2012-2013 Fulbright NEXUS Regional Network for Applied Research Midterm Meeting
April 21-25, 2013 MedellĂn, Colombia
This event is organized by
The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and administered by the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars. This event is organized by Fulbright Colombia – The Comission for Educational Exchange between Colombia and the United States of America.
A Message from Professor Dan Kammen NEXUS II Distinguished Lead Scholar
April 14, 2013 Dear Fulbright NEXUS Fellows, our Medellín Hosts, and Invited Guests, We have an outstanding and exciting meeting planned for next week in Medellín! There are a number of activities during the week that we very much want to highlight, so that we can use this critical time to maximum benefit. First, as our only full group meeting before the final presentations in Washington, DC, five months from now, it is vital that we do all that we can as your support team to be sure that the logistics of any upcoming visits, and any ongoing data analysis, collaborative work, and outreach to current and future (hoped for) stakeholders and partners for your projects happen. If you see any challenges in these areas, please make sure we sit and talk about ways to solve these issues while we are in Medellin!
Dr. Dan Kammen
Second, thanks to your input and the generosity of their time and interest, we have the honor of some exceptional stakeholders who will be participating in the meeting. The ability to talk over your projects with Jorge Recharte, Rosario Gomez, Anderson Ward, Martina Luger, Jorge Hilbert, Diana Carolina, and Fernando Delgado is an exceptional resource that I know will impact strongly many of the projects. Third, the group projects have both developed some remarkable data sets and visualization tools, and we will have critically needed team time, as well as opportunities to discuss the progress so far in person, both with our student researchers/”sherpas,” Diego Ponce de Leon Barido, Rebekah Shirley, and Jessica Reilly, and with the visiting stakeholders. We will also examine some of the partnership and publication options for these projects, and how we can highlight them at our final meeting in Washington, DC. Fourth, we have some exceptional keynote talks about the state and direction of innovation in science and technology generally, and in the climate/energy/water/biodiversity space specifically. Finally, please use this opportunity to talk with our wonderful local hosts, Dr. Ann Mason and Mrs. Linda González, and to speak with the Chair of the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board, Mr. Tom Healy, and Ms. Mary Evans from the U. S. Department of State, both about your projects and about opportunities you could see this program facilitating. The goal of this, the most critical, meeting in the Fulbright NEXUS year, is to be sure we maximize the assistance that the program team can provide to your individual and group projects, and to look ahead to where you see the work taking you. We are at your service to assist in each of these endeavors!
Daniel M. Kammen
Table of contents
1. Regional Network for Applied Research Midterm Meeting. 2. NEXUS Midterm Meeting Agenda 3. Distinguished Lead Scholar 4. Distinguished Guests - Fulbright Scholarship Board - US. Embassy - Distinguished Speakers - Special Guests 5. Stakeholder Participants 6. Fulbright Colombia 7. NEXUS Administration - US State Department - CIES - U.C. Berkeley 8. 2012-2013 Fulbright NEXUS Scholars 9. Acknowledgements
Regional Network for Applied Research Midterm Meeting
In the context of an increasingly globalized world, the Western Hemisphere faces shared opportunities and challenges that require societies to be open to innovation, entrepreneurship, and the generation of new knowledge that transcends national boundaries. To achieve inclusive prosperity and national well-being, nations must fully utilize the creativity and dynamism of all sectors of their economies and societies. Effectively addressing pressing public policy issues in the region requires that knowledge and solutions be generated through the synergistic efforts of governments, the private sector, and civil society. The Fulbright Program has long pioneered exchange programs that promote cooperation among these sectors to increase mutual understanding and address critical global issues. Launched in 2010, the Fulbright NEXUS Program offers a collaborative model for regional scholarly exchange. It brings together researchers, applied practitioners, members of civil society, and the public and private sectors, for a year of multi-national, multi-disciplinary, and multi-sectoral research that moves beyond theory and into practice. This year’s cohort will be working in the areas of Climate Change, Sustainable Energy, and Innovation under the guidance of Distinguished Lead Scholar, Dr. Daniel M. Kammen. The 2012-13 NEXUS cohort includes scholars from Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, the United States, and Uruguay. These scholars will participate in a series of seminar meetings, and a residential exchange. Scholars will cultivate partnerships with local and regional stakeholders, linking science and policy through innovative projects with long-term social impact. Working in thematic groups, scholars from a wide range of disciplines will address issues such as changes in air quality, the predominance of water and food-borne diseases and/or weather-related injury or death, and disaster and emergency preparedness. At its core, the Fulbright NEXUS Program fosters innovative and multi-disciplinary research to confront problems faced by nations in the Western Hemisphere.
