by Anita Deeg-Carlin

This past Monday, the Office for Intercultural Learning hosted an info session about Iracambi Research Center in the Minas Gerais region of Brazil. 

Returned students Tamira Le ’26, Cecilia Foldessy-Stiegemeier ’26, and Josie Dickman ’26, shared their inspiring and entertaining experiences from last summer.  Volunteer and Research Coordinator Patanjaly Barbosa de Andrade explained more about the organizations background, structure, and work, and Portuguese professor Beth Jackson shared how she can support interested students.  We had a great hybrid turnout of 25 students from many academic backgrounds, demonstrating the interdisciplinary nature of global sustainability work.  Each presenter emphasized how all skills and interests, hobbies and talents, can be woven into Iracambí’s work, from scientific research like water quality, soil chemistry, or GIS mapping to theater, dance, art, politics, gender issues – everyone has something to learn and something to teach at Iracambí.  Students recommended getting some familiarity with the Portuguese language and GIS mapping as best (but not required) universal preparation for a successful experience!

Interested students can reach out to any of the student presenters, Dr. Jackson, or myself (Anita Deeg-Carlin) at adeegcarlin@wesleyan.edu for more information or to move on to the next steps.