Lou Tassinary, executive associate dean of the College of Architecture, recently joined a group of Texas A&M administrators on a trip to Brazil to establish ties for future research collaborations and student exchanges.
"We met with representatives from several universities and major companies," said Tassinary, who joined administrators from the colleges of geosciences, agriculture and life sciences, veterinary medicine, aerospace engineering, liberal arts, and the Texas A&M Office for Latin American Programs on the April 24 – May 2 trip. "The Brazilians were gracious hosts, and they appear very interested in pursuing a closer and more routine relationship with Texas A&M," he said.
The trip was part of an initiative led by John Holdren, director of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, to increase collaboration between the two countries in scientific and economic areas.
Opportunities abound for Aggie researchers to work with their Brazilian counterparts, said Tassinary.
Among their many stops, the Texas A&M entourage met with the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, which is the Brazilian equivalent of the U.S. National Science Foundation, and the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo,a public foundation that provides funds to support research.
Tassinary also made presentations to administrators, faculty and students at the University of Brasilia, Universade Federal do Pernambuco in Recife, a city on Brazil's east coast, the Federal University of Rio de Janiero and the University of São Paulo.
Also, while in São Paulo, the group saw how Aggie traditions span the globe, as they attended an Aggie Muster.
- Posted: June. 29, 2010 -