Associate Professor from Western Carolina University

visiting Technical University of Sofia, Bulgaria

as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar

The first day of K-12 schools

September 15th is the day when all the K-12 schools start their winter semesters. Although I knew the date, I didn’t expect what this date meant. On my way to my office on September 15th (I didn’t even notice what date it was), I could immediately tell...

Peak Musala (2925 m, 9598 ft)

The highest mountain peak in the Balkan Peninsula is Peak Musala in the Rila National Park in Bulgaria, with an altitude (counting from the sea level) of 2,925 meters or 9,598 feet and a topographic prominence (counting from its foothill) of 2,473 meters or 8,114...

Conference in Sozopol

The 10th Automatics conference organized by TU-Sofia was during last weekend in Sozopol, a coastal town by the Black Sea. I left the Fulbright orientation in Sofia early and went to Sozopol to catch the latter part of the conference. Due to COVID, this conference had...

Nestinari (fire dancing)

The Nestinari (fire dancing) ritual is a UNESCO World Heritage legacy of non-material culture in Bulgaria, and many people are wondering how it is done, including me. During the Fulbrighter orientation this week, we had a dinner in a restaurant outdoor and we were...