Past Grant Competitions

Winning Projects

• FAE Centro Universitário (Brazil) & Siena College — Brazilian Portuguese program for foreign students

  To overcome the challenges of making study abroad accessible for all students, FAE Centro Universitário implemented a Brazilian Portuguese program for foreign students, created an international student office, and developed a training program for student mentors.

• Instituto Federal de Educação (Brazil), Ball State University & Hampton University — Rainforest research internship program

  Students alternated between living and studying at the IFSEMG (Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Sudeste Minas Gerais) campus, while carrying out practical internships at the Iracambi Rainforest Research Center.

• Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico) & George Mason University — Faculty exchange and student mobility initiative

  This collaborative initiative had three core components: faculty exchange, globally networked learning, and student exchange.

• Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (Mexico) & West Virginia University — Engineering education and professional competencies

  The grant assisted in building global professional competencies and helped close the gap between academia and industry in Mexico and the United States.

• Universidad de Guanajuato (Mexico) & University of Arizona — Internationalized summer research program

  The grant expanded student exchange innovation through the internationalization of a summer research program at the Universidad de Guanajuato and promoted participation of students from the University of Arizona's Summer Research Institute.

• Universidad EAFIT (Colombia) & Purdue University — Enhanced services for U.S. students abroad

  Universidad EAFIT strengthened the services and opportunities offered to incoming U.S. students and increased their number of bilateral agreements by 200%.

• Universidade Federal de Viçosa (Brazil) — English-language undergraduate courses in agriculture and engineering

  The grant allowed Universidade Federal de Viçosa to start offering regular undergraduate courses in English in agricultural and biological engineering, food science, animal science, and agricultural economics in order to attract more U.S. students.

• Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo (Mexico) — Study abroad programs and Mayan culture research exchanges

  The Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo created study abroad programs, trained staff to support these exchanges, sent professors to the U.S. to do research, and received U.S. professors to do research related to Mayan culture.

• Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador) & five U.S. universities — Science research and study abroad expansion

  Through the grant, the university (partnering with Clemson University, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, University of New Mexico, Oregon State University, and Juniata College) expanded its study abroad through a student research program in the sciences, curriculum integration, student incentives, program marketing, and the implementation of a web-based data management system.

• Universidad Santa María la Antigua (Panama) & University of Arkansas — Bidirectional student mobility and corporate internships

  The grant increased student mobility in both directions, increased capacity at Universidad Santa María la Antigua (USMA) to provide support to U.S. students for short-term programs (including service learning), established a visiting faculty program where Arkansas faculty taught courses at USMA, and created a bi-directional corporate internship program.

Winning Projects

• University of Arizona, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile & Pontificia Universidad Católica de Perú — Latin America Natural Resources Academy

  The University of Arizona's mining program sought to create a sustainable umbrella organization for STEM-focused student exchanges related to sustainable resource development with its strategic partners, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Perú and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. The program created the new Latin America Natural Resources Academy and a new Certificate in International Sustainable Resources Development to increase the number of bilingual students trained in key STEM disciplines.

• University of Rhode Island & Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso — Launching the International Engineering Program in Chile

  University of Rhode Island's project focused on four activities engaging engineering students from the U.S. and Chile in international study and experiential service-learning: international internships (which allowed 3 students to work at host companies arranged with partner university Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, or PUCV), a bilateral exchange agreement (which sent 6 students, including one researcher, to study at PUCV), an Innovations in Sustainability course (the first offered in a language other than English, as part of URI's new "Grand Challenges Program"), and a two-week sustainability project and study tour in which 7 URI students traveled south to carry out projects alongside PUCV students. In total, URI sent 16 students through one of the four program activities and hosted 2 Chilean students.

• University of North Texas, Universidad de Magallanes & Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad — An Innovative U.S.-Chilean Student Exchange Program

  The University of North Texas, in partnership with Universidad de Magallanes and the Institute for Ecology and Biodiversity in Chile, exceeded its projected target of engaging five higher-education institutions, reaching twelve. Due in large part to the grant, the program's course offerings were extended to the University of Connecticut, and the two institutions continued together in the flagship field course "Tracing Darwin's Path"; UNT and UConn also submitted a joint pre-proposal to the National Science Foundation. Students who traveled through the program attended the 23rd International Association of Bryology Conference (2015) at Omora Park in southern Chile, and with travel support from the grant, UNT sent students from six different universities to participate in three international conferences and workshops, including the annual All-Scientists Meeting of the Americas and the International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) Network meeting.

• Northampton Community College & Universidad Nacional de Trujillo (Peru) — Implementing Sustainable Energy Systems in Developing Communities

  Northampton Community College's project had two objectives: to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a short-term, service study abroad course that leverages in-country partnerships to reduce cost and increase STEM student engagement, and to build capacity for study abroad by developing sustainable exchange partnerships in South America. Students began the program by learning skills in the classroom at Northampton and then applied them over four weeks at WindAid facilities in Peru, where they built wind turbines from scratch, installed them, troubleshot problems, and then worked with WindAid personnel to train community members in operating and maintaining the turbines. Northampton and its partner, Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, went on to deepen institutional cooperation through a new archeological study abroad program.

Winning Projects

• University of Colorado–Boulder, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Kansas University & Indiana University — Global Inquiry in Brazil and Bolivia: A Field Course and Internship/Research Experience

  The University of Colorado Boulder developed an innovative program called Global Inquiry with several partners: Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Universidade de São Paulo, and Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz in Brazil, and Universidad Pública de El Alto and Unidad Académica Campesina "Carmen Pampa" in Bolivia, with collaboration from the University of Wisconsin, Kansas University, and Indiana University. The objective was to increase student knowledge of sustainable development, environmental governance, and social entrepreneurship; the program planned to support 32 U.S. students abroad and 32 Brazilian/Bolivian students in the U.S., and as of the final report 20 students had traveled south to participate in a six-week immersion study abroad program that included service learning and in-country research project development.

• Universidad de San Andrés, The College of New Jersey, University of Miami & Rice University — Increasing and Improving Student Mobility between the U.S. and Argentina

  Universidad de San Andrés developed a new academic track within its Program in Latin American Studies focused on service learning and community engagement. The project promoted increased student exchanges between the U.S. and Argentina and increased the number of partner institutions for all Program in Latin American Studies tracks, while the coursework fostered civic responsibility and students' foreign-language skills.

• Universidad de La Salle (Colombia) & New Mexico State University — Young Leaders Innovating for the Reinvention of an Agricultural Sustainable Region

  Universidad de La Salle, with U.S. partner New Mexico State University, ran a faculty-led exchange in which four Agricultural Engineering students and two faculty from La Salle, and four Plant and Environmental Sciences students and three faculty from NMSU, visited each other's campuses. U.S. students spent two weeks at La Salle's Utopia Project in Yopal and its main campus in Bogotá learning about Colombian agriculture and the effects of drought on local farmland, while La Salle students traveled to New Mexico to visit NMSU's research centers and fields and learn about flood irrigation, shrimp production, and crops such as pecans, chili, and onions.

• Edgewood College & Universidad Católica de Santa María (Peru) — Edgewood College Program in Peru and the Americas

  The Innovation Fund grant supported Edgewood College in expanding its service-learning and sustainable development program in Alto Cayma, Peru, and strengthening its partnership with Universidad Católica de Santa María (UCSM) in Arequipa, with four goals: solidifying long-term community development projects in Alto Cayma, establishing an endowment fund to support global service-learning and grow the number of Edgewood students going to Peru, developing northbound programming with UCSM, and replicating the Peru model in other Edgewood programs in the Americas. Ten students traveled to Peru for five weeks, where they learned to build solar ovens and improve community gardens, then trained local women leaders through workshops.

• University of South Dakota & Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya (Peru) — Pan American Partnerships: From the Prairie to Peru

  The University of South Dakota, in partnership with Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, committed to doubling study abroad participation by 2017. The program included developing courses taught by USD faculty in Latin America and negotiating college budgetary support, and was also extended to smaller campuses in the South Dakota Board of Regents system that lack the resources or infrastructure to build such a program on their own.

Winning Projects

• University of Tulsa — Global Inquiry in Brazil and Bolivia: promoting education and exchange on sustainable development

  University of Tulsa, in collaboration with UNICAMP (Universidade Estadual de Campinas) and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, carried out an innovative model for engaging U.S. STEM students in study abroad in Brazil, introducing energy-related geology, geophysics, and Portuguese language through a program titled "Descobrindo a Terra: Exploring Geology and Geophysics in Brazil." It was the first of a planned five-year initiative to deepen and broaden collaborative activities in Brazil.

• University of Texas at El Paso & CETYS Universidad (Mexico) — Engineering Together Sustainable Solutions

  Through the grant, UTEP developed a study abroad program with CETYS University (Ensenada campus) in Mexico focused on sustainable, humanitarian engineering, incorporating a community-driven development project in which UTEP and CETYS students worked together with local communities to design and implement sustainable engineering solutions. Eight CETYS students studied abroad in Texas while 17 UTEP students studied abroad at CETYS; the exchange was considered both an academic and cultural success, with students applying their engineering skills through a humanitarian process in different communities.

• University of North Texas & CETYS Universidad (Mexico) — Cultural and Technical Exchanges on Advanced Materials

  The University of North Texas developed a project on cultural and technical exchanges on advanced materials between the U.S. and Mexico, partnering with CETYS University in Mexicali to promote student mobility aligned with STEM workforce needs in engineering, manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, and heavy-duty truck products. Nine Mexican students studied at UNT while five U.S. students studied at CETYS (short of the original target of 12 CETYS students); participants took part in structured technical, cultural, and social learning activities and shared undergraduate research between the two universities, with at least one participant going on to be employed in advanced technology.

• University of Arizona & Universidad de Guadalajara (Mexico) — A scalable bilateral model for student engagement through the CONAHEC/ANUIES Project Based Mobility Program

  The University of Arizona, along with Universidad de Guadalajara, created a project-based mobility network between the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration (CONAHEC) and ANUIES (La Asociación Nacional de Universidades e Instituciones de Educación Superior) to help engineering students network with other organizations, leveraging the institutional membership of 180 U.S. and Mexican institutions to provide engineering students with job opportunities. The program built on an existing University of Arizona initiative where interdisciplinary teams of engineering students collaborate to solve real-world problems, and drew interest from Public Affairs Officers at the U.S. and Canadian embassies in Mexico in supporting and promoting the program.

• Universidad de La Sabana (Colombia) & Northern Illinois University — Joint Faculty-led Mobility Program in Engineering

  Universidad de La Sabana (UniSabana) partnered with Northern Illinois University (NIU) to develop an exchange program bringing together students and faculty from both universities, providing study abroad opportunities for engineering students, creating social impact in the universities' communities, and engaging in collaborative research. In its first phase, four NIU students traveled to study at UniSabana alongside 14 Colombian students in a simulation course counted toward Industrial Engineering credit, including service with a local children's foundation and visits to three local companies; by the 2016 round, nine UniSabana students traveled to NIU to join nine NIU students in the same course, and the two universities continued working toward a double-degree model linking UniSabana's Industrial Engineering undergraduate program with NIU's Master of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering.

Winning Projects

• Western Michigan University & Universidad De La Salle Bajío — Both Sides of the Fence: Addressing Obesity in U.S./Mexican Migrants

  Western Michigan University (WMU) and Universidad De La Salle Bajío designed "Both Sides of the Fence" so that students could explore issues of Mexican migration, including cultural influences and community health, through a service-learning project focused on preventing obesity through nutrition and physical activity in rural Mexican communities affected by migration. Nine Mexican and six U.S. students participated in a three-week "day camp" in two communities in Guanajuato focused on obesity prevention for local children and grandparents (averaging 146 daily participants), designing lesson plans, exercise activities, and art projects, while La Salle Bajío Culinary Arts students helped prepare and serve 1,742 traditional, healthy Mexican meals and compiled a cookbook of about 100 copies distributed to participating families.

• University of North Alabama & Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola — Exercise and Nutritional Science: Promoting Study Abroad in Health and Nutrition

  University of North Alabama focused on the impact of physical activity and proper nutrition in combating obesity linked to negative behavior choices, through a multidisciplinary, research-oriented, field study abroad program involving students in exercise, nutritional science, and culinary arts, specifically designed to address the merging of traditional and alternative approaches to disease prevention through promoting healthy lifestyle practices to combat obesity and encourage physical activity.

