FARMINGTON - Chris Brinegar, a faculty member affiliated with the Department of Natural Sciences at the University of Maine at Farmington, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant by the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to lecture and do research at Kathmandu University in Nepal during the 2008-2009 academic year.

While in Nepal, Brinegar, a plant molecular biologist and geneticist, will teach molecular biology, pursue research on the genetic identification of potato cultivars and advise Kathmandu University faculty on the development of biotechnology curricula.

A retired professor and former director of the Biotechnology Education and Research Institute at San Jose State University in California, he teaches environmental science at UMF. Brinegar received his PhD at the University of Wisconsin and lives in New Portland.

Established in 1946, the Fulbright Scholar Program's purpose is to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the rest of the world. Brinegar is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad through the program. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.