Troy Munro is a recipient of a 2023-2024 Fulbright grant to Belgium, where he worked to develop education modules using decision-based learning and conducted research at KU Leuven. His research focuses on understanding the thermodynamics that control the shape of biomolecules, with the goal of understanding the conditions that lead abnormal proteins to cause disease. Troy received a dual-PhD in physics and mechanical engineering from KU Leuven and Utah State University in 2016. He looks forward to supporting mental health and young family initiatives in the community.
Q: Describe your grant project.
My grant is focused on understanding the thermodynamics that control biological and soft materials. Specifically, I have been trained on the pASC device (adiabatic scanning calorimeter) at KU Leuven that is capable of directly measuring enthalpy of materials, which is related to the energy released as molecules change their shape. I’ve measured the enthalpy change of several materials including supercooled liquids, 3D printed resin, and an antimicrobial enzyme. The goal of the research is to take the lessons learned from the pASC and develop a smaller, 3D printed version that can perform measurements with even smaller amounts of biomolecules.
Q: What inspired you to apply to the Fulbright Program in Belgium?
I wanted to apply to be a Fulbright Scholar in Belgium because it would provide the opportunity to give back to the university that had a large impact on both my world view and my career. I did one year of my PhD at KU Leuven, and as a student, I interacted with experts and students from around the world and learned to see world events from their point of view. My family went through one of the most difficult times of our lives when I was diagnosed with depression during my first months in Belgium, as the challenges associated with living in a new country were suddenly exacerbated. We benefited from the help of my co-workers, our local church, and the university’s mental health support services as we navigated the ups and downs of treating my condition. I view my Fulbright experience as a way to repay the Leuven community for helping my family become stronger through this trial.
Q: Describe a typical day in your life.
I wake up and enjoy a breakfast of muesli with Belgian chocolate and help my wife as she starts homeschooling our four children for the day. I ride my bike from near the center of Leuven to the Physics labs at the Arenberg campus. Each day is different, but my time is spent between running and analyzing experiments; working alongside masters and PhD students on their research projects; and maintaining my research lab at BYU, including writing and editing reports, student thesis, and scientific papers. At lunch, there is a 50/50 chance that I either eat a broodje I made myself or go to the school cafeteria (the Alma) with others in the lab. Every Tuesday, I have a statistics course where I am expected to attend lectures, work on a group project, and prepare for exams. This experience has really helped me remember the student experience, which is helping me redesign how I teach my courses in the U.S. I then often stop by the grocery store on the way home to pick up something needed for that night or the next day. I join my family for dinner, spend time reading or playing with the kids, put them to bed, and then catch up with emails from the U.S. (since they are in the middle of the work day). On Fridays and the weekends, we either visit a new museum with the museum pass, visit another city in Belgium, or go shopping at the market. On Sundays, we attend church in Grimbergen with a very diverse congregation from around the world.
Q: In what ways have you engaged with your host community in Belgium?
I’ve tried to connect with the community in formal and informal ways. My family has volunteered with the Brussel Childbirth Trust to support other English speaking families. I’ve really enjoyed biweekly dinners with my MindMates mentee. He’s from Belgium, and it has been great to have a chance to learn about each other’s culture as we support each other’s mental health. I’ve also been involved heavily in our church, where our children spend every other weekend or one night a week in activities with other children their age. My wife and I teach the English Sunday School and have made new friends through that.
I think these engagements have helped feel more connected to Belgium, which has helped me have more energy to focus on the teaching and research portions of my grant. Understanding the teaching culture of Belgium has been especially helpful to help me adapt to working with students better.
Q: Can you tell us the story of a particular memorable moment(s) from your time in Belgium?