• SUNY Oswego, Ulster County Community College & Faculdades Integradas de Patos — Promoting Study Abroad Focusing on Health and Nutrition

  State University of New York at Oswego, through a new collaboration with Ulster County Community College (SUNY) and Faculdades Integradas de Patos (Brazil), brought study abroad opportunities to a region with no previous connection to the United States, using technology to maximize cultural awareness and education while equalizing opportunity. Families and communities were incorporated to provide a larger societal impact on obesity and other comorbid conditions through exercise and diet.

• Oregon Health & Science University & Universidad de Guanajuato — Sister City Exchange: a pilot nursing student exchange with a focus on health and nutrition

  Oregon Health and Science University developed a sustainable structure for ongoing exchange programs through a new international student exchange with Universidad de Guanajuato, targeted at Nursing students — a field that had traditionally not studied abroad. Nursing students participated in community assessments and activities focused on health and nutrition in the targeted communities.

• Northwestern University & Universidad Panamericana — Public Health in Mexico: A Collaborative and Comparative Framework for Learning

  With support from the Innovation Fund, Northwestern University (NU) developed an eight-week summer study abroad program, "Public Health in Mexico," bringing undergraduate NU students to Universidad Panamericana (UP) in Mexico City for classes and research, and UP students to NU. Students from both universities conducted joint research on childhood obesity and perceptions of obesity as a health problem in the town of Malinalco, Mexico; over the grant period 22 NU students and 6 UP students participated, with several UP students presenting their research at a "Building Bridges between Basic and Clinical Science" meeting at UP and earning recognition for their work.

Winning Projects

• West Virginia University & Universidad Nacional de Asunción — Innovative Ventures for Student Mobility in the Americas (energy and water sectors)

  With a focus on energy, water quality, waste management, environment, and economy, West Virginia University's program increased student and faculty mobility between WVU's College of Agriculture and Resource Economics and UNA's Faculty of Economics (Economics, Management and Accounting). Students attended special seminars on the related themes, traveled to prominent field sites for first-hand observation, and participated in hands-on training in new technologies at each campus's ICT centers, while WVU used the corporate sponsor's media platform WeSpeke to maintain connectivity between students across the Americas for intercultural interaction, discussion of resource-economics issues, scenario design, and collaborative problem-solving.

• Virginia Commonwealth University, Universidad de Guadalajara & Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla — Advancing Study Abroad with Peer-led Reciprocal Community Service

  Virginia Commonwealth University expanded on its state-of-the-art global education living-learning program, VCU Globe, to include reciprocal student exchanges with its two Mexican partner universities. The program provided undergraduate students in all disciplines with intercultural learning experiences abroad through shared living facilities with co-curricular activities for sustained intercultural communication (Global Living), specialized coursework in intercultural competence and global leadership (Global Education), and at least 40 hours of service alongside colleagues from other cultures in the local host community (Global Engagement).

• University of California, San Diego & Universidad Autónoma de Baja California — Healthy Minds, Resilient Communities

  Through a joint effort between UC San Diego, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, and UCSD-UABC Health Frontiers in Tijuana (a student-run free clinic in Tijuana, Mexico), medical, master's, and doctoral-level clinical psychology students from the partnering institutions participated in academic and experiential learning activities focused on global mental health. The program — which included two new academic mental health courses at the UCSD and UABC campuses, training sessions at the Health Frontiers in Tijuana clinic, and service projects in Tijuana — let students learn about mental health in the context of ongoing trauma, poverty, displacement, and chronic health conditions, and about culturally competent mental health services for vulnerable populations living in such conditions.

• University of New Mexico, Universidad La Salle & Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán — Innovation Academy for Women in the Americas

  The Innovation Academy for Women in the Americas is a program that facilitates the academic and career advancement of women — particularly from underrepresented, minority, and indigenous groups — in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Architecture (STEM+A), providing them with the knowledge, skills, and support to advance to higher-level research and senior leadership roles in the workforce. The Academy operates under a model that creates global exposure through education abroad focused on developing academic, research, and professional skills, coupled with ongoing mentorship and support for students.

• Texas State University & Universidad Alberto Hurtado — LEARN: Binational Graduate Student Collaboration for Educational Improvement in Chile

  Project LEARN-Chile (Leadership and Educational Action Resource Network), a collaboration between Texas State University and Universidad Alberto Hurtado, aimed to give U.S. doctoral students in education and social science the opportunity to advance their skills in international educational research through fieldwork. The program offered a seminar course culminating in an intensive ten-day field research experience in Chile under a service-learning paradigm involving a local university partner, five community organizations focused on educational improvement, and two corporate partners, ending in a roundtable event at Universidad Alberto Hurtado to examine the differing community partners' educational priorities and identify next steps for collaboration.

Winning Projects

• Universidad Politécnica de Puerto Rico & Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo — Doctoral Intensive Research Awareness Experience in STEM Program for Caribbean Hispanic Students

  The Doctoral Intensive Research Awareness Experience (DIRAE) Program expanded study abroad opportunities in STEM disciplines by preparing Caribbean Hispanic students with the research skills needed to develop a successful doctoral dissertation through guidance, mentoring, and collaboration from faculty. It aimed to increase participants' chances of succeeding in a STEM doctoral program, provide better academic skills for pursuing advanced degrees in the U.S., and broaden participation in study abroad while creating networking opportunities between potential doctoral students.

• Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico (San Germán) & Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios — IAUPR-SG Student Exchange Project

  The Innovation Fund grant enabled Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, San Germán, and Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios (Bogotá) to enhance and strengthen the academic exchange already underway between the two institutions, with a major activity being student engagement in research experiences. UIPR San Germán provided Colombian students a setting for learning about Latin American and U.S. culture, democracy, social affairs, and history, while a companion faculty exchange developed resources and improved study abroad processes such as recruitment, legal immigration compliance, travel logistics, admissions, and other student exchange services.

• Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico (Recinto Metro) & Universidad de Costa Rica — Partnership Model for Bridging Research in Biodiversity and Bioprospection

  This program provided research experience for undergraduate and graduate students from Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Metro Campus, and Universidad de Costa Rica to share knowledge and skills in specific fields and laboratory techniques in STEM subjects. Travel to the partnering country for field courses introduced students to different field methodologies and gave them hands-on research experience, with the program's innovation lying in involving students and faculty in exploring the ecological potential of Puerto Rico's and Costa Rica's biodiversity through high-level, bioprospection-guided scientific research.

• Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico (Facultad de Derecho) & Universidad de La Habana — Law in Times of Internationalization

  Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Facultad de Derecho, and Universidad de La Habana envisioned a two-way collaborative exchange enabling graduate students in the legal profession to learn, experience, and compare two completely different legal systems. The program integrated master's-level (LLM) law students from Puerto Rico (UIAPR) and graduate students from the Universidad de La Habana in a teaching-learning experience comparing the legal systems of both countries, with courses taken in both Puerto Rico and Cuba emphasizing litigation and alternative dispute resolution and sharing the fundamental concepts of each country's judicial system.

• Universidad Ana G. Méndez (Carolina) & Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola — Expanding Bidirectional Study Abroad through Long-Term Faculty Integration

  This partnership aimed to increase student engagement in study abroad, particularly in entrepreneurial business and culinary arts, while strengthening Universidad Ana G. Méndez–Carolina's institutional capacity to promote and support student exchange programs after the grant ends. The two institutions used grant funds to support faculty exchange, begin curriculum development within the business and culinary arts programs, provide partial scholarships for short-term student group exchange, and improve exchange-program infrastructure, aiming to increase student interaction with visiting faculty, curricular integration of international topics, and a stronger support system of study abroad policies, procedures, and personnel.

Winning Projects

• Snow College & SENA Centro Tecnológico del Mobiliario — Global Inquiry and Language Learning

  Snow College, in partnership with the SENA Centro Tecnológico del Mobiliario, will increase students' intercultural awareness and competence through global engagement opportunities. In doing so, Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) students will use their theoretical knowledge to help create and teach lessons for SENA students in specific fields of study, while SENA students and faculty will share ideas about how to better apply skills in the fields of agribusiness and construction management. SENA students will also meet virtually with Snow College students who are enrolled in the TESL program, followed by a group of select students participating in the immersive travel experience. In return, SENA faculty will help U.S. TESL students develop content-specific lesson plans and curriculum to improve SENA students' English language skills.

• Miami Dade College & SENA Centro de Comercio y Turismo — Culinary and Hospitality Trends: Innovation and Entrepreneurship

  Tourism has long been the principal industry in Miami, Florida welcoming visitors with year-round warm weather, sandy beaches, and cosmopolitan culture. Tourism is also a growing sector in Armenia, Colombia where ecotourists explore the foothills of the Andes, lush valleys of the coffee-growing region, and distinctive culture and cuisine. Building on this economic link and the strong Hispanic heritage of both cities, Miami Dade College (MDC) will engage in an educational exchange program with Centro de Comercio y Turismo (CCT), a SENA Center in Armenia, Colombia focused on innovations and trends in the culinary and hospitality fields.

• Fox Valley Technical College & SENA Centro Internacional Náutico Fluvial y Portuario — Entrepreneurial Thinking for Employability (ENTENTE)

  Through a unique, practical curricular design offering entrepreneurial training to two-year technical college students, Project ENTENTE advances their workforce skills in the area of business innovation. Previously, short-term study abroad projects for entrepreneurism have not been offered to underrepresented two-year technical college students to develop their global competency. This new study abroad model can be replicated by other two-year colleges with the goal to enhance global competencies and entrepreneurial skills highly valued in a changing world economy. Students will also be a part of an online ENTENTE Entrepreneurs' Network to continue sharing knowledge, business, employability tips, cultural competences, and more.

• Flathead Valley Community College & SENA Centro de Automatización Industrial — Colombia and Montana: A Partnership Promoting Innovation and Biculturalism

  Flathead Valley Community College and the SENA Centro de Automatización Industrial will develop a curriculum that utilizes CNC technology in conjunction with photovoltaic (solar energy) technology to advance renewable energy solutions. Both institutions have strong machining and renewable energy programs with cutting-edge equipment and are eager to work together to blend these two disciplines into a project with meaningful outcomes for students. In addition to breaking new ground for Occupational Trades students, this represents the first student-exchange program that Flathead Valley has with a post-secondary institution in Latin America and the first student-exchange program that the Centro de Automatización Industrial has had with a U.S. post-secondary institution.

• Central New Mexico Community College & SENA Centro de Servicios y Gestión Empresarial — CISCO Networking Academy Boot Camp

  Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), in partnership with the SENA Centro de Servicios y Gestión Empresarial, created a reciprocal student exchange program that will prepare information technology students for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam, while also providing them with contextualized language instruction and cultural immersion in the business and social environments of the host country. Students are provided with self-paced individual lessons, receive support by in-person faculty, and will participate within their cohort through in-person and online coursework as well as job shadowing. This program also incorporates a proven entrepreneurial curriculum, not widely applied to a community college population, yet shown to have real benefits in terms of performance and increased soft skills.

Winning Projects

• University of Pittsburgh & Universidade Federal do Paraná — U.S.-Brazil Partnership in Engineering Capstone Design

  University of Pittsburgh and Universidade Federal do Paraná's proposed program integrates the academic strengths and existing partnership of both institutions. It centers on facilitating cross-cultural design teams for senior engineering students in order to fulfill respective senior capstone design requirements — a cornerstone of engineering education worldwide. Students will earn credit toward their degrees while learning from their peers' diverse engineering approaches, cultural knowledge, problem-solving skills, communication styles, and more. Such an exchange aims to transform graduates of this program into appealing candidates with global skills and at the same time enhance US-Brazil engineering networks.

• University of North Texas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México & Universidad Nacional de La Plata — Bridging the Americas: Promoting Global Solutions for Local Landfill Problems through Student Service and Learning

  "Bridging the Americas" will foster trilateral mobility by bringing together students from Mexico, the U.S., and Argentina to evaluate landfill pollution across the Americas and to develop policy recommendations for reducing waste and environmental contamination. This project is an interdisciplinary and multi-country initiative that promotes student service learning and local community engagement, and includes faculty mentorship from all three partnering institutions. The student research teams, which are jointly mentored by faculty from each institution, will explore best practices about waste disposal management both inside the classroom and through visits to local landfills in the respective country.

