College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Forestry

Sandra Lupien, an Academic Specialist who serves as Director, MassTimber@MSU at Michigan State University (MSU) , has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to conduct a professional product focused on mass timber policy for the 2025-26 academic year in Finland from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Through the Fulbright Finland Foundation’s “Seeking Solutions for Global Challenges” program, Lupien will collaborate with Dr. Nataša Lovrić, faculty in the University of Eastern Finland’s (UEF) School of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology to catalog, analyze, and compare mass timber-focused policies and initiatives across Michigan, the United States, Finland, and the European Union. The project, which builds on Lupien’s mass timber policy expertise and leadership, as well as on existing relationships between Lupien, MSU, UEF, and other Finnish business and organizational entities, will highlight models and guidance that mass timber proponents and policymakers worldwide can use to advance mass timber goals in their regions.

“The Fulbright Award is clear testament to Sandra’s outstanding work and leadership in the realm of mass timber. Conducting this work at the University of Eastern Finland, an important MSU Forestry partner and collaborator, is a great match as UEF is in Joensuu – the forestry capital of Europe.  This work should both enhance international collaboration and bring knowledge and benefits back to the developing mass timber industry in Michigan and the U.S.,” said Dr. Richard Kobe, Chair of the Department of Forestry, where Lupien is based.

In addition, to her home base in Forestry, Lupien also has appointments in the School of Planning, Design, and Construction, and MSU Extension, all of which are housed in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR).

Lupien is one of 11 MSU faculty members to receive a Fulbright in the 2025-26 cycle; two of these are based in the CANR.

“MSU’s leadership in mass timber research, outreach and education is built on collaboration across academic units in CANR and the College of Engineering. Sandra’s well-deserved Fulbright award and her experiences in Europe next year will advance MSU’s mass timber work and benefit our stakeholders,” said Matt Daum, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Fulbright U.S. Scholars are faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals teaching or conducting research in affiliation with institutes abroad. Fulbright Scholars engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges. Notable Fulbrighters include 62 Nobel Laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, 82 MacArthur Fellows, 44 heads of state or government, and thousands of leaders across the private, public, and non-profit sectors.

Over 800 individuals teach or conduct research abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program annually. In addition, over 2,000 Fulbright U.S. Student Program participants—recent college graduates, graduate students, and early career professionals—participate in study/research exchanges or as English teaching assistants in local schools abroad each year.

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide. 

In the United States, the Institute of International Education implements the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.  For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://fulbrightprogram.org.

For more information about MSU's Fulbright programs, contact Joy Campbell, Fulbright Program Advisor.