R ECEVED AUG 2 2 200t
July2005 Vol. 16, No. 7
International
Isi" B.
UF/IFAS International Programs Office of the Vice President for Agriculture & Natural Resources Gainesville, Florida 32611
From the director
Newsletter, web changes
By Roger Natzke
After 17 years of
faithful service of seeking out and
writing articles for our International Focus newsletter, Larry Schnell will be leaving our International Programs group. In addition to the fine newsletter he produced he took responsibility for building and updating our website. Thanks Larry, we will miss you.
As Larry leaves, Don Poucher and his assistant, Linda Evans, will join the team. Don brings a lot of experience in marketing, which will be an asset to our efforts. We look forward to working with them.
Recently I attended the CIP (Commission on International Programs under NASULGC) summer meeting in which new concepts in global education were discussed. The Bologna Process was initiated in the European Union and expanded to a number of its neighbors. The objective was to standardize the education systems to allow more mobility for students. The new system will go from primary through grade 13, then three years for the bachelor's degree and two years for the master of science degree, and three years for the doctoral degree.
American universities are suffering from a decline in the number of interSee International students, p. 2
Multidisciplinary education is the key
to preparing for an
s students and faculty seek
greater international
involvement in their education and their work, professor emeritus Peter Hildebrand has some important advice be multidisciplinary.
With a distinguished career in international agriculture that involves 15 years of full-time work abroad and work in 35 countries, Hildebrand has seen the many problems facing P
-smallholder farming families in f the developing world. His experience has left him with a general conclusion: any solution or program must involve a variety of disciplines from the social sciences to the physical sciences.
This point of view explains why
this summer, Hildebrand, although retired, is overseeing the work of many multidisciplinary graduate students doing their research abroad. Fifteen of his 17 graduate students are working abroad, mostly gathering data for their graduate research. Latin America, Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean are the training grounds for these students, who are pursuing topics in pest management, wildlife conservation, political ecology, ornamental forest products, homegardens, organic food production and others.
The topics are disparate, but a common thread unites them the human
international career
element. As technology becomes increasingly complex, graduate students tend to focus on very narrow topics or
eter Hildebrand, right, in Portugal with a ,rmer student, Victor Cabrera.
on single crops for their research, and their exposure to the many disciplines required to understand smallholder farmers, their environmental, social and economic context is limited or nonexistent, Hildebrand said. The human element is lost in the technology.
A dozen of Hildebrand's students are getting their degrees in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, a school within UF/IFAS that requires multidisciplinary backgrounds for graduate degrees.
"That program is unique and exciting because it provides a substantial yet broad-based degree that allows graduates to have a more holistic view See International Education, p. 2
I S f
FLORIDA
IFAS
Telephone: 352 392-1965 FAX: 352 392-7127 Website: http://international.ifas.ufl.edu
July 2005
Vol. 16, No. 7
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Students study comparative culture and history in Ireland
A summer study abroad program in
the Republic of Ireland initiated this year provides College of Agricultural and Life Sciences students with an opportunity learn the culture and history of Ireland in the context of family, youth and community sciences.
Mark Brennan, community development assistant professor in family, youth and community sciences, organized the four-credit course Summer Study Program in Ireland, based at the Athlone Institute of Technology. The course involved initial preparation at
International education, from p. 1
of the situation of the people they are working with," Hildebrand said. Hildebrand's career at UF/IFAS embodied this view in his working with students in general and specifically in his leadership in the Farming Systems Program, which he began developing in 1979. His mandate was to create a world-class, multidisciplinary Farming Systems Program, with teaching, research and extension. Farming systems professionals are trained leaders in agricultural and sustainable development activities globally, where they work in
International students, from p. 1
national students enrolling. This drop is due in part to the greater difficulty in obtaining visas. However impacting the situation more is the fact that other countries are carrying out major publicity campaigns to lure the students to their campuses. It seems that other nations are beginning to realize the major economic impact of international students. In an attempt to reverse the decline, the State University System of New York initiated an alliance with most major universities in Turkey. The two groups developed a common curriculum for a number of majors so students can enroll in any of the participating institutions and switch universi-
the University of Florida, followed by study at Athlone Institute of Technology June 10-July 2. The class continued on the UF campus.