• University of Texas at El Paso & Universidad de Guadalajara — US-Mexico Bidirectional Study Abroad Program on Smart Cities

  Many natural and man-made disasters in recent years have demonstrated that the infrastructure of a city, such as transportation, building, energy, and communication systems, are interdependent. The University of Texas at El Paso, in partnership with Universidad de Guadalajara, developed a study abroad program that will expose students to international engineering, business, social and cultural practices in order to provide them with a clear understanding of how individual infrastructure works into a "smart city." Through the proposed program, students will attend classes, take field trips, and carry out projects that will address current issues faced by cities undergoing a transformation into smart cities.

• University of Texas at Austin & Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México — Promoting Study Abroad in Geophysics: Applying Intelligent Systems to Geoscience Problems (IS-GEO)

  The University of Texas at Austin and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México designed a new and innovative exchange program model that aims to address one of the key challenges to student mobility: attracting STEM students to study abroad opportunities. The Intelligent Systems to Geoscience Problems (IS-GEO) project will increase the number of students engaged in joint IS-GEO research by initiating cross-border interdisciplinary collaborations between the U.S. and Mexico. Students will participate in a course that will provide a model for other STEM departments, helping other institutions overcome barriers for incorporating international exchange into existing curricula.

• University of Massachusetts-Boston & Universidade Tiradentes — The Comparative Coastal Systems of Sergipe, Brazil and Massachusetts, USA

  The University of Massachusetts, Boston (UMB) and the Universidade Tiradentes (UniT) are ideal academic partners, located in state capital cities, in coastal zones, and have expertise in the earth sciences, which led to a formal agreement that also established the Tiradentes Institute on the UMB campus. The goal of the Comparative Coastal Systems project is to increase student understanding of the development and evolution of coastal systems through an immersive, research-based, collaborative, educational experience comparing the Brazilian and U.S. coasts. To that end, the program will foster deeper connections between UMB and UniT faculty and students, as well as provide students with diverse cross-cultural experiences.

Winning Projects

• Vancouver Island University & Pitzer College — Indigenous Student and Innovation Exchange

  Through the program, Vancouver Island University and Pitzer College will bring together two established indigenous mentorship programs to increase Aboriginal student access to and retention in post-secondary education. The program goes beyond the standard approach to academics, drawing on Native North American scholars and Elders' wisdom to contribute cultural knowledge and traditional ways of learning within the academic environment. Students on the program will be encouraged to find their voice and vision for cultural reclamation and sovereignty. The primary goal of this partnership is to develop an exchange program for indigenous youth to learn more about higher education in both the United States and Canada.

• Universidad Tecnológica de Tijuana & Southwestern College — ILMEXUS: Building a Cali-Baja Binational International Logistics Workforce

  Universidad Tecnológica de Tijuana's program takes advantage of the geographic proximity between the two border institutions to reduce the cost of study abroad, tie the program to the business needs of the field of international logistics, and pave the way to a double degree. Through the program, students will have the option to complete an international internship in one of the supporting companies. The program is catered towards students in the field of international logistics, who possess the linguistic fluency, bicultural background, and technical knowledge to operate efficiently on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

• Universidad EAN & University of Texas at San Antonio — Faculty-led Study Abroad for Environmental Engineering

  Universidad EAN and the University of Texas San Antonio propose to establish a short-term, reciprocal, faculty-led program in the area of Environmental Engineering, covering specific topics of Soil Contamination. Students will have the opportunity to advance their language requirements for graduation, assess the different possible approaches to solve common sustainability problems, and share best practices in the field.

• Salve Regina University & Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra — Spanish for the Health & Service Professions

  Salve Regina University will develop a Minor in Spanish for the Health & Service professions. This is the first time the institution has tied a specific study abroad program as a requirement to a minor and chosen the specific destination with an eye to the local demographic. The new program will incorporate required degree credit, summer study and service program in the Dominican Republic. By developing students' Spanish language skills and knowledge of Hispanic Caribbean cultures, students will be prepared to better serve the local populations in Rhode Island, southern New England, and other metropolitan areas nationally. In addition, by focusing on majors that traditionally have a curricular barrier to semester study abroad and offering a cost-effective, purposeful, summer option for immersive study abroad, the program will achieve a substantial increase in mobility rates to the Western Hemisphere while putting in place an infrastructure for continuous growth from these majors between the regions in subsequent years.

• Louisiana State University & Universidad Nacional de Agricultura (Honduras) — Building Friendship, Collaboration and Innovation through Shared Student International Agricultural Experiences

  Louisiana State University (LSU), in partnership with Universidad Nacional de Agricultura (UNAG), will build a study abroad program for students from both institutions to receive degree credit. The program will allow students to develop new connections and knowledge about agriculture in both Louisiana and Honduras, and more importantly, develop and cultivate in students the competencies required for success in international agriculture in the 21st century. UNAG will specifically recruit students from underrepresented target groups who have demonstrated interest and ability to succeed in a university setting, including low-income households from the poorest municipalities in the country, rural farmer's associations, indigenous and Afro-Honduran populations.

Winning Projects

• University of Wisconsin-Green Bay & Universidad del Desarrollo (Chile) — Bi-directional environmental engineering travel course with a water focus

  The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Universidad del Desarrollo bi-directional travel course presents innovations in the type of study abroad opportunity, the student experience, and the process of institutionalizing the partnership. Through the program, U.S. and Chilean students will travel to Green Bay, Wisconsin and Santiago, Chile, both of which will provide the perfect living laboratories for experiential learning opportunities in water contamination and associated impact on environmental and human health. The course curriculum, which is comprised of a water-specific environmental engineering and policy theme, coupled with site visits to water-related civic and industry infrastructure makes this a one-of-a-kind educational experience for students. (Source page title: "Establishment of a University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (US)-Universidad del Desarrollo (Chile) Bi-Directional Travel Course: Environmental Engineering Issues-Water Emphasis.")

• University of Texas at El Paso & Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México — Environmental and Water Challenges in the Mexico City Metropolitan Region

  The University of Texas El Paso's program is designed to provide an integrated and appropriate study abroad experience that combines enhanced classroom and data-gathering field research experience. It will offer students a holistic overview of the water management challenges facing the México City metropolitan area and Paso del Norte, a region that includes El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, in the Mexican Chihuahua border region. The activities will set the foundation for a sustainable and collaborative research-based study abroad program that addresses the challenges faced by non-traditional minority students while preparing the environmental scientists and policymakers of the future. (Source page title: "A Holistic Approach to Environmental and Water Challenges in the Mexico City Metropolitan Region: A Study Abroad Opportunity for Non-Traditional Minority Students.")

• University of Illinois Springfield & Universidade Estadual de Maringá (Brazil) — Conservation or Restoration: Studying Two Large Rivers in the Americas

  The University of Illinois Springfield program provides both a study abroad experience with an undergraduate research experience in the area of environmental science and water, in particular, river ecology. It combines an online course, based on the local environmental water resources of the U.S. and Brazil, with an ongoing international collaborative research agenda in the context of a bi-directional student exchange program. Students will work with real datasets, learn from river ecologists and river management professionals, and experience field studies on two large rivers in the Americas.

• University of Arizona & multiple partners — Graduate mobility initiative on water quality and reuse across Brazil, Chile and Mexico

  Through the grant, the University of Arizona will establish a thematic cluster consisting of five higher education institution partners from four countries (Universidade Federal de Pernambuco and Universidade Federal Minas Gerais in Brazil, Universidad de Concepción in Chile, and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) that will collaborate to develop a harmonized and complementary curriculum in environmental engineering and science to prepare the next generation cadre of professionals to be equipped to address the problem of water reuse, and to develop and implement water reuse technologies and practices in an international setting. The coordinated curriculum is intended to facilitate two-year dual degree MS programs, which will promote and enable graduate student mobility between universities in the cluster. (Source page title: "Graduate Student Mobility for Water Quality and Reuse in the Americas.")

• Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa (Brazil) & University of North Texas — Graduate research program on water availability in Paraná and Texas

  Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, in partnership with the University of North Texas and with the support of the Water and Sanitation Company of the State of Paraná (SANEPAR) in Brazil and the City of Denton's Texas Water and Wastewater treatment plants, will implement a unique graduate study abroad program that will focus on addressing a problem of critical importance for Brazil and the U.S. Through the program, students will learn the environmental impacts of ammonia in water supply sources, its effects on the water treatment process, and the availability of water for human consumption. (Source page title: "Ensuring the local availability of clean water through graduate student research and learning in Parana and Texas.")

Winning Projects

• Northampton Community College & SENA (Colombia) — SENA Partnership for Study Abroad Capacity Building

  Northampton Community College, in partnership with SENA Centro Tecnológico de Gestión Industrial, will implement a study abroad course/program focused on environmental sustainability studies and designed to give technical engineering students the skills and perspectives to engage in longer-term study abroad. Northampton technical engineering faculty and staff will also provide their SENA colleagues with technical assistance that builds their study abroad capacity to internationalize their curriculum and create an academic experience that is tailored to SENA programs, while increasing Northampton's student mobility in the Americas.

• University of Wisconsin-Platteville & UNESP Guaratinguetá (Brazil) — UWPLATT-UNESP Guaratinguetá International Exchange Student Initiative

  The University of Wisconsin-Platteville and Universidade Estadual Paulista, Guaratinguetá will provide their engineering students with high impact learning opportunities in the context of innovative research projects related to renewable energy and bioenergy within an international, bi-lateral research program. The exchange in both directions will include courses and research activities, as well as field trips to companies, renewable energy facilities, and projects throughout Wisconsin and Brazil, all of which aim to develop students' research skills and knowledge in these areas by allowing each participant to work alongside a research team member from the partnering institution and to produce a scientific publication.

• Rice University & PUC Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) — Student exchange focusing on engineering design processes

  Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul will enhance collaboration with Rice University by instituting faculty exchanges and a study abroad program that will focus on the application of the engineering design process in the mechanical engineering and bioengineering fields. The program will allow students from both institutions to collaborate on authentic engineering design challenges proposed by industry and community partners, and to learn to work in an international engineering environment. (Source page title: "Student Exchange between Rice University and Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul Focused on Engineering Design Processes.")

• Northern Arizona University & UNAM (Mexico) — International Field Experiences in Geophysics

  Through an international field geophysics course, students from Northern Arizona University and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México will study the Serdán-Oriental volcanic field in east-central México. The course will ensure that students gain both cultural and technical skills from their experiences by providing them the opportunity to participate in a bi-national project that will enable the development of the fundamentals of geophysical analysis, particularly in utilizing seismic refraction, electromagnetics, and magnetic surveys, to better understand the subsurface structure of the volcanic fields of east-central Mexico.

• University of Wyoming & Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (Mexico) — Engineering student exchanges

  The demand for engineering projects to become more global in nature and the need for engineering graduates to have international experience has spurred the University of Wyoming and Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán to leverage their existing connection and establish an exchange program in civil engineering. Students from Mexico will travel to Laramie, Wyoming where they will gain different perspectives on civil and structural engineering practices in the U.S. and participate in a hands-on learning experience in beam and wall design using the strength design methodology of the U.S. masonry code. In turn, U.S. students will travel to Mérida, Mexico to study the engineering aspects of the Mayan ruins, and learn about alternative construction methods and cultural preservation in Spanish colonial period architecture as well as pre-Columbian archaeological buildings. (Source page title: "Enhancing International Exchanges between Engineering Students at the University of Wyoming and the Autonomous University of Yucatán in Mérida, Mexico.")

Winning Projects

• North Carolina State University & SENA Centro de Electricidad y Automatización Industrial (Cali) — Drone-building to Teach Technology and Entrepreneurship

  Through the partnership between SENA Centro de Electricidad y Automatización Industrial (SENA CEAI) and North Carolina State University (NCSU), the project will transfer concepts in hardware and software technologies related to product prototyping to six students and two teachers from SENA CEAI through an immersion Drone Program. SENA CEAI plans to host NCSU members in a one-week exchange in the CEAI training center in Cali used to train the SENA academic community about drone building, flying and repairing. Through NCSU's Global Training Initiative office and Community State College and Drone Camp, both parties have designed a 200-hour course called the Drone Training Program. This program will be duplicated nationally in the following years in SENA training centers including Drone Race events and talks about drone building, flying and repairing, and drone applications in different work sectors and entrepreneurial possibilities in Colombian cities.