NEXUS Midterm Meeting Agenda April 21-25, 2013 Sunday, April 21, 2013 Throughout the day
Arrival of midterm meeting participants
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Welcome Reception Poolside Terrace Speakers:
Dr. Ann Mason Executive Director Fulbright Colombia Mrs. Linda GonzĂĄlez Public Affairs Officer Fulbright Colombia Board President U.S. Embassy in Colombia Mr. Tom Healy Chairman J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board Ms. Mary Evans Program Officer Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs U.S. Department of State Dr. Daniel Kammen NEXUS Lead Scholar Distinguished Professor of Energy and Nuclear Engineering Director, Renewal and Appropriate Energy Lab University of California, Berkeley
NEXUS Midterm Meeting Agenda April 21-25, 2013 Monday, April 22, 2013 7:00am – 8:30am
Optional Extracurricular Activity
6:00am – 9:00am
Open Breakfast Brasserie Restaurant
9:00am – 10:20am
Ice Breaker and Individual and Group Project Updates Medellín Room
10:20am – 10:30am
Coffee Break Medellín Room
10:30am – 12:00pm
Stakeholder Panel I and Discussion Medellín Room Moderator:
Dr. Daniel Kammen NEXUS Lead Scholar
Panelists:
Ms. Rosario Gomez (Colombia) Magdalena Project Coordinator, NASCA Program The Nature Conservancy Ms. Martina Luger (Nicaragua) Climate Change Consultant Horizont3000 Dr. Jorge Recharte (Peru) Director, Andean Programs The Mountain Institute Dr. Anderson Ward (Barbados) Geohydrologist Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology
12:00pm – 2:00pm
Lunch Citara Room Guest Speaker:
2:00pm – 3:30pm
Dr. Sergio Fajardo Governor of Antioquia
Working Group Session with Stakeholders Próceres Room
NEXUS Midterm Meeting Agenda April 21-25, 2013
3:30pm - 3:40pm
Coffee Break Medellín Room
3:40pm – 5:40pm
Rotating Stakeholder Consultations with Scholars Medellín Room
7:00pm
Special Dinner La Cava Restaurant
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 6:30am – 8:00am
Optional Extracurricular Activity
6:00 am – 8:30 am
Open Breakfast Brasserie Restaurant
8:30am – 10:00am
Stakeholder Panel II and Discussion Moderator:
Dr. Daniel Kammen NEXUS Lead Scholar
Panelists:
Mr. Fernando Delgado (Colombia) Environmental Coordinator ECOPETROL Mr. Jorge Hilbert (Argentina) National Coordinator, Bioenergy Centro de Investigacion de Agroindustria Ms. Diana Carolina Giraldo (Colombia) Research Assistant Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT)
10:00am – 10:30am
Coffee Break Medellín Room
10:30am – 12:00pm
Working Group Session with Stakeholders Próceres Room
NEXUS Midterm Meeting Agenda April 21-25, 2013
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Lunch Poolside Terrace Guest Speaker:
Dr. Ana María Loboguerrero Former NEXUS Scholar
1:00pm – 2:30pm
Working Group Session with Stakeholders Próceres Room
2:30pm – 4.00pm
Rotating Stakeholder Consultations with Scholars Medellín Room
3:40pm - 4:00pm
Coffee Break Medellín Room
4:00pm
Bus departs for visit to RutaN Hotel Lobby
4:30pm – 6:30pm
RutaN Tour Complejo RutaN - Calle 67 Nº 52-20, Piso 2, torre A A site visit to Medellin’s center for innovation, technology, and development, hosted by Director and former Fulbrighter Juan Pablo Ortega.
6:30pm
Bus returns to hotel
7:00pm
Free Evening
Wednesday, April 24, 2013 Throughout the day
Stakeholders Depart Hotel Lobby
7:00am – 8:30am
Optional Extracurricular Activity
6:00am – 9:00am
Open Breakfast Brasserie Restaurant
9:00am – 10:40am
Working Group Session Medellín Room
NEXUS Midterm Meeting Agenda April 21-25, 2013 Wednesday, April 24, 2013 10:40am - 11:00am
Coffee Break Medellín Room Guest Speaker:
Ms. Elizabeth López Partners of the Americas
11:00am – 12:30pm
Looking Ahead to Washington, DC Medellín Room
12:30pm – 1:30pm
Lunch Próceres Terrace
1:30pm – 3:30pm
Working Group Reporting Medellín Room
3:30pm – 5:00pm
Optional Consultations or Continue Working Group Session Medellín Room
5:00pm - 5:15pm
Coffee Break Medellín Room
6:45pm
Bus departs for closing dinner Hotel Lobby
7:15pm – 10:00pm
Closing Reception and Dinner Medellín Botanical Garden Calle 73 # 51-14 Guest Speaker:
Mr. Carlos Fonseca Director: COLCIENCIAS Colombian Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation
Thursday, April 25, 2013 Throughout the day
Scholars and Staff Depart Hotel Lobby
Distinguished Lead Scholar
Daniel M. Kammen is Professor in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG), Professor of Public Policy in the Goldman School of Public Policy and is Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the founding Director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL). Kammen received his undergraduate degree in physics from Cornell University, and his masters and doctorate in physics from Harvard for work on theoretical solid state physics and computational biophysics. He was the Wezmann & Bantrell Postdoctoral Fellow at the California Institute of Technology in the Divisions of Engineering, Biology, and the Humanities. First at Caltech and then as a Lecturer in Physics and in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Kammen developed a number of projects focused onrenewable energy technologies and environmental resource management. Kammen received the 1993 21st Century Earth Award, recognizing contributions to rural development and environmental conservation from the Global Industrial and Policy Research Institute and Nihon Keizai Shimbun in Japan. Dr. Kammen’s research interests include: the science, engineering, management, and dissemination of renewable energy systems; health and environmental impacts of energy generation and use; rural resource management, including issues of gender and ethnicity; international R&D policy, climate change; and energy forecasting and risk analysis. He is the author of over 90 journal publications, a book on environmental, technological, and health risks (Should We Risk It?, Princeton University Press) and numerous reports on renewable energy and development. He has been regularly featured on network and public broadcasting television and in print as an analyst of energy, environmental, and risk policy issues and current events. Kammen advises the U. S. and Swedish Agencies for International Development, the World Bank, and the President’s Committee on Science and Technology (PCAST), and is a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Working Group III and the Special Report on Technology Transfer). Dr. Kammen serves on the technical review board for the GEF (the STAP), is a lead author for the Special Report on Technology Transfer of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and advises the World Bank and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and well as the African Academy of Sciences. The Distinguished Lead Scholar will provide the overall leadership and facilitation of the Fulbright NEXUS Program.
