June 1, 2017 – The U.S. Department of State and Partners of the Americas are pleased to announce that Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida, is one of the recipients of the 2017 Capacity Building Grants for U.S. Undergraduate Study Abroad. Each winning institution will be awarded up to $42,000 to increase and diversify participation in study abroad on their campuses. The 2017 Capacity Building Grants are administered by the Partners of the Americas and funded by The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Capacity Building Grants ensure that U.S. institutions are able to: 1) provide students with opportunities to gain global knowledge and skills through a study abroad opportunity; 2) increase the overall number and diversity of student participation in study abroad; 3) establish and maintain strong international partnerships; and 4) diversify the fields of study and the destinations where students are studying and/or interning for academic credit.
Study Abroad Host: Brazil
Project Title: Biotechnology Internship in Brazil
Biotechnology is one of the fastest growing industries in the North Central Florida area, where several biotechnology companies have been established during the last two decades. The Santa Fe College (SF) Perry Center for Emerging Technologies is located in Alachua, Florida, across from Progress Corporate Park where bioscience, technology, research and other innovative companies are clustered.
The current proposal program will help design and develop a for-credit international internship for SF biotechnology students. Santa Fe College students learn a variety of molecular techniques used in both biotechnology research and industrial settings. As a final step in their professional preparation, students are required to go through an internship. With the aid from the Capacity Building grant, SF faculty will develop, in conjunction with faculty from the Brazilian University UNESP, opportunities to complete the internship in Brazil. Such experience will increase the student’s global awareness by learning how biotechnology is applied in non-US settings to address global problems while fostering their intercultural competency by working with Brazilian researchers and students.
This is the second round of support from the U.S. Department of State, totaling over $1.2 million in grant funding to 29 institutions of higher education throughout the nation. To read more about the program and its past and current winners, visit www.partners.net/CBG.
To learn more about Santa Fe College’s Capacity Building Grant, please contact Dr. Alejandra Maruniak at alejandra.maruniak@sfcollege.edu or 352-395-3769.