• University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff & SENA Centro de Formación Agroindustrial (Huila) — Developing the Next Generation of Aquaculture Leaders

  The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, in partnership with SENA Centro de Formación Agroindustrial "La Angostura," will pilot its first faculty-led, bi-directional program in the field of aquaculture in a South American country that will emphasize an exchange experience with a commercial partner as a key training institution. Through the Innovation Fund grant, the partnering institutions will conduct dynamic experiential and cross-cultural learning experiences for students grounded in the science of aquaculture and value-added fish product development. Students will use applied research in fish disease diagnosis and food safety to promote greater fish product diversification in the Americas, while the institutions foster viable public and private partnerships in aquaculture and fisheries sectors through emerging partnerships facilitated by the project.

• North Carolina State University & SENA Centro para la Formación Cafetera (Caldas) — Training the Next Generation of Coffee Producers & Consumers via CUPS

  The Innovation Fund grant will allow increased bilateral collaboration between North Carolina State University and SENA Centro para la Formación Cafetera, while increasing study abroad in the fields of agriculture, environment, tourism and gastronomy. Through bi-directional training in coffee production, the partnering institutions will bring new technologies for training future coffee farmers to increase their focus on entrepreneurship across different disciplines and businesses across the United States and Latin America & the Caribbean. The program includes a dynamic mobile training laboratory on product development, which will be utilized by students from both institutions to exchange ideas and kick start new product innovations, as well as discuss and learn from key experts in the agri-business sectors. (Full source project title: "Training the Next Generation of Coffee Producers & Consumers via Innovation & Entrepreneurship Consortium Uniting People for Sustainability (CUPS).")

• Mississippi State University & SENA Centro Acuícola y Agroindustrial de Gaira (Magdalena) — Study Abroad for Spanish Language and Exchange for Precision Agriculture

  Through their joint project, Mississippi State University (MSU) and SENA Centro Acuícola y Agroindustrial de Gaira will develop a bilateral exchange to implement MSU's first faculty-led, credit-bearing study abroad program in Colombia that advances the field of Precision Agriculture, comparing the two distinct geographical and agricultural environments of Mississippi soybeans and Magdalena bananas. The program aims to increase students' comparative knowledge of precision agriculture for decision-making by contrasting each respective region's crop production techniques, to promote creative thinking and joint research ideas among students and faculty in this field, and to utilize distance technologies to promote language acquisition, appropriate curriculum, and to facilitate technology transfer via extension in both countries.

• Alamo Community College District & SENA Centro de Gestión Tecnológica de Servicios (Valle del Cauca) — Chagra a la Mesa

  The partnership project between Alamo Colleges and SENA Centro de Gestión Tecnológica de Servicios will develop a faculty-led, field-based program with a focus on gastronomy, tourism, and agriculture. The program will create opportunities and incentives for faculty and staff at the partnering institutions to develop, administer, and spearhead new and innovative study abroad programs in Colombia and the U.S. that address challenges related to food insecurity and the loss of healthy local cuisine traditions. Students will participate in classroom lab kitchens to enhance their careers in the hospitality industry and agriculture, while having the opportunity to also participate in a language institute to learn English or Spanish while abroad. (Full source project title: "Chagra a la Mesa – Conserving Traditional Cuisine Through Local Food Production.")

Winning Projects

• Instituto Tecnológico de Chihuahua II & Mississippi State University — Preparing Multicultural Engineers to Cope with Global Challenges

  Instituto Tecnológico de Chihuahua II (ITC II) will expand its study abroad program in collaboration with Mississippi State University (MSU) by creating a program to equip low-income students with cultural literacy to compete in the globalized workforce. ITC II and MSU will engage students in learning experiences that closely connect their English/Spanish knowledge to the field of engineering on an international scale. The grant will allow ITC II to formally establish an International Programs Office in order to develop strong, lasting, bilateral relationships. Students will collaborate on a final project for a virtual manufacturing training cell and will assist professors in simulation laboratories before presenting results to employees at the manufacturing company.

• Instituto Tecnológico de Tijuana & UC San Diego — Student Mobility and Research Collaboration

  Instituto Tecnológico de Tijuana (ITT) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) will implement a program to promote and sustain student mobility through research collaboration within the field of aeronautic engineering. The program will equip students with the opportunity to become leaders across nations and strengthen US-Mexico relations. Upon completion of the program, students will earn a certificate for their research internship and present their findings at a professional summit.

• Instituto Tecnológico de La Laguna, Monroe Community College & others — Design of a Production Unit to Dry Regional Products Using Solar Energy

  Instituto Tecnológico de La Laguna (ITL) and partners at Monroe Community College (SUNY), Instituto Tecnológico de Carrillo Puerto, and Instituto Tecnológico de Durango will task students to curate sustainable solutions for a low-income community through a small production business model. The goal of the program is to improve income generation for families, support empowerment of women, and provide better nutrition for children in Petronilas, a rural community located in the state of Coahuila in northern Mexico. Students and faculty of the partnering institutions will work collaboratively to create prototypes to overcome food poverty using solar energy to power a rudimentary drying oven. Through this grant, students will be able to study product commercialization and methods to grow produce year round.

• Pima Community College & Instituto Tecnológico de Hermosillo — Sustainable Energy Exchange Program: Benefiting Binational Communities

  The grant will facilitate collaboration between Pima County Community College (PCC), Instituto Tecnológico de Hermosillo (ITH), as well as community partners to offer participating students the knowledge and practical skills of sustainability leadership. Through the program, students will be exposed to theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of clean energy and sustainability in a global context. With the support of this grant, students will have the opportunity to launch a service learning campaign to educate the community on energy saving tools and techniques. (Note: current site lists institution as "Pima Community College"; live source page consistently names it "Pima County Community College.")

• Farmingdale State College & Instituto Tecnológico de Zacatepec — Exchange to Promote Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

  Farmingdale State College-SUNY, together with Instituto Tecnológico de Zacatepec (ITZ), will develop a program in technology and computer systems designed to strengthen US-Mexico relations through an immersive cohort model leading to educational and cross-cultural business collaboration. Located in a rural area in the southern state of Morelos, ITZ aims to increase low-income indigenous students' prospects for technical product innovation, business development, and future international careers. Through this grant, Farmingdale State College and ITZ will be able to promote a global workforce through quality software management and production curricula. The grant will also enable both institutions to strengthen international relations and cultural exchange through the offering of collaborative, bilateral study abroad courses for years to come.

Winning Projects

• Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano & University of Texas at El Paso — Computer vision research training for engineering students

  Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano, in partnership with the University of Texas at El Paso, will develop a joint research training program for students pursuing computer and electrical engineering degrees to develop research skills in computer vision, an interdisciplinary field that encompasses systems, models, and techniques in acquisition, processing, analysis and interpretation of digital images and video.

• Tecnológico de Antioquia & Tennessee State University — Undergraduate and doctoral research in engineering and technology

  Tecnológico de Antioquia, in collaboration with Tennessee State University and Institución Universitaria Pascual Bravo, will implement a program to promote student engagement in research in engineering and technology at both the undergraduate and doctoral levels.

• Fundación Universidad del Norte & Texas Tech University — Renewable energy exchange for low-income students

  Universidad del Norte and Texas Tech University designed an innovative model for students from low-income families and those with financial hardship in Colombia and the U.S. to participate in international research and educational exchange in the theme of renewable energy. (Project title on the live site: "Program for Internationalization of Life-experiences, Learning and Research for Students in Engineering – P.I.L.L.A.R.S in Engineering.")

• Universidad del Tolima & North Carolina State University — Agricultural sciences training focused on poultry-sector research

  Universidad del Tolima, with North Carolina State University, are collaborating on a program that will improve the training of undergraduate students in agricultural sciences through research in the poultry sector, and enable them to contribute to the knowledge and experiences around food production, and understanding family farming and agricultural activities managed by poultry farmers in the U.S. and Colombia.

• Fundación Universitaria Juan N. Corpas & Eastern Washington University — Healthcare and post-conflict studies research

  In this 100K project, Fundación Universitaria Juan N. Corpas (Corpas), partnered with Eastern Washington University (EWU), to develop a program focused on health care and post-conflict studies that provided students the opportunity to conduct research and create policy proposals on improving health outcomes and increasing access to health care in post-conflict rural settings in Colombia. Before beginning the field research, students participated in a "Jovenes Investigadores" event organized by Colciencias in Bogotá and prepared through training sessions for conducting household interviews. In May 2018, a team of nurses, doctors, epidemiologists, and students from EWU and Corpas (roughly 25 people in all) traveled to Algeciras, Huila, Colombia to conduct the field research, meeting with local health staff, visiting hospitals and health centers, and interviewing families, landowners, and NGO and local organization staff. Students then drafted a joint final policy recommendations paper with suggestions ranging from waste management to health funds management to ways to improve the population's nutrition, supported by a research paper analyzing focus groups, household surveys, and health authority statistics.

Winning Projects

• University of Connecticut — U.S.-Cuba Student Mobility Program Focused on Food Production and Food Security

  The University of Connecticut, with Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Universidad Agraria de La Habana, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Agrícolas and Centro Nacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria, will create a new program for students to undertake field-based research and advance their knowledge and bi-cultural collaboration in the economic, environmental and societal issues that impact agriculture production and food security in the United States and Cuba. While in Cuba, U.S. students will learn about the evolution of food systems and meet with farmers, scientists, government officials, community leaders, and urban agriculture practitioners to learn about the history of and future vision for food production and food security. Similarly, Cuban graduate students and faculty will be exposed to the management of national and local natural resources, and the challenges, sustainability, and economy of agriculture production systems.

• College of Staten Island (CUNY) — The History and Pedagogy of Cuban Education

  The College of Staten Island will broaden and enhance its study abroad program with Universidad de Ciencias Pedagógicas "Enrique José Varona" by creating a unique intercultural student exchange program that will focus on the history and pedagogy of the Cuban educational system. This short-term program will enable students and faculty from the partnering institutions to work alongside one another and integrate real-world observations and interactions in Cuban K-12 schools among the teachers and children. Students will learn about the history of Cuban education and the pedagogy of teaching in Cuba and will have direct observational knowledge of techniques employed by Cuban educators along with theoretical knowledge from seminars.

• University of Central Florida — A Study Abroad Project for Multimedia Production and Communication Studies

  The University of Central Florida will develop an innovative, multimedia production and bilingual communications study abroad program in collaboration with faculty and students at the Universidad de Cienfuegos. This program will provide students at both institutions an opportunity to work together during a six-week summer session and to have hands-on experience with multimedia production, communication and collaboration in an international setting. Students from the partnering institutions will collaborate in-person and virtually to produce a bilingual multimedia project, and through additional course activities, further their knowledge of the history and context of radio, television and the internet in Cuba while developing their Spanish language skills.

• University of Northern Iowa — Language, Culture & Sustainability

  The University of Northern Iowa, in partnership with Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, will create a new immersion experience opportunity for their students to gain language skills, cultural competence, and literacy on the topic of culture and sustainability across disciplines. Through the program, students from the partnering institutions will not only engage in social and language exchange but also in hands-on activities and experiences pertaining to sustainability. Costa Rican students will travel to Iowa to participate in a Sustainability Immersion Program while integrating existing courses from their home institution, while U.S. students will travel to Costa Rica to complete a capstone course that will help them develop an understanding of how individuals and groups impact the environment through tourism and campus life.

• University of Massachusetts Amherst — UMass Public Health in Cuba

  In collaboration with the Centro Estudios Martianos and Universidad de La Habana, the University of Massachusetts Amherst will pilot a program in public health where students learn about the public health system of Cuba and adapt its lessons to meet public health challenges in the United States. The program will influence study abroad programming on campus through various innovations, such as: its model of faculty rotation through intensive block scheduling, which allows U.S. faculty to teach carefully adapted three-week modules of their existing semester classes; the integration of non-traditional majors and areas of study, including engineering and nursing; and a required Spanish for Healthcare Professionals course.

Winning Projects

• Davidson County Community College et al. & Universidad Nacional de Villa María — Expanding Access to Study Abroad in Argentina

  Davidson County Community College (DCCC), through a partnership with Universidad Nacional de Villa María in Argentina, will create a Gilman scholarship-eligible, study abroad program that will enable Pell grant recipients to take a Humanities course abroad and provide them with a framework for examining and analyzing the history, geography, and distinctive cultural aspects of Argentina, along with basic Spanish language instruction. With the Innovation Fund grant, DCCC will be able to continue its commitment to and support of economically disadvantaged and underserved students in North Carolina to study abroad, and will open the course to other institutional partners, Guilford Technical Community College and Forsyth Technical Community College.