Snow is a thing that I experience all the time in Utah, but rarely is it experienced here. We had a large snowstorm in January, and I had an experience that I think encapsulates my time in Belgium perfectly. I worked in Leuven, but we lived 12 km away in Duisburg. There were very few options for transportation into Leuven. The two bus routes in the town often were inconvenient. The day of the storm, I took the bus that went directly into Leuven instead of my normal e-bike, because I thought I could easily catch the afternoon bus home like I’d done multiple times before. Unfortunately, I left right as the snow began to fall, and the bus closest to my office never showed up. I walked the 20 minutes to the next bus stop that had a more direct route home, but I watched as all the “ghost” buses on Google Maps kept not coming. I would see buses going into Leuven, but nothing going out on the Tervuursesteenweg. I decided to walk home, meaning I walked 12 km in the gently falling snow. I think the feelings I had that day mirror the rest of my time in Belgium. I thought I had everything figured out, and that it would be easy because I’ve lived in Belgium before (just like I’d taken the bus before). Things happened outside of my control and I had to change my plans, so I had to put more work into finding another solution. And I loved the walk home. It was still and peaceful. The snow fell on me, but I never felt wet (like how a lot of issues happened while here but didn’t ruin me).
Q: Has Belgium been what you expected? In what ways has life in Belgium surprised you, either for its similarities to or differences from your own culture?
I think my experiences will be different from many Fulbrighters because of my previous experience living in Belgium and my family situation. I knew what to expect from Flemish culture, but I had forgotten how long things can take (registering, getting a bank account, etc.). Things were different this time for work, because I was coming in as a colleague, instead of a student. I was surprised at how much I appreciated having open conversations and different perspectives of faculty life. I also felt more comfortable in public this time with all of my kids, because previously, I remember feeling judged by people at restaurants for bringing little kids in.
Q: What has it been like to bring family members with you to Belgium? What has the experience been like for them?
This has been a very unique experience for all of us. I have a wife and four children (13, 11, 9, and 7 years old) with me; I also lived in Belgium 10 years ago when we only had two children. We first started living in the countryside (Duisburg, outside Tervuren) because that was the only housing we could find that fit our family. It gave us a place to live until a KU Leuven apartment was available three months into my grant. Getting the family to Belgium was easier this time, but moving around in Belgium has had mixed success. Living in the countryside was probably the hardest because of the lack of transportation options and limited access to stores and services that would have made things go smoother. It took significant planning to go anywhere except the local bakery, butcher’s, or Carrefour Express. Once we moved to Leuven, things were significantly easier, as we had frequent buses, a train station, and multiple Cambio sites within walking distance. Despite those difficulties, we’ve enjoyed our time here. I feel like we’ve been able to connect to and volunteer with a subset of the population that I wouldn’t have been able to on my own. We’ve experienced a lot of great museums and learned more about why things in Belgium are the way they are. My son described the experience as “fun, chaotic, and tiring.”
Q: What has been your favorite “discovery” in Belgium?City living. By that I mean going out at night and having everything lit up, with cafes and restaurants open and tons of students hanging out in the Oude Markt. I have spent most of my life in the suburbs, including when we lived in Belgium 10 years ago, and there’s a lot less that goes on there. Once the kids go to bed, my wife and I have enjoyed walking around the Oude and Grote Markten to see all the people having a good time, and walking down Muntstraat to get something to eat. We have also loved being able to walk a short distance out of the apartment to the weekly market or accidentally find random festivals that we didn’t know were happening.
Q: What misconceptions do you think other Americans may have about Belgium? What do you wish everyone knew about Belgium?
I think most Americans generally think of waffles, chocolate, and Flanders Field when they think about Belgium. I wish people could see that Belgium is an example of how messy democracy can be, but how important it is to get rid of the tribal mindset. Belgium has had hundreds of days without a federal government, but it still stays together. It’s like a mini-Europe, where being willing to compromise is hard, but it keeps people together and interested in each other’s welfare. I think Belgium is an example of being stronger together.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is considering applying to the Fulbright Program?
I would recommend they start now to reach out to a potential host. Having a host that is “in my corner” has helped move things along more smoothly, both getting to Belgium and functioning at work. We had set clear but flexible expectations with each other so we could be less stressed in what we were hoping to accomplish.