Fulbright Programs Link Embry-Riddle, Germany Through Student and Staff Exchanges

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University strengthened its ties with Germany this fall through an international Fulbright program that brought a visiting engineering student to the Prescott Campus.

Mechanical engineering student Katharina Pflüger, who attends Germany’s Bremen City University of Applied Sciences, spent the semester in Arizona through a Fulbright J-1 Exchange, a competitive program that places international students at U.S. universities for academic and cultural study.

Fulbright programs operate in several forms, including exchanges that bring international students to U.S. campuses, as well as awards that send American scholars and professionals abroad.

For Pflüger, the opportunity to study at Embry-Riddle marked not only her first trip to the United States but also a chance to study aerospace engineering at a university widely recognized throughout the industry.

Embry-Riddle’s Reputation in Aerospace

After months of paperwork, planning and her first-ever trip to the United States, Pflüger described the experience as both exciting and unfamiliar. “It was quite a flight into the unknown,” she said.

That journey soon connected her with an institution with historic ties to the aerospace industry.

Pflüger, who arrived in Arizona on Aug. 11, spent the fall semester enrolled at Embry-Riddle in aerospace engineering. She is completing a dual degree in mechanical and production engineering at Bremen City University of Applied Sciences, including a placement with Airbus. Embry-Riddle’s reputation in aerospace engineering was a key reason she applied.

Her fall coursework included flight mechanics and performance, a class she said aligns closely with her aerodynamics work at Airbus.

“Academics are more hands-on and research-based in the U.S., especially here at Embry-Riddle with labs and projects,” she said. “What I learn here is really useful and applied in the professional world, like at Airbus.”

Beyond academics, Pflüger took part in campus and local activities that gave her a fuller sense of life in the Southwest — tailgating at an Arizona Cardinals game, visiting the Grand Canyon, Zion and Horseshoe Bend and taking weekend trips to places like Sedona.

She returns to Germany this winter to complete her degree requirements and transition into full-time work with Airbus, bringing experience from a U.S. aerospace institution back to her home program.

“In Germany, people know Embry-Riddle,” she said.

Crossing Borders Through Fulbright

Center for International Programs and Services (CIPS) Director DeeAnn Resk attends meetings at the Fulbright Germany Headquarters in Berlin. (Photo: DeeAnn Resk)Meanwhile, Germany was the destination for DeeAnn Resk — the university’s Director of the Center for International Programs & Services (CIPS) —  who traveled to the European nation in November on a separate Fulbright program designed for higher education administrators.

“The small cohort of higher education professionals I traveled with were brilliant and quite diverse professionally,” Resk said. “The professional and educational exchange was profound.”

Her group met with German Fulbright officials, university faculty, administrators, community leaders and government representatives. The program focused on comparative higher education systems, international student support and intercultural learning.

“We had long, intense days — often 10 to 12 hours — filled with campus visits, presentations and discussions,” Resk said. “I left Europe with my head and heart full of ideas, new knowledge, and renewed energy.”

Expanding Embry-Riddle’s Global Engagement

Embry-Riddle’s Fulbright opportunities continue to grow, with faculty pursuing activities around the world. This includes Rosa Szurgot, assistant professor in the Cyber Intelligence and Security Department, who will begin a Fulbright Scholar project in Paraguay in the spring, collaborating with the National University of Asunción on digital resilience and cybersecurity education.

As for Resk, she said her Fulbright experience helped her build connections that will continue well beyond the program itself.

“I definitely plan to stay in touch with my Fulbright colleagues both in the US and Germany,” she said. “I already have some plans to collaborate!”

Pflüger said her time in Arizona also shaped her academic and professional goals.

“If you want to be successful, especially in the aerospace and aviation field, Embry-Riddle is the place to be!” she said.