Distinguished Guests Fulbright Scholarship Board Mr. Tom Healy, Chairman of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, is a poet and writer. His book, What the Right Hand Knows, was a finalist for the 2009 L.A. Times Book Prize and the Lambda Literary Award. Healy teaches at New York University and was recently a fellow at the Goree Institute in Dakar, Senegal. He served as President of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and received the 2006 New York City Arts Award from Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his work to rebuild the downtown art community after 9/11. Healy opened one of the first contemporary art galleries in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. Under President Clinton, Healy served on the White House Council on HIV/AIDS and has remained engaged in AIDS and microfinance projects across the world. He received an A.B. from Harvard University and an M.F.A. from Columbia University. Healy was appointed to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board by President Barack Obama in 2011.
US Embassy Mrs. Linda Thompson González has been the Public Affairs Officer at the United States Embassy in Bogota since August 2011. Her previous assignments as a foreign service officer include Lima, Peru, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay where she also held the position of Deputy Chief of Mission. Linda worked as Chief Legal Counsel to the Inspector General’s Office of the U.S. State Department and as Deputy Inspector General before Congress and the press. She was involved in anticorruption teams at the Justice Department in Tbilisi, Georgia and Sofía, Bulgaria, and taught anticorruption training courses in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and Santiago de Chile. Prior to entering the U.S. State Department, Linda worked in private law for nine years and at the U.S. Commerce Department. Linda earned her B.S, in political science from Wooster College, and her law degree from Catholic University in Washington, DC. She also has a diploma degree in International Law from the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
Distinguished Speakers Dr. Sergio Fajardo holds an M.A. in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. Sergio is a Colombian Politician and the current Governor of Antioquia. He was the Mayor of Medellin Mayor from 2004 to 2007 and then he was a Vice-Presidential Candidate in 2010.
Mr. Juan Pablo Ortega holds a M.A. in Management from EAFIT and pursued studies in Management of Innovation at MIT as a Fulbright Hubert Humprhey Scholar. He worked as Innovation Consultant at GEN3 Partners (Boston) and Project Manager at Unisys Colombia. He has also been professor at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Universidad Católica de Oriente y EAFIT.
Distinguished Guests Mr. Carlos Fonseca holds an M.A. in Civil Engineering from the National University of Colombia and a M.A. in Environmental and Urban Systems from Florida International University. He was Deputy Manager of Environmental Issues at Inderena, Consultant on Sustainable Development for United Nations, Dean of the Hidrical Resources and Environment Management at the Universidad Central, Deputy Minister of Environment (1996 1998) and Director of the Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies Institute (Ideam).
Special Guests Dr. Ana María Loboguerrero received her B.A. (2000) and M.A. (2001 ) in Economics from the University of Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. She also holds a Ph.D. (2008) in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. Ana María has worked at the Research and Monetary and Reserves Department of the Central Bank of Colombia, the Research Department of the Inter-American Development Bank and the Sustainable Environmental Development Deputy Directorate of the National Planning Department of Colombia as Coordinator of Climate Change. In this position, Ana María led the formulation of the Colombian Climate Change Policy, the National Adaptation Plan, the National Development Plan and the research agenda on climate change and coordinated the technical support for the Colombian Low Carbon Growth Strategy. Currently, Ana María leads the Latin American regional program of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). She is based in CIAT which is the lead center for CCAFS. She was a Professor of Economics at University of California, Los Angeles, and at the University of Los Andes, University Javeriana and University of Rosario in Bogotá. She also taught Economics of Climate Change at the University of Los Andes. In 2011, Ana Maria participated in the NEXUS Fulbright Program with a project related to the Economics of Climate Change for Colombia which included a three month research visit to the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia University.
