Management of Tropical Soils

This project is based on the course SWS 5132 – Tropical Soils Management that I teach at the UF, Soils, Water and Ecosystem Sciences Department at a Graduate level, which was also offered at USP, a major university in Brazil. My partner (Dr. Pavinato) brought to the course his expertise on soil fertility and food and soil security, while I focused on the other aspects of the course. That improved the quality of the course, particularly for the students interested in improving food production in the tropics.

Cross-cultural Perspectives for Addressing Complex, Global Challenges in Context

A case study regarding aquifers in Florida and Morocco spurred conversation between students regarding water systems challenges and opportunities for sustainable development. Systems mapping provided a visual representation of conversations, and sharing through three synchronous sessions enabled contextual understanding of water usage, needs, and competition for limited natural resources.

Intercultural Practices for Micropropagation of Horticultural Crops

Micropropagation of Horticultural Crops is a course that addresses the principles and practices of micropropagation, including concepts and techniques and how micropropagation plays an important role in plant breeding and crop production. The objective this project is to expose students to cultural practices related to micropropagation that are specific to each country, including the crops that are more relevant to each culture (USA vs. Brazil) and that require advanced propagation techniques, as well as to explore how cultural differences affect procedures and goals.

ENGAGES: Entomology and Nematology: Generating Audiences for Global Education of Science

This semester-long virtual exchange project engages students in international science communication by connecting them with entomology professionals from different countries. Students conduct interviews to learn how science is communicated in varying cultural contexts, considering public perceptions, societal norms, and possible communication restrictions. They then create a media artifact inspired by their expert's communication style and share it with classmates.

Comparative Perspectives on Forests and Forest Learning

Students from the University of Florida (UF) and the Federal University of Acre (UFAC) will compare forest knowledge and perceptions between Southwestern Amazonia and the Southeastern U.S.  Following an exchange of short videos that introduce professors and students from each university, groups of students (2-3 from each university) will work together to jointly prepare video ‘shorts’ that offer comparative perspectives of a subset of 7 forest components observed on their respective campuses.

Exploring Foods: From Cuenca to Gainesville

Students in Introduction to Food Systems: Seeds4Life class will work on a project in groups of 3 to conduct a food environmental scan/ observation / interviews with food vendors surrounding the Gainesville area. Students in Cuenca will conduct a similar project. Results will be compared near the end of the course. During these weeks, they will need to be communicating with students in Ecuador about their progress. The presentation will be about similarities/differences and overall, what further research / education can be initiated for the food vendors.

Plant Pathology Perspectives Through International Interviews

In small groups, students contacted and interviewed international researchers working in the field of plant pathology. They asked questions regarding the researchers’ career paths and experience investigating plant disease topics in their local contexts. In class, the students then shared their findings with their classmates and compared experiences interviewing researchers from around the globe. The project culminated with an individual reflection on the knowledge and skills gained from this experience.

Research Practice About Intercultural Communication

This VE project will allow students from both classes (Research Methods and Intercultural Communication) to acquire research skills related to intercultural communication. This will include qualitative interviewing abilities and quantitative data interpretation skills. In week 5, students will receive an explanation of the assignment, allowing them to ask as many questions as they consider.  In week six, a survey related to intercultural communication will be administered to pre-assess the influence of the activity on them.

Agritourism in Croatia and the United States

Students in the US and Croatia will learn about agritourism in each setting, comparing and contrasting the types of agritourism operations, the role of agritourism in society, and agricultural systems. Students will collaborate on agricultural tourism factsheets and case studies. Through this virtual exchange, students will get experience communicating and collaborating with people from other cultures to better understand their own cultures and ways of doing things.

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