• Fashion Institute of Technology & Instituto Profesional Duoc UC (Chile) — Designing Pathways: U.S.-Chile Student Exchange in Design & Business

  The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is partnering with Instituto Profesional Duoc UC on its first exchange program in South America, as well as the first study abroad opportunity for FIT Interior Design majors. Designing Pathways will initiate a sustained flow of students in Fashion Design, Interior Design, Textile Surface Design, and International Trade & Marketing in both directions by providing the opportunity for a full-semester exchange in locations considered to be centers for design, textile production, and economics. Within the selected disciplines, the program curriculum integrates conceptual design education with technical skills and management training. Students will experience first-hand the real-world activities of global businesses and train to work in international trade and global fashion companies.

• Instituto Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud Fundación H.A. Barceló & Stony Brook University — Cross-Cultural Medical Education

  Fundación H.A. Barceló, School of Medicine and Stony Brook University School of Medicine partnered to develop a course that provided U.S. medical students with a first-hand experience of the social and health realities of under-served and marginalized populations in a remote area of Argentina through a one-month medical mission, and for Argentine medical students to learn about the current technologies and procedures used in hospitals through a month of clinical rotations at Stony Brook University Hospital. In August 2018, two students and one faculty member from Stony Brook traveled to Santo Tomé, Argentina, where they worked alongside local primary care physicians at "San Juan Bautista" University Hospital and rural clinics delivering care to indigenous and underserved populations. The following month, three students and one faculty member from Fundación H.A. Barceló traveled to Stony Brook University in New York for a month-long clinical rotation, learning about the American health system and presenting patient histories under attending-physician supervision. The exchange promoted solidarity and cultural understanding while improving the quality of life of an underserved and marginalized population.

• Northeast Wisconsin Technical College & Universidad Politécnica de Guanajuato — Green Bay to Guanajuato (G2G) Exchange

  Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) is partnering with Universidad Politécnica de Guanajuato (UPG) to develop a pilot, study abroad program for students enrolled in STEM programming, typically an underrepresented field for students going abroad. The program will enable the partnering institutions to expand access to cross-cultural, linguistic, and technical skills training for engineering students. The exchange program will consist of a two-week outbound experience for students from NWTC's Trades & Engineering Technologies program to participate in technical skills training activities in Mexico, while students from UPG's Manufacturing Technologies program participate in a three-week intensive exchange in the U.S. to gain exposure to their academic field, as well as the native English language and culture.

• University of Central Arkansas & ITESO — Summer Language and Culture Immersion through Ecological Sustainability

  The University of Central Arkansas and Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente's (ITESO) new proposed program will leverage previous experiences to inaugurate the partnership through the exchange of 10-15 undergraduate students from each institution to study at the respective partner's campus during the summer term. Both institutions will target minority students studying in the STEM disciplines and from underrepresented populations, such as those from indigenous or economically-disadvantaged backgrounds, providing the opportunity for English and Spanish language and cultural immersion while gaining knowledge on the globally binding issues of ecological sustainability through service-learning projects that will engage students in the assessment of water quality of local streams and rivers in the host cities of Guadalajara, Mexico and Conway, Arkansas.

Winning-project details for this competition are not published in the official archive. See the Meet the Winners section for related results.

Winning Projects

• Wilfrid Laurier University, Syracuse University, Cornell University & University at Buffalo-SUNY — Indigenous Mobility and Curriculum Across Borders

  Connected by the strong and meaningful associations with the indigenous people and territory in their respective locations, Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU), with its multiple partners, Syracuse University, Cornell University and the University at Buffalo-SUNY, will collaborate on a pilot exchange program that aims to increase the mobility of indigenous students between Canada and the United States. The exchange experience will be enriched with directed-studies research opportunity, during which students — in consultation with community-based partners and Indigenous scholars at the host institutions — will work together to collect and develop an online database of Indigenous curriculum resources. The program will culminate in a symposium, hosted by WLU, that will highlight the potential for Indigenous exchange and curriculum in both New York and Ontario, and launch the resources online to a wide network of institutions.

• Widener University & Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica — Coffee Culture: Connecting Intercultural Competence and Environmental Sustainability in the U.S. and Costa Rica

  Widener University and Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA), who first developed their focus on coffee production independently, will combine their efforts to create a collaborative, cross-cultural partnership that takes an experiential, service-learning approach to exploring how the agricultural and sociocultural aspects of coffee affect sustainability. The partnering institutions seek to build a sustainable academic exchange program to enhance students' global awareness, environmental awareness, intercultural competence, consciousness and sense of social responsibility. While in the respective host country, students will attend lectures and participate in service-learning projects with coffee producers, NGOs, and cooperatives.

• Universidad del Valle de Guatemala & MIT — Advancing Student Learning and Exchange through International Co-Design of Innovative Solutions with Rural Communities in Guatemala

  Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will provide students with hands-on, immersive learning experience in designing low-cost technologies to address global poverty challenges. With the support of the Innovation Fund, UVG and MIT will engage seven students from each institution to participate in a short-term study abroad exchange where they will take classes, visit local agencies, and work in their respective host communities. The program is designed to promote a multicultural environment where students can work together on projects to find solutions to problems facing local communities, while developing their professional skills through leadership and teamwork.

• Universidad Católica de Salta & Saint Peter's University — International Business Needs International Students

  Universidad Católica de Salta (UCASAL) and Saint Peter's University (SPU) will establish a bilateral, international mobility program to develop future bilingual international business professionals with academic and practical experience abroad. The program will include online instruction along with three weeks spent on site at each of the partnering institutions, during which International Trade and Marketing students will learn about the cultural, legal, and economic aspects of foreign markets and visit local companies and organizations. This strategic partnership is significant for UCASAL and SPU since they both serve a large number of low-income students with little or no exposure to international travel.

• Sacred Heart University & Universidad Rafael Landívar — Acting Globally, Thinking Locally: A Community-Engaged Student Exchange in Global Health

  With the support of the Innovation Fund grant, Sacred Heart University (SHU) and Universidad Rafael Landívar (URL) will develop a community-engaged, student exchange program in global health. The program uses the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) model to connect Health Science students from both institutions and engage them through their study of the global health challenges in the U.S. and Guatemala for a semester. The students will work in teams with local community partners to propose "global health solution" service projects, which they will then implement over the course of one week in each country during summer.

Winning Projects

• Universidad del Rosario & New York University — The Indigenous Peace-Strengthening Program (IPSP) Amazonas and Sierra Nevada

  Universidad del Rosario will work with New York University (NYU), Universidad Popular del Cesar, as well as several local community partners to implement an Indigenous Peace-Strengthening Program (IPSP), which is designed to increase the peace-making capacity of indigenous grassroots leaders in the Sierra Nevada and the Amazon regions of Colombia. NYU students and researchers will travel to Colombia to learn about post-peace accords challenges within indigenous communities, while Colombian students will travel to New York City to participate in the Permanent Forum of the United Nations on Indigenous Issues.

• Kent State University & Universidad del Rosario — Peacebuilding in Colombia Collaborative

  Kent State University (KSU) and Universidad del Rosario (UR) will create a program that will enable students to engage in experiential learning in peace building and peace education abroad. KSU students will take a semester-long, three credit-hour course at their home university to learn about the background on the peace process and ongoing challenges in Colombia, followed by travel to Colombia to work directly with UR students on field work and other activities to facilitate dialogue about peace building.

• George Mason University & Universidad Industrial de Santander — Business for Peace and a Sustainable World: Beekeeping, Social Entrepreneurship and Community Empowerment

  George Mason University (GMU) will partner with the Universidad Industrial de Santander to apply an experiential, business-oriented, multidisciplinary approach to explore sustainable social entrepreneurship and community-driven development. Students from each university will collaborate with GMU's Honey Bee Initiative's Global Outreach program in a credit-bearing course that will help students better understand and evaluate social problems and the role of community-driven social enterprise in creating innovative and sustainable solutions.

• Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniería Julio Garavito, Boston University & Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina — Bilateral U.S.-Colombia Network for Research and Educational Exchange: Affordable Assistive Technology for Rural and Peace Development

  The Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniería Julio Garavito, in partnership with Boston University and Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina, will implement a bilateral exchange program to increase student mobility between the U.S. and Colombia. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors from each of the partner institutions will collaboratively develop and create low-cost robotic technology to serve urban and rural communities, first in Colombia and the U.S., and eventually throughout the world.

• University of San Diego & Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios — Social Innovation and Peace

  The University of San Diego and Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios aim to build opportunities for students to explore peace building and social innovation work through the creation of a new U.S.-Colombia bi-directional exchange program. This partnership will allow Colombian students to participate in the year-long Global Social Innovation Challenge at USD, and for U.S. students to travel to Colombia to learn about social innovation and peace building.

Winning Projects

• University of New Mexico & Universidad Nacional de La Plata — Peace Engineering, Entrepreneurship, and Renewable Energy

  The University of New Mexico, in collaboration with Universidad Nacional de la Plata, will design a bilateral exchange program focused on peace engineering and renewable energy. Students and faculty from each university will travel to the partner university to study renewable energy via lithium batteries and smart grid technology. This program will provide students with a dynamic, intensive international experience in peace engineering while also serving to deepen the relationship between faculty members at both universities. These new connections are expected to lead to the creation of joint and/or dual degree masters and doctoral programs between the two institutions.

• Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata & University of Wisconsin-Platteville — UNMdP-UWPLATT International Exchange Project for Energy Efficiency Education

  Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP) and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville will promote a culture of energy efficiency among engineering students through bilateral exchange. Argentine students will travel to UWPLATT to visit research facilities, enroll in courses in the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Program, participate in field trips and projects, and interact with their U.S. counterparts. The U.S. students will later travel to Argentina, where they will participate in the XXV Meeting and International Seminar of Energies of the Academic Energy Commission/Association of Montevideo Group Universities (CAE/AUGM), attend lectures and presentations, present research, and participate in field trips.

• Universidad Nacional de San Martín & Northwestern University — Managing Water, Energy & Environmental Resources to Enhance Prosperity in the Americas

  Universidad Nacional de San Martín will generate, develop, and strengthen relations with Northwestern University through a new program that will focus on energy and water conservation. Ph.D. students from Argentina will travel to the U.S. to attend weekly research seminars, rotate through research labs, participate in field trips, and attend weekly graduate student seminars at Northwestern. This bilateral exchange will strengthen institutional collaboration between the two universities, while also allowing Ph.D. students to explore environmental issues and engineering solutions at the international level. (Full project title on the live site: "Managing Water, Energy & Environmental Resources to Enhance Prosperity in the Americas: An Environmental Engineering Partnership.")

• Auburn University & Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata — Fertilizer Technology – Existing and New Generation Novel Materials for Crop Use

  Auburn University and Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata will combine the fields of engineering and agriculture to create a collaborative project in fertilizer technology and use. Graduate students from each university will enroll in a capstone course and spend time at the host institution developing and testing slow-release fertilizers for use in commercial field crop production systems, as well as conducting field trial research through internships with the participating universities. The program will enable students to acquire skills in lignin and polymer synthesis, processing, and characterization of materials necessary to pursue research careers in materials science, in addition to cross-cultural competencies.

• Fox Valley Technical College & University of Buenos Aires — Innovation Accelerator

  Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) will work with University of Buenos Aires to develop an intensive immersion exchange experience. The goal of this program is to develop and enhance global competencies and entrepreneurial skills of participating students from each university. Site visits will consist of local business tours and other excursions related to global markets. Following the international travel portion of the program, students will participate together in a Business Model Design Boot Camp at FVTC to gain real-world experience and receive professional guidance in entrepreneurship.

Winning Projects

• Universidad de Aysén (Chile) & Regis College — Patagonia Global Health Exchange Program

  Universidad de Aysen (UAYSEN) seeks to improve its capacity for future study abroad and to strengthen its relations with Regis College through its first northbound study abroad program. The Global Health Exchange Program will incorporate a global perspective in the students' university experience and enhance their professional development. UAYSEN health sciences students, the majority of whom come from a rural and remote region in Chile and have never been overseas, will travel to the U.S. to learn about the primary issues and social factors that impact public health and to analyze the differences in healthcare between the two countries. Regis College students will participate in a reciprocal visit to Patagonia, where they will learn about the health system, conduct hospital visits, and engage with rural health providers.