Ms. Elizabeth López is Senior Officer for Climate Change at Partners of the Americas, where she manages the Senior ECPA Fellows Program for Latin America and the Caribbean. Her experience in international development includes a climate change mitigation project for the Ecuadorean government, work on U.S. energy e_ciency domestic policies through the Sierra Club’s Climate Change and Energy team, and research and lobbying experience in the U.S. and Colombia on the issue of human rights. Previously Ms. Lopez worked as Program Associate for CDC Development Solutions and a researcher and policy analyst at the Gaia Foundation. She also specialized in the regulation of biotechnology at the Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology and the University of Tromso in Norway. She was Program Director and Project Manager for Grupo Semillas_, where she remains a Board Member. Elizabeth did her undergraduate work in Biology at La Javeriana University in Bogota and holds an M.A. in Global Environmental Politics from American University.
Stakeholder Participants
Mr. Jorge Hilbert Argentina National Bioenergy Coordinator Centro de Investigacion de Agroindustria Jorge Hilbert was the UBA 2000 National Coordinator of the Bioenergy program co-chair of agricultural subcommittee Global Methane Initiative, and coordinator and professor of biomass in the master’s degree course of the Universidad Tecnologica Nacional, steering committee member of the Pan American Biofuels and Bioenergy Sustainability Research Coordination Network (RCN), former director of the Rural Engineering Institute INTA for six years. He was responsible and participated in the research and development projects of INTA and the European Union framework 7 program (babethanol & Global Biopact). He is a former President of the Latin American rural engineering congress and responsible for national and international workshops and seminars. He is an active member of roundtable of Sustainable Biofuels and Global Bioenergy partnership.
Anderson Ward Barbados Geohydrologist Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology Dr. Ward joined The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) in February 2012 as visiting geohydrologist. There he is developing a modeling framework for integrated water resource management for the Caribbean Region in the context of climate variability and change. Prior to joining CIMH, Dr. Ward was a senior research scientist for hydrology at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington. There he was responsible for fundamental research in vadose zone hydrology and biophysics. He is a co-developer of PNNL's subsurface simulator, STOMP, used for forward and inverse ecohydrolical applications in a high-performance computing environment and is currently extending the simulator for use in karstic aquifers. Dr. Ward is an adjunct professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Environmental Science and Regional Planning at Washington State University.
Stakeholder Participants
Martina Luger Nicaragua Climate Change Consultant Horizont 3000 Martina is an ecologist and climate change expert, experienced in education for a sustainable development and environmental consulting. She has been working on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua for 2 years through Horizont3000, in a local placement with the Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University, where she’s dedicated to capacity building related to climate change adaptation of local coastal communities. Her current work includes facilitating climate change education, participatory design and implementation of adaptation pilot projects to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of climate change adaptation with a variety of local stakeholders, trainings about environmental laws and payments for ecosystem services as well as the design of communication campaigns. She’s also encouraging investigation and monitoring of climate change relevant issues together with local partners.
Rosario Gómez Colombia Magdalena Project Coordinator, NASCA Program The Nature Conservancy Rosario Gómez is a biologist by training with a Master's degree in Sustainable Development and a Master's degree in Anthropology, with over ten years of experience working in the conservation field. Previously to working with TNC she worked for four years with the Colombian government in the National Planning Department (DNP). She also worked with the Humboldt Institute, Fundación Natura, Tropenbos and the Botanical Garden of Quindio. In TNC she is the Magdalena Project Coordinator at the NASCA Program, being responsible for providing articulation whiting all initiatives that take place in the Basin, ensure resources and follows up on their performance, in order to provide leverage points that will guarantee the maximization of outcomes and achievement of goals.
Stakeholder Participants
Jorge Recharte PerĂş Director, Andean Programs The Mountain Institute Jorge Recharte, Anthropologist (Ph.D. Cornell University, 1989). Since January 1997 he is is the Director of the Andean Program of The Mountain Institute (TMI) in Peru. He cooperates with a multidisciplinary team that develops ecosystem conservation and cultural affirmation programs in Peru and Ecuador. These initiatives include climate change adaptation projects, conservation of the paramo ecosystem with professional networks in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. He cooperates with the Andean Community of Nations and other partners implementing cultural landscape conservation projects associated with the ancestral Inca road system. He worked in Ecuador between 1994 and 1996 for the Latin American Social Science Faculty (FLACSO), designing and managing a graduate education and research program dedicated to mountain ecosystems and societies. Between 19801981 and 1990-1993 he was associated with the International Potato Center where he developed participatory research projects in agriculture and research on farming systems. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of The Common Good Institute (IBC) and the Institute for the Promotion of Water Management (IPROGA) in Peru.
Diana Carolina Giraldo MĂŠndez Colombia Research Assistant Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) Diana Carolina holds a Mg. Sc. degree in meteorology. Her work relates to the generation and analisis of spatial information to assess and address the vulnerability of agriculture to climate variations, strengthening the interaction between the public and private sectors with regard to climate and agriculture. She has extensive experience in agroclimatic models, climate change scenarios, coupling crop models with seasonal climate forecasts and adaptation strategies / mitigation in order to quantify impacts.