Eight students, accompanied by Brennan and Jane Allen, Clay County extension director, traveled to the Republic of Ireland, where they stayed in student housing, attended Students visit classes and lectures, during their stu
forests, farms, rural communities, commerce, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, international organizations and multinational companies. Their training provides people skills and participatory techniques.
Farming systems is a natural component of the School of Natural Resources and the Environment.
"With the SNRE degree, we are
unique in preparing students to go into the developing world to be productive in resolving problems of food insecurity and poverty particularly in urban areas," he said. The research of Hilde-
ties at any point in their program. The New York State system allowed for 350 Turkish students and ended up with a long waiting list despite a per year cost of $20,000, paid by the student. It is clear that other universities are recognizing that we can no longer operate with the attitude that "We are a good American university so they will come." If we want to attract the brightest and the best, new strategies are needed.
Roger Natzke is senior associate dean and director of International Programs
Contact
natzke @animal.ufl.edu
di
and visited sites of historical and cultural significance.
To incorporate family and community sciences topics into
the class, students compared cultural
practices and contemporary issues in the
Republic of Ireland to those in Florida. Natural resource conservation in a rapid pop;torical sites ulation growth is an ies in Ireland. See Ireland, p. 3
brand's students this summer mirrors his commitment to multidisciplinary education. He chairs the graduate committee of the following five students in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment:
* Alfredo Rios, a Peruvian, is in Peru working on the impact of human population densities on pest management in potatoes.
* Britt Coles is exploring the impact of different political ecologies on human communities and wildlife in natural reserves in southern Africa.
* David Wilsey is looking into the potential for sustainable marketing of xate, a palm product used in ornamentals. His work in nontimber forest products is being conducted in Guatemala, Mexico and Belize.
* Vanessa Harper is in Cuba studying the impact of biodiversity on home gardens. She is likely the first UF student to conduct primary research in Cuba.
* Harry Pellish is conducting research in Kenya and Ecuador on sustainable organic production in highland areas.
Contact
Peter Hildebrand,
peh@ifas.ufl.edu
Focus
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UF/IFAS Plant Medicine Program seeks international students
UF/IFAS's unique doctoral program in plant medicine is recruiting students worldwide.
Bob McGovern, director of the
Plant Medicine Program, visited Asian universities and agencies in June and July to promote the program, the o
only one to prepare doctoral students to work as practitioners in the treatment of plant diseases.
McGovern gave presentations to students and faculBob McGovern, fou
ty in plant pathol- faculty from Nong L ogy departments at four universities during his 16-day trip to Viet Nam, Thailand and Singapore to promote the program to potential graduate students. He also met with representatives of regulatory agencies to discuss the program.
McGovern visited Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam;
rth
an
King Mongkut's University, Thonburi, Thailand; Kasetsart University, the Agricultural Research and Development Agency, and the Department of Agriculture, Bangkok, Thailand; Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai,
Thailand; and the
Food and Veterinary
Administration in
:: Singapore. While
many nations have a pool of research scientists trained at
UF/IFAS and other
research universities
in plant pathology,
from left, with practitioners in plant from left, with
University. diseases are scarce.
Researchers work
on long-term solutions to plant diseases, while practitioners from the UF/ IFAS program are trained to diagnose and treat plant pest and disease problems. The multidisciplinary program emphasizes prevention, diagnosis and management of plant pests and diseases.
International students would be an asset to the Plant Medicine Program because they bring experience with exotic pests and diseases, McGovern said. After graduation these students become part of a network of practitioners providing information to UF/ IFAS about pests and diseases in the country of origin.
"This is very appropriate degree for a developing country because of the broad-based nature of the training," said McGovern. The program parallels medical doctorates and veterinary doctorates by concentrating on practitioner skills rather than research.
During his visit, McGovern introduced the Certificate in Plant Pest Risk Assessment and Management, which begins in January. The program prepares students to lead and conduct plant risk assessment and management.