• Northern Virginia Community College & Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Acre (Brazil) — Higher Education on a Global Scale: Student Development in a Foreign Context

  Through a new partnership, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and the Instituto Federal do Acre (IFAC) will create a program to address the lack of financial resources for students—particularly first-generation, Pell-grant recipients, and those who are part of the college's Pathways to the Baccalaureate program at NOVA and indigenous students from families predominately in the farming and fishing industries in the rural areas surrounding IFAC—to pursue international opportunities. The pilot program aims to develop the skills necessary to be successful in students' college careers, including critical thinking, effective communication, and stress management in new learning environments. NOVA students will travel to Brazil where they will receive classroom instruction in Portuguese language and culture and be integrated with IFAC students and faculty through a variety of cultural immersion activities. After the program, the institutions will continue to further develop their collaborations to support reciprocal visits of students and faculty from IFAC to NOVA in the following year.

• Johnson & Wales University, Universidad de Congreso (Argentina) & Regis College — Sustainable Community Wellness and Nutrition in the Americas

  Johnson & Wales University, Universidad de Congreso (UC), and Regis College will develop a new, exchange program designed to address global health concerns. Each institution, with distinctive and complementary strengths in a specific field of global health, will form a diverse student cohort of traditionally underserved student populations, including those that demonstrate high economic need. Through experiential and service-oriented community engagement activities, cultural experiences, industry-led trainings and faculty-led lectures in the U.S. and Argentina, students will explore the regional impact and issues surrounding health and nutrition that affect local populations, such as food availability, preparation, sanitation, and security. Argentine students will travel to the two U.S. institutions to study culinary arts, nutrition, and health sciences and engage with community organizations, while U.S. students will travel to UC to study community health, resource management and international relations, as well as interact with local health professionals and community partners.

• Grand Valley State University & Universidad del Bío-Bío (Chile) — Chile and Michigan Inter-National Opportunity (CAMINO)

  Grand Valley State University (GVSU), in partnership with Universidad del Bio-Bio (UBB), are embarking on a bilateral exchange program to increase north-south mobility and to build intercultural competence in under-represented students populations at both institutions. The CAMINO program seeks to reach students of color and those with high financial need at GSVU and students from the most under-resourced groups at UBB. Through the program, students will complete coursework for credit at their home institutions focused on developing communications and leadership skills and then will spend two weeks abroad at their host institution and with student counterparts, during which they will examine and analyze social problems from a local and global perspective, develop an action plan with strategies for problem-solving within the scope of their own discipline, and participate in cultural visits.

• Georgia Southern University & Universidade de Brasília (Brazil) — Study Abroad and Jump-Starting of Exchange Programs between Leading Universities of Central-West Brazil and Southeast Georgia

  Georgia Southern University (GSU) and Universidade de Brasilia (UnB) are collaborating to create a new, bilateral study abroad experience that will provide students with innovative, hands-on and experiential learning activities and enable them to reflect on their new cultural and technical knowledge in the fields of political science, sociology, and chemistry. GSU students will participate in a series of experiential-learning, summer courses at UnB, where students will learn about local sustainable technology practices and federal policies supporting green technology in Brazil, while engaging in a mix of laboratory work and practical skills. On the other hand, UnB students will take a series of courses at GSU, during which they will be engaged in all aspects of scientific research and training techniques. The exchanges will conclude in a joint meeting at the Sustainable Technologies Summit of the Americas at GSU, where students will share and reflect on their respective learning experiences.

Winning Projects

• University of North Texas & Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México — Additive Manufacturing Interuniversity Program Initiative

  Together, the University of North Texas and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México will invite participating students to enroll in a Summer School study abroad course focused on the development of technical and scientific skills in Additive Manufacturing.

• University of New Mexico, Universidad de Sonora & Instituto Tecnológico de Hermosillo — Developing Resilient Communities & Workforce Capacity in the 'Hot Deserts' of North America

  University of New Mexico, Universidad de Sonora, and Instituto Tecnológico de Hermosillo will develop a bilateral student mobility program in response to regional and international need concerning the potential for droughts, wildfires, and flashfloods. Students will develop regional-specific scientific knowledge around resilient materials on the hot deserts of North America and will enhance academic preparation and focused workforce development.

• Universidad Nacional de Río Negro & University of Arizona — Deciphering the Neuquén Basin History: From Patagonia Natural Laboratories to Arizona Technical Laboratories

  Universidad Nacional de Río Negro and University of Arizona seeks to provide students with the opportunity to interact with experts in the fields of tectonics, sedimentary geology, and geochronology-thermochronology as well as to gain experience both in the laboratory and in the field.

• Universidad Politécnica de Guanajuato, Texas State University, Lamar University & Texas International Education Consortium — Building Bridges for New Innovators in Engineering (BBNIE)

  Universidad Politécnica de Guanajuato, Texas State University, and Lamar University have created the "Building Bridges for New Innovators in Engineering" program which aims to develop an engineering bootcamp, allowing STEM students to further develop their engineering skills using 21st century.

• Universidad Nacional de Quilmes & Texas A&M International University — Robotics and Industrial Automation in Real Life Applications

  In a new partnership, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes and Texas A&M International University will create a program to focus on in a new collaborative process in the field of Robotics and Industrial Automation Engineering, with special emphasis in real-life applications. The bilateral student mobility program will end with students participating in a video conference with a broad dissemination of the academic and social results to local and national media.

Winning Projects

• University of Alabama & Universidad de las Américas Puebla — Anthropology of Rural Agricultural Communities (ARAC) Exchange Program

  The ARAC exchange program between the University of Alabama (UA) and Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP) will provide opportunities for students and faculty of both universities to travel abroad in order to explore critical issues facing rural agricultural communities. The goal of this program is to implement a new study abroad program that will increase awareness, knowledge, and critical engagement of a diverse population with issues faced by rural agricultural communities in the U.S. and Mexico. UA students will examine samples of indigenous-developed agricultural strategies of rural communities, while UDLAP students will focus on Pre-Hispanic agriculture and farming environments around the Moundville Archaeological Site in Alabama.

• SUNY Broome Community College & Universidad de Celaya — A Study Abroad Model Focusing on Storytelling and Heritage

  This faculty-led program between two long-standing partner institutions, SUNY Broome Community College (SUNY Broome) and Universidad de Celaya (Celaya), will be the first study abroad program at SUNY Broome to offer bilateral homestay experiences for its students. In the program, SUNY Broome students will travel to Guanajuato City and San Miguel de Allende. Students will present their shared research to K-12 schools affiliated with Celaya. Celaya students will expand their understanding of academic English and local American heritage by visiting various cultural sites, such as Little Italy, the Farmer's Museum, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Fenimore Museum. Together, students from both institutions will prepare a presentation and small exhibit to highlight their stories, which will be featured at the Bundy Museum of History and Art.

• University of Northern Iowa & Universidad Marista de Mérida-Yucatán — Language, Cross-Culture and Anthropology Study Abroad Program

  The aim of the Language Immersion and Cultural Anthropology program is to provide a learning exchange experience between the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) and Universidad Marista de Mérida (Marista). This program includes elements of language study, cultural orientation, and specialized courses which focus on the social sciences, including cultural and biological anthropology. UNI students will enroll in an anthropology course, in addition to a Spanish course, and conduct research, followed by presentations. Marista students will enroll in a Culture and Intensive English Program at UNI, where they will participate in diverse activities in order to spark interest in learning about U.S. culture.

• University of New Mexico & Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla — U.S.-Mexico Indigenous Planning Summer Institute (USM-IPSI)

  The University of New Mexico (UNM) and Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP) are collaborating on mutually-beneficial activities, which are intended to build and align partnerships. This program will be broken down into three parts consisting of UNM students hosting BUAP students, a two-day gathering of strategic planning sessions, and BUAP students hosting UNM students for an intensive one-week, community project-based learning studio. Students will gain knowledge about indigenous planning, traditional ecology, sustainability, architecture, the built environment, and anthropological issues in indigenous places.

• University of Arkansas & Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla — Building North-South Mobility in the Americas through Team-based Programs in Service Learning

  The University of Arkansas (UArk) and Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP) will extend their bi-directional commitment to ensuring participation of student groups underrepresented in study abroad programs. UArk will carry out a bi-national project to expand the curriculum and sustainability of both programs. A principal objective of this program includes a new short-term summer program for UPAEP students with service-learning components of community engagement. An additional initiative will be "student teams" component that is central to achieving north-south student mobility, educational cooperation, and institutional capacity at both universities.

Winning Projects

• Universidad Ana G. Méndez (Puerto Rico) & Instituto SENAI de Inovação em Química Verde (Brazil) — The Exchange Program on Smart Energy Solutions (EEXMART)

  The Exchange Program on Smart Energy Solutions (EEXMART) will establish an international, bilateral, student exchange program to share technical experiences in energy management and smart solar technologies. The goal of the program is to develop a sustainable exchange program focused on research mentoring, best practices, and education to increase the pipeline of graduates ready to pursue a career in energy while exploring entrepreneurship as a career path. Activities will include a course in sustainable energy, a summer graduate research experience in Brazil, a summer business fellows' academy, scientific exchange through participation in the Puerto Rico Energy Center (PREC) Symposium on Energy, and scientific exchange through visits from PREC to the SENAI Institute.

• Radford University, Instituto SENAI de Inovação para Tecnologia da Informação & Universidade Federal de Pernambuco — ASIS: Analyzing and Securing IoT Systems

  Radford University, in collaboration with Instituto SENAI de Inovação para Tecnologia da Informação and Universidad Federal de Pernambuco, have designed a new program to foster student research collaboration in the area of security, with focus on the Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This bi-directional program will facilitate an understanding of entrepreneurial opportunities through activities that will challenge students to develop a Hack House — a smart, automated home for research and experimentation using embedded devices; conduct a security analysis of the smart home and propose a lightweight intrusion alert system for embedded devices; and provide entrepreneurship training to students to commercialize or pitch ideas on securing such devices to companies in Brazil.

• Radford University, Instituto SENAI de Inovação para Tecnologia da Informação & Universidade Federal de Pernambuco — Data Science Student Exchange Program

  This new program between Radford University, Instituto SENAI de Inovação para Tecnologia da Informação, and Universidade Federal de Pernambuco will aim to tackle actual demands from real industrial partners to play as potential challenges to be addressed by selected students during the courses in the United States. Brazilian students will take graduate classes at Radford University and gain hands-on experience working with corporate partners in the U.S. and Brazil. The students will also tour Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia to expose them to the start-up ecosystem and enable them to learn about local entrepreneurial accelerators and incubators in the region.

Winning Projects

• Purdue University, Universidad de Antioquia & Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano — Open Estudio

  "Open Estudio" is a bidirectional bridge between students from Purdue University, Universidad de Antioquia (UdeA) and Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano (ITM). Students will be introduced to a course in 3D animation and programming graphics tools to develop interactive and context-based projects and will partake in projects reflecting course topics, leading to an exhibit of the resulting projects at the Cultural Center of the Universidad de Antioquia. Colombian students from both UdeA and ITM will be working on a four-month research-creation practicum at Purdue where they will create new research in creative technology development to be displayed at Purdue University as a final exhibit.

• Stockton University & Universidad del Rosario — Student Exchange Internship Program

  The proposed student mobility initiative is an interdisciplinary curriculum that combines service learning, community-based research, and creative-research strategies between Stockton University (SU) and Universidad del Rosario (UR). Students are expected to identify local, national, and transnational implications of human migration as a global megatrend, and expand understanding and empathy for various populations. This internship will require students to partake in online platforms in the U.S. and Colombia as well as in visiting scholars' lectures, workshops, and field trips. The concept of Museumization will be investigated through the process by which origins are historicized to installation art strategies as well as through examining its aesthetics and functions as a museum and an archive.

• Purdue University & Universidad de Caldas — Intercultural Communication through Devised Theatre

  This program between Purdue University and Universidad de Caldas (Caldas) focuses on students from various backgrounds such as dance, music, and theatre. It will provide both an intercultural learning experience and a unique opportunity to engage in an intercultural practicum. Activities for this program will center around the design, coordination, and implementation of the final product. Students will coordinate to design and produce theatre work and use department resources for the final production, and will develop a promotional plan. Students will give two presentations as a way to encourage additional students and faculty to participate in similar programs in the future.

• Universidad Católica de Manizales & DePaul University — Educational Digital Game to Prevent Cyberbullying in 8-to-13 Year-Old Children

  The project between Universidad Católica de Manizales and DePaul University will impact 8-13 year-old children through an educational digital game to teach, prevent, and control the cyberbullying phenomenon, as well as to build institutional academic and research capacity. This project will be used as a tool to control the phenomenon of cyberbullying and help decrease its prevalence during adolescence. Students will not only design an educational digital game, but also create an assessment mechanism that can be applied in schools in Manizales to measure its impact on children. The digital game will be executed as a literacy tool to provide children with a fun way to learn about cyberbullying. The digital game's pilot test will be carried out with children from schools in Manizales.

