We had a fabulous reception tonight at the American Embassy in Helsinki. Ambassador Bruce Oreck gave a warm and engaging welcome to all of the new Fulbrighters in Finland in which he stressed our twofold mission as visiting American scholars in Finland: to develop a deep area of expertise in our specialized project areas and to facilitate meaningful cultural exchange by being our general American selves in everyday life. He entreated us to

share not just what you know, but who you are.

He also quickly won me over by discussing the immense challenges and opportunities presented by the deluge of digital information and big data, stressing that it is more important now than ever to invest in scholarship. At the reception I had the pleasure of meeting academics from our Finnish host institutions, members of the American Embassy’s public diplomacy team, Finnish and American Fulbright alumni, and, last but certainly not least, the ambassa-dog!