Contact
(Bob Mcgovern, rjm@ifas.ufl.edu
Opportunities in student
Food and resource economics professor Roy Carriker's visit to the Southwest University in the People's Republic of China has opened doors to a student and faculty exchange.
Carriker visited the Southwest University in Beibei, near Chongqing, this summer and taught a course College of Economics and Management graduate course in natural resource economics. At the request of the host university, he presented seminars on higher education in the United States.
During the visit, Carriker began discussions on establishing a cooperative agreement that provides for a reciprocal student exchange program and for an exchange of visiting faculty. Carriker will be UF's program manager. Students who are selected to participate in July 2005
and faculty exchange emerge after visit to China
the exchange program will spend two semesters at Southwest University while earning course credit at UF. Students who do not already speak Chinese will begin to learn the language as a part of their course work at Southwest University.
The program is part of a cooperative agreement in preparation deIreland, from p. 2
issue common to Florida and Ireland. Over the past 10 to 20 years, Ireland has experienced growth prompted by economic expansion that parallels Florida's. The economic boom has generated a change in family structure, with young people leaving home earlier to seek employment and independence.
Students visited prehistoric sites, an-
signed to encourage cooperation and collaboration among faculty of the two universities. The Chinese university would like a UF/IFAS visiting professor to teach international trade and another to teach agribusiness management. Contact
Roy Carriker,
RRCarriker@ifas.ufl.edu
cient villages and medieval castles guided by a university historian. Contemporary sites included the Gate Theatre, the Supreme Court, Trinity College, and the National Museum.
Brennan hopes the program becomes an annual opportunity.
Contact
Mark Brennan,
MABrennan@ifas.ufl.edu
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Office of International Programs University of Florida Office of the Vice President for Agriculture
and Natural Resources P.O. Box 110282 Gainesville, FL 32611-0282
1,,111. 11,.,,II.III.,llh .,, I Ih.1111111.1 MS DALE B CANELAS UNI LIBRA & DIR DIR-LIBRARIES PO BOX 117001 GAINESVILLE FL 32611-7001
UF/IFAS faculty teach course in the Czech Republic this summer
Faculty from the UF/IFAS College
of Agricultural and Life Sciences, taught the course Integrated Analysis of Forested Watersheds with faculty from the Czech Agricultural University in Prague this summer.
Eric Jokela, Forest Resources and Conservation, was the lead faculty member in the five-week course. He was assisted through short-term visits by UF/IFAS faculty Mary Collins, soil and water science, George Tanner, wildlife ecology and conservation, Ken Portier, statistics, Dan Neary, USDA Forest Service, Janaki Alavalapati, forest resources and conservation, and Dorota Haman, agricultural and biological engineering. Faculty from the Czech University assisted.
The course is designed to enrich the curricula with international experience. It is an interdisciplinary exercise that allows for multiresource analysis for integrated decision-making.
UF students from wildlife ecology and conservation, soil and water science, School of Forest Resources and Conservation and the School of Natural Resources and Environment participated, along with Czech students and a student from Northern Arizona University. Wayne Smith, interim dean for academic programs, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, attended inaugural ceremonies.
The course emphasizes field sam-
piling, data analysis and case studies. It is enriched by weekend trips to neighboring countries where students observe different approaches to natural resources management decision-making and policy implementation. Weekends include cultural and historical activities. The course is partially sponsored by a USDA Challenge Grant.
Contact
Wayne Smith,
WHSmith@mail.ifas.ufl.edu J
Doctoral student studies in Africa on World Bank scholarship
Asako Takimoto, a doctoral student under the supervision of UF/IFAS distinguished professor P.K. Nair, has been awarded a Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship.
Asako, who started the program at UF two years ago as a Fulbright scholar, arrived in Mali, West Africa, in July to do her field research in collaboration with Bocary Kaya at the
World Agroforestry Centre's Sahel Programme. Kaya received a doctoral degree from UF/IFAS under the guidance of Nair. Takimoto's research focuses on the carbon sequestration potential of agroforestry systems in sub-Saharan Africa.
Contact
S P.K. Nair, pknair@ufl.edu
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