• Universidad de los Andes, UC Santa Cruz & Purdue University — Information Visualization and Digital Fabrication with Applications to the Creative Industries Field

  The project between Universidad de los Andes, University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), and Purdue University establishes an international research internship exchange program for students interested in the creative use of new information and communication technologies. UCSC and Purdue students will spend one month of the summer working at the School of Architecture and Design. Colombian students will spend four months working at the Shape Lab with Purdue professors. This proposal will create academic programs that engage with Data Visualization and Digital Fabrication — a unique opportunity to share the state of research and results not only through professors but also with student interactions.

Winning Projects

• University of Vermont & Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala — Americas for Forest and EcoHealth (A4FEH)

  The Americas for Forest and EcoHealth (A4FEH), an exchange program between the University of Vermont (UVM) and the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC), is a partnership that will provide students from both universities experiences to address the real-world problem of forest restoration, build technical and linguistic skills, and engage in cross-institution, international teamwork. Students from USAC will work with faculty and student mentors from UVM and students from UVM will collaborate with service-learning partners in Guatemala to address the intersection of human and forest ecosystem health and take a course on reforestation and epidemiology.

• University of California, Riverside & Universidad Tecnológica de Honduras — Educational Campaigns for Environmental Studies and Sustainability

  The collaboration between the University of California, Riverside and the Universidad Tecnológica de Honduras focuses on applied concepts and cutting-edge practices within the environmental studies and sustainability fields. Participants will explore key concepts, challenges, and innovations in natural resource management, specifically as they apply to the water treatment industry in the United States. The program will include units on air pollution monitoring and developing sustainable natural resource policies. Participants will gain a greater understanding of key technologies, innovations, and practices to ensure the safe and sustainable use of natural resources for entire communities.

• Escuela Agrícola Panamericana Zamorano & Cornell University — Monitoring, Prevention and Treatment of Agricultural Non-Point Pollution in Drinking Water in Honduras

  The partnership between Zamorano University and Cornell University will provide students with a deeper understanding of the causes of agricultural non-point pollution in drinking water sources in Central America. Students will meet with Honduran farmers in communities that provide drinking water, conduct site visits, and perform water sample analyses to test for the presence of pesticides and other pollutants. Student participants will use the knowledge gained through the program to present prevention and treatment alternatives to farmers and carry out trainings on best management practices and watershed management.

• Northampton Community College & Escuela Especializada en Ingeniería ITCA-FEPADE — NCC—ITCA Global Challenge Initiative

  The NCC—ITCA Global Challenge Initiative connects students from Northampton Community College (NCC) and the Escuela Especializada en Ingeniería ITCA Fepade (ITCA) in a collaborative, challenge-based program that combines in-class virtual exchanges with in-country teambuilding, public presentations, and curriculum-driven cultural immersion. The initiative will develop a hybrid challenge-based exchange module that can integrate with existing NCC courses, piloting the new module simultaneously in one NCC and one ITCA course, and presenting the selected challenge and solution to an international audience.

Winning Projects

• University of Tennessee & Colegio de Postgraduados — Preparing U.S. and Mexican Students to Understand and Propose Solutions to Challenges Faced by Small- and Medium-Sized Agricultural Firms

  This project will create a platform for international collaborations between undergraduate students from underrepresented majors at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) and graduate students from the Colegio de Postgraduados Campus Córdoba (Colegio de Postgraduados) through the creation of a faculty-led academic exchange course in Mexico focused on small/medium-sized agricultural enterprises at Colegio de Postgraduados and a new academic exchange collaboration at UT.

• Sul Ross State University & Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua — Transboundary Conservation Program for the Chihuahuan Desert

  In this collaborative project between the Borderlands Research Institute (BRI) at Sul Ross State University and the Facultad de Zootecnia y Ecología at the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, students and faculty from both universities will learn to effectively manage shared natural resources in the Chihuahuan desert through workshops and academic courses within BRI's grassland bird research project.

• Arizona State University & Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora — US-México Training in Environment, Agriculture and Management (TEAM)

  The "US-México TEAM" project between Arizona State University and the Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora will provide students from underrepresented populations opportunities to learn about sustainable agriculture in Mexico and the United States. Students will participate in virtual instruction on research methods, environmental assessments, and public engagement in order to conduct field visits, during which students will interact with and disseminate knowledge within diverse agricultural communities.

• California State University, Fresno & Universidad Panamericana Campus Aguascalientes — From Cows to Neurons: A Binational Student Faculty Abroad Program

  California State University, Fresno, in partnership with Universidad Panamericana, Campus Aguascalientes, will conduct exchange programs for students in Mexico and the United States to advance agricultural sustainability and rural economic development. The program will introduce students to the complete dairy production chain in both countries: milking, milk quality, food safety, processing and technology, food chemistry, sensory analysis, and marketing. Students will also participate in lectures, laboratories, and site visits.

Winning Projects

• Virginia Commonwealth University & Universidad de Guadalajara — Building a Collaborative, Innovative and Impactful STEM and Language Training Exchange Program

  This project will increase collaboration, innovation, and information-sharing in STEM education and increase participation in study abroad of underrepresented minority student populations. The program will consist of an eight-week online course in STEM education and language support as well a one-week in-person instruction and language support at both universities for selected students. The innovative curriculum and design will include STEM content objectives, experiences, and pedagogical knowledge.

• University of the Incarnate Word & Universidad de Guanajuato — Alianza Bienestar Comunitario: Cross-cultural Collaborations for Community Mental Health

  Alianza Bienestar Comunitario's (ABC) overall goal is to engage US and Mexican students in culturally sensitive mental health promotion through study abroad. The program will engage students in action research to develop a bilingual mental health education campaign using social media to reach peers in Mexico and the U.S. Students will collaborate with peers to conduct research and explore culturally competent communication strategies for public health. The program will include a summer research internship at Mexico's National Institute of Psychiatry, health organization visits, cultural excursions, and project work.

• Universidad de Guanajuato & Southern Oregon University — University Program for Multicultural Distance Learning & Reduction of Inequality in Micro and Small Businesses

  The main goal of this program is to take advantage of and further expand the long-established relationship between Universidad de Guanajuato and Southern Oregon University in internationalizing the undergraduate curricula of both institutions through Cooperative Online International Learning (COIL) and reciprocal training of students and professors for multicultural business understanding and inequality reduction to empower young business students being exposed to "real-life" projects.

• Universidad Aeronáutica en Querétaro & Purdue University — Aerospace International Research – AIR Program

  The AIR Program aims provide unique opportunities for students with an interest in careers in the aerospace industry, with the main goal of increasing the U.S.-Mexico study and research abroad opportunities in the sector. AIR offers students the opportunity to develop global engineering competency while interacting with faculty and peers across cultures and languages, along with connecting them with world-class research and industry projects abroad. This synergy between technical and interpersonal skills will provide the participants with key differentiators, critical for them to thrive in a competitive workforce, especially in the aerospace sector.

• ITESO (Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara) & University of Memphis — The ITESO-Memphis Engineering Exchange (IMEE)

  The ITESO-Memphis Engineering Exchange (IMEE) program addresses drinking water security by building cooperation between students and faculty from the University of Memphis and ITESO —Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara in the field of environmental hydrology, especially among underserved student groups. This program will create a short-term summer interdisciplinary exchange – with courses and research experiences for undergraduates – and accompanying COIL online course that instill communication skills, engineering experience and environmental scientific training.

Winning Projects

• Universidad Católica de Manizales & Florida International University — Designing Alternative and Digital Strategies to Build U.S.-Colombia Multidisciplinary Intercultural Identities

  This program aims to strengthen creative and cultural industries education knowledge through faculty and student intercultural learning engagement experiences, which will result in the design of alternative and digital strategies to build U.S.-Colombia multidisciplinary intercultural identities.

• Tecnológico de Antioquia, Morehouse College & multiple Colombian institutions — Youth for Action: From the Classroom to the Community

  "Youth for Action: From the Classroom to the Community" is an interdisciplinary program that aims to build the professional learning and capacities of Colombian and U.S. students through collaborative work with local communities. It seeks to strengthen global competencies and community engagement of U.S. and Colombian students through Service-Based Learning to contribute to the resolution of challenges with communities of African descent in Medellín and Bogotá, Colombia. (Project page also lists additional partner institutions: Fundación Universitaria Juan N Corpas, Universidad Antonio Nariño, and Fundación Universidad de América, all Colombia.)

• Universidad Nacional de Colombia – Sede Manizales & University of Texas Rio Grande Valley — JUUNTOS: Joining UNAL Manizales and UTRGV in the Development of STEM Collaboration

  In this virtual and in-person independent study course, U.S. and Colombian students studying mathematics will work in international research teams under the mentorship of program faculty coordinators to collaborate on research projects, which will be presented at academic conferences, and, ultimately, published as academic papers.

• Universidad Santo Tomás Villavicencio & University of Texas at El Paso — Colombia-U.S. Transdisciplinary Study Abroad Program for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in the Orinoquía Region (OWASH)

  This project aims to improve sanitary facilities in vulnerable communities in the Orinoquía, Colombia region. This collaboration between Universidad Santo Tomás Villavicencio and the University of Texas at El Paso will allow students and faculty from the U.S. and Colombia to learn from one of the most biodiverse regions in South America and to collaborate with vulnerable communities and learn new techniques through state-of-the-art equipment in the field of sanitation.

• Universidad de La Salle & Northwestern Michigan College — Bridging Waterways across the Americas

  The "Bridging Waterways across the Americas" program will combine complementary areas of knowledge such as STEM and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) to engage students and faculty members from Universidad de La Salle and Northwestern Michigan College in a comparative study between the Teusacá Water Basin in Bogotá, Colombia and the Boardman River watershed in Michigan. (Full project title also credits the Teusacá River Basin Project and the Inland Lakes Association as partners.)

Winning Projects

• Universidad del Valle de Guatemala & University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — Academic Exchange for Sustainability Through Design

  This program looks to offer students a transformational study abroad experience that builds competencies to design solutions to address global sustainability challenges, so that students can apply the design process taking into consideration the context in vulnerable communities and learn about sustainable solutions in the fields of water, waste, and energy. The program will improve students' cross-cultural skills, developing a deeper understanding of American and Guatemalan contexts and facilitating learning to work in teams with students from other cultures and contexts.

• Alamo Colleges District & Universidad Veritas — Symbiosis: Alamo Colleges and Universidad Veritas Environmental Exchange

  In this project, students will work together to exchange cultural information and analyze urban water and local natural resource issues. Through a COIL course, students will be able to assess local environmental problems in the other country before traveling abroad. During the exchange, students will participate in service learning and field-based activities in natural resource management.

• Quality Leadership University & Illinois State University — Collaborative Cross-Cultural Learning to Enhance Global Problem-Solving Skills

  This project will virtually integrate cohorts of International Business students from Quality Leadership University (QLU) located in Panama with students from Illinois State University (ISU) located in the United States. Layered on the virtual connections will be a two-way mobility for a diverse subgroup of students and faculty to interact with each other. Student connections will be framed by cultural theory and practice in a workplace setting, and various assignments within the course will provide the structure for students to interact in dyads and groups across cultures.

• Morgan State University & Instituto Especializado de Profesionales de la Salud — Cultural Heroes: An Interdisciplinary Experience in Community Health and Sustainable Development

  Through this project, El Salvador will be integrated into an already-existing faculty-led study abroad in the partner country with a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) component completed before and after travel. Students will develop new leadership, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and learn how to propose and execute social entrepreneurship projects. Students will work closely in bi-national teams to improve their teamwork skills and assessment while promoting multicultural and second language awareness.

• Tompkins Cortland Community College & Universidad Federico Henríquez y Carvajal — Cultivating Reciprocal Education through Sustainable Exchange (CRESE)

  This collaborative project will develop both virtual and in-person exchange experiences for students furthest from opportunity in TCCC's Sustainable Farming and Food Systems program and students in UFHC's Agricultural Engineering program. The "CRESE" program will enhance students' educational development, workforce training, and exposure to native Spanish/English language in their academic disciplines and will allow students to learn about the different regional and cultural approaches to sustainable agriculture in their host countries. As these students move into their professional careers, this partnership will allow graduates to advocate for sustainable development from a global perspective.

