators in psychology and educational sciences at  Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca.

Her project, which began last October and will conclude June 30, aims at providing economically disadvantaged sixth- and seventh-graders with opportunities to engage in a STEM mentorship program in their schools.

Additionally, Thomson worked alongside K-12 educators in Romania to discover new ways to enhance nonformal education in the country while abroad.

She identified some highlights from her Fulbright year below:

• Published and presented research with faculty from host institution Babes-Bolyai University
• Served as keynote speaker and scientific board member and presented research at the 4th International Nonformal Education Conference (INEC) in Sancraiu de Mures, Romania
• Presented research at the International Conference on Business, Sustainability, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences (BESS) in London
• Presented research at the International Conference of Psychology Students (ICPS) at her Babes-Bolyai University
• Served as a scientific board member for international conferences organized by Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu: International Conference on Manufacturing Science and Education (June 2019) and the Biennial Conference of International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching (July 2019)