Stakeholder Participants
Fernando Delgado Colombia Prof. HSE Terminal Maritimo Covenas. Ecopetrol For the past 20 years, Fernando has worked as an environmental professional in the petroleum industry, specifically in environmental protection and as a researcher monitoring the fauna and forest structure of mangroves as part of the environmental monitoring plan at the ECOPETROL oil port in Cove単as , Colombia. Since 1995, he has acted as the lead professional in charge of the environmental control area at the ECOPETROL terminal in Cove単as and is responsible for the environmental management and contingency plans of the terminal. Since 2000, he has also acted as a health, safety, environment and quality professional.
Fulbright Colombia
Dr. Ann Mason was appointed Executive Director of Fulbright Colombia in 2006. She was previously on the faculty of the Political Science Department at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota from 1998-2005, the last four of which as Department Chair. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University, where she also did an M.A. in International Relations. Her academic interests include security, the state, and regionalism in the context of Colombia and the Andean Region, and her research has been awarded grants from the SSRC, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and London School of Economics. Her publications include articles in International Political Science Review, Security Dialogue, and Revista Harvard Review of Latin America. She is contributing author to various books on conflict and peace in Colombia, including the chapter on National Security in the 2010 U.S. Library of Congress Area Handbook series on Colombia. Mason has lived and worked in Colombia for 18 years.
Ms. Bibiana Arévalo holds a B.A. in Economics from the Universidad del Rosario (Bogota) and an M.A. in Economics and Finances from Université Montesquieu Bordeaux IV (France). In the last 10 years, she has worked as Administrative and Financial Director in private companies, public entities and NGOs. Bibiana is the Administrative and Financial Director of Fulbright Colombia and is in charge of the Administrative and Financial matters of the Commission, as well as acting as the Legal Representative of the Fundación Amigos de Fulbright.
Mr. Felipe Duque is Public Affairs Assistant at Fulbright Colombia. He is currently finishing a B.A. in Communications and Journalism at the Universidad de La Sabana in Bogotá and he is also studying an M.A. in Corporate Communications Management at the Universitat de Barcelona (Spain).
NEXUS Administration
US State Department Ms. Mary Evans works at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the Western Hemisphere Fulbright Programs Branch. Her portfolio includes Brazil, Peru, the UGRAD Program, and providing support for the NEXUS regional research program for scholars. Before arriving at Fulbright, Mary worked with the Inter-American Dialogue and the United Nations Association’s Global Classrooms® Washington, DC Program. She holds a B.A. in English and Spanish from the University of California at Irvine, and an M.A. in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies from the George Washington University.
CIES Ms. Katrin DeWindt is the Assistant Director for the Western Hemisphere at the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), a division of the Institute of International Education (IIE). She moved to Washington, D.C. after joining the CIES in 2009, having relocating from Bogotá, Colombia where she worked with the Foundation for the Future of Colombia (COLFUTURO), an international higher education scholarship program aimed at facilitating the access of Colombian professionals to graduate education abroad. Katrin has over 10 years of experience working in international higher education and non-profit organizations. She earned her graduate degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Central Florida and has lived in Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Mexico.
NEXUS Administration
U.C. Berkeley Mr. Diego Ponce de León Barrido is a Mexican first year MS/ PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley, investigating the optimal distribution of energy and wáter resources in megacities. He has fieldwork experience in Chiapas (Mexico) on microcredit and river survey studies, has worked developing ‘low-tech high-impact’ water distribution systems for small communities in Uganda and Honduras, has used GIS models and InVest (Integrated Valuation of Environmental services and Tradeoffs) to develop a hydrological model in Malawi and has worked on hydrological variability of the sectorial economies of Punjab and Telangana, India. He holds degrees in Economics and Civil Engineering from Macalester College and the University of Minnesota respectively, and has published in a variety of healthcare economics and engineering journals.
Ms. Jessica Reilly is a first year MS/PhD student at the Energy and Resources group at UC Berkeley. Since graduating from Brown University with a degree in Ecology, Jessica has spent the last 11 years supporting research, ecotourism, and energy development in rural communities worldwide.
Ms. Rebekah Shirley is a second year PhD student with the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley. She is from Trinidad and Tobago. After completing an undergraduate degree in Environment at McGill University (Quebec, Canada) she worked for two years at the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) in Trinidad and Tobago.
2012-13 Fulbright NEXUS Scholars
Dr. Katherine Arkema is a scientist with the Natural Capital Project, a partnership between Stanford University, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, and the University of Minnesota. Her research is focused on understanding how human activities and climate change influence the benefits that humans rely on from their natural environments. Katie has developed models and software for quantifying and valuing these services - clean water, food resources, protection from flooding and storms, climate regulation, and opportunities for recreation and aesthetic enjoyment. Her primary goal is to use science to influence challenging policy- and decisionmaking processes. In collaboration with her colleagues, government and non-governmental partners worldwide, Katie is using these models to inform marine spatial planning, infrastructure permitting, and climate adaptation strategies. In all of her projects, Katie engages with stakeholders to understand the most pressing issues, and to design approaches and tools needed to inform management. Katie’s recent efforts include the development of an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan for the country of Belize, and a nation-wide assessment of green infrastructure protection from sea level rise and storms for the coastline of the United States. Katie received her Ph.D. in marine ecology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her undergraduate degree is in ecology with a minor in Latin American studies from Princeton University.