Winning Projects

• West Virginia University, Instituto SENAI de Inovação em Processamento Mineral & Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais — The Future of Mining in West Virginia and Minas Gerais

  In this new partnership between West Virginia University (WVU), Instituto SENAI de Inovação em Tecnologias Minerais (SENAI/ISI), and Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), students and researchers will conduct short-term visits to Belo Horizonte, MG, and Morgantown, WV. These visits will allow the students to share and develop knowledge and understanding of the challenges, practices, and problems faced in mining in both states. This exchange program is a step to prepare students and communities for a coal-free future and address the severity of the failure of decommissioning systems and structures. Students and researchers from WV and MG from different engineering and science backgrounds will work together to identify common and specific societal, cultural, and environmental problems caused by mining in both states.

• Faculdade SENAI Fatesg, North Carolina State University & Instituto SENAI de Tecnologia em Alimentos e Bebidas — Scientific and Regulatory Food Safety Capacity Between Brazil and the U.S.

  The Faculdade SENAI Fatesg, Instituto SENAI de Tecnologia em Alimentos e Bebidas, and North Carolina State University (NCSU) exchange program will establish a new format of academic exchange and training programs for students, both virtual and face-to-face, to develop innovative solutions to food safety issues. The pilot includes a study abroad program for Fatesg students to complete certified food safety training, structuring/translation of food safety training manual, and verification programs required for the U.S. food industries to incorporate new FDA regulations. NCSU students will go to Brazil to receive food safety training and immerse themselves in real food safety-related cases of the Brazilian food industries and receive a certificate from the Alimento Confiável (Trusted Food) Program.

• Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Faculdade SENAI Fatesg & Instituto Federal Goiano — Binational (U.S.–Brazil) Faculty and Student Exchange Program

  This program between Texas A&M University Kingsville (TAMUK), Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industria (SENAI) and the Instituto Federal Goiano (IFG) will create an innovative faculty and student exchange program in Data Analytics and entrepreneurship applications focused on Water, Energy and Agriculture. Students completing this exchange program will be able to identify strategic opportunities for change that are in congruence with globalization, urbanization, and a future interconnected economy. The proposed bi-directional program is an ambitious and innovative program with a strong emphasis in innovation and entrepreneurship and will immerse students in an intensive transdisciplinary-learning environment abroad.

• Rice University, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Ceará & Instituto SENAI de Inovação — AI and urban resilience for disaster response

  This program integrates research and development, education, and local partnerships to improve infrastructure systems to better handle hydroclimate extremes. The goal of the program is to train a new generation of students, in partnership with local stakeholders, in artificial intelligence for infrastructure, climate, and urban data to address challenges caused by extreme weather. In the end, the program will lead to innovations in Construction and Engineering, Transportation Infrastructure, and Software sectors by developing new artificial intelligence and Big Data software for the design of resilient infrastructure. (Project page names the full partner as Instituto SENAI de Inovação para Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação, Recife.)

• The Pennsylvania State University, Centro Universitário SENAI CIMATEC & Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais — Optimization of Amphibious Aircraft for Amazon Rainforest Operations

  This program is a collaboration to investigate and develop improvements in the aerodynamic performance of amphibious aircraft to increase access to fast transportation in the Amazon region and establish connections in the aerospace industry through technological innovation. This collaboration involves faculty and students from the three partnering institutions and includes periods of mobility alongside a joint hybrid course offered by Penn State through the Engineering Leadership Development Program. The students and faculty from Penn State will first travel to Brazil for experimental campaigns at SENAI-CIMATEC and UFMG and the Brazilian faculty and students will travel to Penn State for the final experimental campaign and conclusion of the project. This project will provide opportunities for the development of new educational partnerships between the institutions and to foster a global perspective for engineering innovation and discoveries.

Winning Projects

• College of Southern Nevada, Instituto de Educación Superior Huando & Instituto de Educación Superior Tecnológico Público "Chincha" (Peru) — Alimentaré – Alimentary

  This program will allow a diverse group of students pursuing degrees in agriculture, nutrition, culinary arts, or natural resources management to better understand sustainable food systems. Through the project's exchange, Peruvian students at El Instituto de Educación Superior Huando (IES Huando) and El Instituto de Educación Superior Tecnológico Público "Chincha" (IESTP Chincha) and American students at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) will practice workforce skills in agriculture, STEM-based sustainable resource management, food management, and nutrition. The program will heighten global awareness of the optimized Peruvian solutions to agricultural management and will address U.S. needs to better understand the origins and management of nutritious and sustainable food systems.

• South Dakota School of Mines and Technology & Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas — UPC-Peru & SDSMT Partnership

  This program aims to increase student and faculty mobility between the two universities, as well as to hone the technical and soft skills of students through implementing a sanitation project that seeks to improve the quality of life of families who lack water services in the Lima district of Villa María del Triunfo. The sanitation project will include the implementation of a fog catcher system that captures water from mist to be used for domestic purposes, the irrigation of orchards, and the implementation of a waste-water treatment system that will be re-used for irrigation. Families who benefit from the project will be trained to use the systems for the future, and the systems will be able to be replicated in other areas of the country.

• Texas A&M University–Texarkana & Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia — Anthropic Activity Research

  Texas A&M University–Texarkana's Biology and Environmental Studies Program and Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia's School of Environmental Engineering will offer a service-learning and research-based program that increases student knowledge in the assessment and restoration of local ecosystems. Students will propose and identify restoration strategies for the habitat of two tributaries of the City of Texarkana's Days Creek Aquatic System that have been impacted by urbanization and the release of hazardous substances and for the El Malmo, a protected Andean Forest and paramo ecosystem affected by agriculture, livestock farming, and human movement through the region. Students will be working on existing ecosystem projects with the local Colombian government, witnessing first-hand and participating in the real-world application of their studies. (Project's full title is "Research on the Impact of Anthropic Activity on a Texas Urban Ecosystem and on an Andean Protected Forest and Paramo Ecosystem.")

• Ohio University & Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador — Public Health & Economic Development Training

  The principal purpose of this project is to create a bilateral course within the International Student Exchange Program between students at Ohio University and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. The course will include both a virtual exchange and two bidirectional study abroad programs. The bidirectional exchange will allow students to engage in experiential learning in the southern Loja province, Ecuador and the Appalachian region of the United States. Both regions share similar challenges related to chronic poverty, lack of services, high rates of disease, and overall challenging conditions for social and economic development.

• University of Texas at Dallas & Universidad EAFIT (Colombia) — Human Rights Policy Exchange

  This project will create a long-lasting impact for both institutions by providing the opportunity for Colombian students to gain exposure to U.S. human rights policy and introducing U.S. students to the multifaceted human rights situation within Colombia. Colombian students will receive course and internship credit, while U.S. students will gain research experience and valuable real-world observation while in Dallas and Medellín. With the conclusion of this project, students will understand the policies of countries that receive refugee and asylum seekers and the countries that experience significant human rights violations.

Winning Projects

• Universidad Simón Bolívar (Colombia) & Universidad de Puerto Rico — Cacao for Wellness

  This project between Universidad Simón Bolívar and Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez, will allow students to take part in an elective course that will deal with the agronomic, ecological, microbiological, and physicochemical aspects of cocoa agroforestry production systems, where they will collect and analyze soil samples to create training and protocols for good agricultural practices.

• Universidad de La Salle (Colombia) & New Mexico State University — Utopia: Leveraging Rural Irrigation Systems

  New Mexico State University and Universidad de La Salle-Colombia will collaborate on this project, in which students/faculty from both institutions will participate in courses on Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability and cultural exchange activities to be able to design innovative ways to provide precision irrigation methods that support cacao production in Colombian regions affected by drought. (Full title: "Utopia: Leveraging the Advancement of Rural Irrigation Systems in Cocoa Plantations Through International Collaborations.")

• Universidad de La Salle (Colombia) & University of California, Davis — Cacao Innovation Rural Youth Lab

  This project between Universidad de La Salle and University of California, Davis will engage faculty and students at both institutions in learning about the cacao value chain while sharpening their interdisciplinary and intercultural skills. Participants will gain research experience, learn about the cacao value chain from planting to processing, and build multidisciplinary skills to work across countries to solve contemporary problems to create peace.

• SENA Quindío & Tennessee State University — Physical and Sensorial Characterization of Cocoa

  The partnership between Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) Quindío Centro Agroindustrial and Tennessee State University will provide students and faculty at both institutions with the opportunity to gain practical knowledge in the processing, marketing, and exportation of cocoa through applied research. (Full title: "Physical and Sensorial Characterization of Cocoa and its Relation to the Origin in Quindío — Quality Cocoa for Peace (National School of Cocoa Quality).")

• SENA Arauca & Auburn University — Evaluation of Technological Application in Cocoa Drying

  This project, led by Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) Regional Arauca and Auburn University, is designed to study the whole plant physiology of fruit crops to understand the impact of agroclimatic factors, and their interactions with the plant, and soil. Students will enroll in a Management and Post-Harvest of Cocoa Cultivation course, where they will collect and analyze data on total polyphenols and cocoa anthocyanins. (Full title: "Evaluation of Technological Application in the Drying of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) in Cocoa Plantations of the Department of Arauca.")

Winning Projects

• Universidad Tecnológica del Uruguay – ITR Norte & University of Tennessee, Knoxville — UTEC-UTK Collaboration for Sustainable Energy Ecosystems in Southern Cone

  The overall goal of this project is to accelerate workforce development, knowledge sharing, and climate action through international collaboration. Each institution will create faculty-led study abroad courses focused on regional energy ecosystems and policies, an international Collaborative Online Learning (COIL) Exchange, and an international student-led network for climate action initiatives. UTEC will then organize a thematic workshop on Electric Mobility for the Net Zero Transition and Equity that will address various topics, including new educational models to train a future workforce capable of implementing energy-smart and climate-smart nexus solutions, policy brief development and public engagement in energy-related issues, and how to broaden stakeholder engagement, accelerate inter-regional partnerships, and prepare proposals.

Winning Projects

• EIA University (Colombia) & UCLA — Fostering Renewable Energy Communities: A Student-led, Project-based Collaborative Program

  "This proposal seeks to strengthen cooperation in research and education between Colombia and the United States, especially in the context of the growing interest in community energy schemes in both countries. The UCLA and EIA teams, through this cooperative project, will work together to share experiences and learn from the unique circumstances that promote or hinder community energy projects in each country."

• Universidad de Manizales (Colombia) & University of Wisconsin-Madison — Agro Waste Processing for Commercial Purposes through Collaborative Design of By-products

  "Universidad de Manizales and the University of Wisconsin-Madison structured a collaborative education exchange program focusing on virtual and in-person activities for students. Students participating in the exchange program will work on the development of commercial products and the development of marketing and commercial strategies to be applied according to the goals and possibilities the students see in the U.S. and Colombia."

Winning Projects

• Colorado Mountain College & Universidad de Guadalajara (CUCEA) — Permaculture Learning and Actions for Climate Education and Sustainability (PLACES)

  This project, by Colorado Mountain College (CMC) and Universidad de Guadalajara (UDG), seeks to foster intercultural and bilingual learning and collaboration through innovative climate and sustainability education and practice. Students will learn the conceptual and practical foundations of permaculture design and apply these skills through climate action projects in Colorado, USA, and Guadalajara, Mexico.

• DePaul University & Universidad Del Valle de Atemajac — Promoting Bi-institutional Collaboration through Bilateral Exchange in Conservation and Restoration

  This exchange program led by DePaul University (DePaul) in Chicago and Universidad del Valle de Atemajac (UNIVA) in Guadalajara, Mexico, will immerse DePaul and UNIVA students in conservation work with their partners in both countries. This 100K Strong exchange will pilot a Chicago Bilingual iNaturalist program to train students to protect and conserve delicate ecosystems of La Primavera using research methods and technologies to create inventories of species.

• Universidad Panamericana Mexico City, Kent State University & University of Alberta — Indigenous Food Systems for Climate Justice Project

  The Indigenous Food Systems for Climate Justice Project will establish a tripartite partnership between Universidad Panamericana, Kent State University, and the University of Alberta. Participants will draw on lessons learned from a community partnership at Lake Xochimilco, Mexico, where an Aztec agricultural technique has been preserved. The program will also include agricultural techniques from indigenous communities in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta, Canada, allowing students to make compelling comparisons between indigenous food systems.