Dr. Fernando Borraz was born in Montevideo, Uruguay and obtained a B.A. in Economics from the University of the Republic of Uruguay in 1996. Fernando got an InterAmerican Development Bank scholarship to pursue his Master of Science in Economics at ILADES/Georgetown University in Santiago de Chile. He also obtained a Georgetown University graduate fellowship to get a Ph.D. in Economics at Georgetown University in 2004. Fernando’s research is in policy evaluation, development economics and applied microeconomics. He is a researcher at the Central Bank of Uruguay and professor at the University of the Republic. His research has been published in The Journal of Development Studies, Journal of Economic Inequality and the National Bureau of Economic Research, among others. He received the first prize of the National Prize in Economics in 2004, granted by the University of the Republic. He also received the first prize in the 2011 Inter-American Award for Research in Social Security granted by the vvInter-American Conference on Social Security.
2012-13 Fulbright NEXUS Scholars Dr. Eleonora Campos is a molecular microbiologist from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has a B.A. and a Ph.D. degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires. She was also a postdoctoral fellow from National Council of Research (CNPQ) at Carlos Chagas-Fiocruz Institute-Curitiba. She is a researcher from the National Council of Research from Argentina, working at the Biotechnology Institute from the National Institute for Agricultural Research. Her area of expertise is molecular biology of cellulolytic bacteria for the generation of biofuels; more specifically, the study of enzymes that deconstruct cellulose and hemicelluloses in order to obtain bioethanol from agricultural or forestry residues.
Dr. Megan Cox is a Barbadian who received the Fulbright NEXUS scholarship to continue her study on the impacts of karst sinkholes and suck wells on the groundwater quality in Barbados. Megan was educated in Barbados up to secondary level and continued her education in the UK at the University of Leicester where she received a bachelor’s in science studying interdisciplinary science. Megan continued her education at Lancaster University where she completed a master’s degree in Environmental Biochemical Toxicology. On completing University, Megan returned home and started working at the Caribbean Intuition of Meteorology and Hydrogen (CIMH) as the Technical Specialist for OAS project titled: Assessment of the Effects of Drainage Wells (Suck Wells) and Karst Sinkholes on the Groundwater Quality of Barbados. CIMH recently reemployed Megan full time as the Water Quality Specialist. At CIMH, Megan designed and taught a module on water quality for the Hydrological technician’s course and Diploma in hydrology course.
Mr. Mathias Craig conceived of blueEnergy while conducting his graduate studies at MIT. blueEnergy is a social impactorganization that connects the poorest, most isolated communities to energy, clean water and other essential services, and trains leaders to work globally for a more sustainable, equitable world. Since its founding in 2003, Mathias has served as Executive Director, providing leadership on strategic direction, program development, and resource development. Both blueEnergy and Mathias have been recognized by CNN Heroes, Larry King Live, the Tech Awards (winner of 2007 vEconomic Development Award), the Energy Globe Awards (National Winner for Nicaragua and Finalist for Energy Globe World Award, 2008), the Ashoka Fellowship, mand most recently as a Fulbright Scholar. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mathias is fluent in English, French, and Spanish. .
2012-13 Fulbright NEXUS Scholars
Dr. Hallie Eakin is an Associate Professor in Sustainability Science with the School of Sustainability, Arizona State University. Her research focuses on the adaptability, resilience and sustainability of food systems in face of global environmental and socioeconomic change. Her research has largely focused on the livelihoods of rural smallholders in Latin America (Mexico, Central America and Argentina). Recently, she has investigated processes of change and vulnerabilities in the Mexican maize system, and the adaptive capacity of Mesoamerican coffee farmers. Dr. Eakin has consulted with the World Bank, the United States Agency for International Development, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency on projects in agricultural development, the use of seasonal forecasting in drought risk mitigation, and adaptation to anticipated climatechange impacts on urban water availability. She teaches courses on food systems sustainability, on adaptation and resilience and on proposal writing in sustainability research.
Dr. Eduardo Fuentes is an Associate Professor in the Agricultural Production Department in the Agricultural Sciences Faculty of Universidad de Talca, Maule region, Chile. At present he is also the Director of the Doctoral Program in Agricultural Sciences of his institution. He obtained a Biological Sciences degree from Pontificia Universidad Cat贸lica de Chile (1992), and a Doctor in Science degree from Universidad de Chile (1999). During his graduate studies he received advanced training in entomology, ecology, and chemical ecology at Universidad de Chile, and in biological control during a research stay in the Entomology and Nematology Department in Rothamsted Research, UK (1995). Since 2000 his main research line has been the integrated pest management of fruit crops in temperate areas. The key projects involve aphids and fruit moths as model insects, which are the key pests of pome (apple and pears) and stone fruit (peach, plum and cherry) production. Dr. Eduardo Fuentes-Contreras has received fellowships from Conicyt (Chile), Fundaci贸n Andes (Chile), and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. In addition, Dr. FuentesContreras is responsible for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in Fruit Crop Protection and Integrated Fruit Production.
2012-13 Fulbright NEXUS Scholars
Dr. Vladimir Gil is a professor and researcher at the Environmental Development Master Program and the Department of Social Sciences at the Catholic University of Peru, and the Graduate Program in Mining Law & Environment at the Pacific University. He is Adjunct Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Environmental Research & Conservation - The Earth Institute at Columbia University; and the University of California, Santa Cruz. Dr. Gil obtained his Ph.D., M. Phil, and M.A. degrees in Ecological and Economic Anthropology from Yale University, where he was a Fulbright fellow. He holds a B.A. in Social Sciences and Anthropology from the Catholic University of Peru. Dr. Gil is the General Coordinator of the Consortium for the Study of the Economic Impact of Climate Change in Peru (EIECCP), a national study of climate change impacts on well-being and economic productivity. Dr. Gil is also the Director of the Consortium for the Climate Vulnerability Impact Assessment of the Global Ecosystem-based Adaptation Project in the Andes, formed by UNALM and Columbia University. Previously, Dr. Gil was Associate Researcher at the UP Research Center (CIUP). He also had a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Dr. Gil’s research focuses on socioenvironmental issues, including the challenges of development, social conflicts and extractive industries, as well as adaptation to climate uncertainties in the Andean-Amazonian region.
Dr. Mauricio Giraldo participated in several industry and research related projects while studying Mechanical Engineering at the Pontificia Bolivariana University in Medellín Colombia. Projects ranged from the evaluation of boiler combustion to the design and building of a small wind turbine for a local public park. After graduating at the top of his class, he began his Ph.D. studies in Colombia financed by Colciencias, focused on the numerical evaluation of complex flow phenomena. During his Ph.D. he was able to secure a short stay at the University of Nottingham (UK) to work on the numerical models, and received a Marie Curie Fellowship to conduct further research of fluid behavior at the sub-micron scale at the University of Leeds, also in the UK. After receiving his Magna Cum Laude Doctoral degree, he has was hired at the Pontificia Bolivariana University in Medellín, where he is teaching both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, consulting with local companies on energy related matters, and conducting research in the fields of numerical methods, energy, fluid mechanics and renewable energy systems. Currently he is the Mechanical Engineering Head of Department, in charge of the academic and administrative aspect.
2012-13 Fulbright NEXUS Scholars Dr. Claudia González Brambila was born in Mexico City. She is a professorresearcher in Business Administration, and Coordinator of Entrepreneurship at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). Dr. González-Brambila is an expert in Science and Technology Policy and has studied the determinants of research productivity and the impact of governmental programs on innovation. She received her Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and her Master’s in Engineering (Planning) from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), where she was awarded the Gabino Barreda Medal, the most prestigious honor for UNAM students. Dr. González-Brambila has been Deputy Director General for International Affairs and Scholarships at the Mexican Council on Science and Technology (CONACYT), and visiting researcher at the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST). She is member of the National System of Researchers (SNI). Dr. Sharon Gourdji was born in New York City, and raised in Midland, Michigan. She received her B.A. in Mathematics from Columbia University, and then worked for six years in the financial software industry. After returning to graduate school, she received a combined Master’s degree in Applied Economics and Natural Resources and Environment, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan. In the environmental field, she has worked on statistical and process-based models that aim to support decision-making in the areas of water resource management, carbon monitoring and agricultural adaptation to climate change. She is currently a post-doc working in the Center for Food Security and the Environment and the School of Earth Sciences at Stanford University. Dr. Andreas Hamann is an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta in the field of ecological genetics. He received his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and his M.Sc. degree at the State University of New York, Syracuse. Subsequently, he has worked on conservation and natural resource management projects in the Philippines and Kenya. Currently, his research centers on conifer population genomics and adapting forest genetic resource management to climate change in Canada. His lab members work on ecological genetics of western North American tree species, climate change adaptation strategies for the forestry sector, conservation genetics, dendrochronology, ecophysiology, and phenology of tree species. He has recently initiated similar work for European tree species in collaboration with researchers from Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland under the auspices of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
2012-13 Fulbright NEXUS Scholars Ms. Tracy-Ann Hyman is currently a Researcher with the Climate Studies Group in the Department of Physics, University of the West Indies, Jamaica. She is responsible for providing technical research support to the Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Project in Jamaica. This Project is managed by the Planning Institute of Jamaica and the United Nations Environment Programme, and is funded by the European Union. The project’s objective is to increase resilience and reduce risks associated with natural hazards in vulnerable areas, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of Jamaica. In 2008 Tracy-Ann received a Japanese Government Scholarship (MEXT), which allowed her to obtain a Master’s degree in Sustainability Science from the University of Tokyo, Japan. Her thesis won the ‘Best Paper Award’ at the 2010 Asia Pacific Forum in Beppu, Japan. Her main research interest lies in Disaster Management and Community Resilience for Caribbean coastal communities. This approach highlights the need for promoting a Community Empowerment Approach (CEA) towards disasters such as tsunamis, hurricanes, sea level rise etc. It encourages local residents to be involved in all four stages of the Comprehensive Disaster Management Cycle. Dr. David Hsu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania. He studies how environmental policy is implemented in cities through systems of infrastructure, buildings, institutions, behavior, and finance. Interest include energy and water, Green buildings and building codes, consumer behavior, and how these are all affected by increasing amounts of data. Prior to academia, Professor Hsu worked in city government in Seattle and New York; as a financial analyst; and as a structural engineer and environmental designer. He received his doctorate from the University of Washington in Seattle, and was previously educated at Yale and Cornell Universities, and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Dr. André Frossard is an Associate Professor at the Energy Planning Program of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. His research interests include energy and environmental economics, integrated energy modeling and climate change. Dr. Lucena was born in Rio de Janeiro and graduated with a degree in Economics from the Pontifical Catholic University. After graduation he entered an Environmental Planning Master’s program, where he studied the relationship between economic development and environmental quality in Brazil. As a doctoral researcher, Dr. Lucena worked with integrated energy modeling and long term energy scenario building. In 20082009, Dr. Lucena received an international exchange grant to work as a visiting scholar at the International Energy Studies Department of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. While there, he worked on a project to estimate the risk of climate change to California energy infrastructure. Since completing his doctorate, he has been working on energy and climate change related issues, teaching and advising students on Environmental and Energy Economics.
2012-13 Fulbright NEXUS Scholars Dr. Mauricio López is an Associate Professor and Associate-Dean of Undergraduate Studies in the School of Civil Engineering at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. Since 2006 he is the editor of Revista Ingenieria de Construcción, a research journal recently included in Scopus. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 1997 and 1999, respectively. He received his Master’s degree in Science in Civil Engineering and Doctorate degrees from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research and professional interests include concrete properties, microstructure of materials, and sustainability in civil engineering materials, deterioration, and rehabilitation of materials and structures.
Dr. Javier Naupari is an Associate Professor in Rangeland Ecology and Management and head of the Rangeland Ecology Lab at the Agricultural State La Molina University in Lima, Peru. Dr. Naupari is also the Academic Coordinator of the M.S. Program in Animal Production at La Molina University. Dr. Naupari, a Fulbright alumnus, received his Ph.D. degree in Natural Resources at the University of Idaho and M.S. degree in Range Animal Production at La Molina University. His research area is remote sensing and geographic information systems applied to ecological processes in mountain range ecosystems. He is currently involved in assessing the ecological status and productivity of rangeland ecosystems and the impacts of climate change on livestock production.
Mr. Rene Mariaca is an academic and entrepreneur of the tourism sector in Bolivia. He has a B.S. in Management from the Catholic University of Bolivia and earned a Master’s degree in Marketing from Complutense University of Madrid, and a Master’s degree in Higher Education Management from University of Alcala de Henares. Since 2005, he has been a researcher and profesor at the Catholic University. He is Head of the Department of Tourism Management and is acting Dean. He is a member of the Bolivian Chamber of Hotels, Association of Tourism Destination Management, Federation of Private Entrepreneurs of Bolivia. Rene is concerned with the changing dynamics of rural tourism as well as with environmental issues and economic and social growth. He worked as a consultant for the Bolivian Government, local unicipalities and for different NGOs, always focusing his work on sustainable tourism.
2012-13 Fulbright NEXUS Scholars Mr. Carlos Roberto Pacas is from San Salvador, El Salvador. As an environmental engineer, he has been researching water and air pollution for over ten years. He is currently the Director of the Institute for Energy Research at University Don Bosco in San Salvador. This research institute works to educate and implement renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency practices within industry, government, and schools. In 2011, he received a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. His thesis is a statistical comparison between the gravimetric method and continuous method for measuring PM2.5 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He began air pollution research in 2005 with a project about Turbococina integration in rural communities. Better natural resource utilization and quality of life issues (such as indoor air quality and access to affordable fuel sources) for rural communities have remained a research interest. His research objectives include building and testing a new oven-stove-cooling system; studying biomass combustion efficiency and data with simulation software; and conducting comparisons of different oven-stove designs and biomass materials in the lab to corroborate positive results in El Salvador conditions.
Dr. Pedro Wightman is an assistant professor at the Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla, Colombia. He graduated with honors from his bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering from the same institution. He worked as an instructor and researcher for a year, before being accepted to the Professor Formation Program at Uninorte, which allowed him to go to the University of South Florida to obtain his master’s degree and doctorate in Computer Science and Engineering, in 2007 and 2012 respectively, under the guidance of Dr. Miguel Labrador. His main research topics are Topology Control in Wireless Sensor Networks, more specifically in energy-efficient protocols for topology construction and maintenance, and Location-based Information Systems, with an emphasis in implementation of LBISs in open source platforms and lately, location privacy preserving techniques.
Acknowledgements
We wish to express our sincere appreciation to the volunteers, speakers, and organizations that have made this meeting posible:
This event is organized by