Alabama-Colombia: Water, Access, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Partnership Wins 100,000 Strong in the Americas (100K) Innovation Fund
- June 3rd, 2021
- in International Main
The 100,000 Strong in the Americas (100K) Innovation Fund at Partners of the Americas and the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State selected the grant proposal submitted by Dr. Carolina Robinson from The University of Alabama,
Dr. Rhonda Collier from Tuskegee University and Dr. Aymer Maturana from Universidad del Norte in Colombia to receive an Innovation Fund award in the USA-Colombia Competition for 21st Century Higher Education Partnerships. The team’s proposal “Alabama-Colombia: Water, Access, Sanitation, and Hygiene Partnership” will allow students and professors to investigate water quality, access, expansion, and cultural diversity in the state of Alabama and the city of Barranquilla, Colombia. The goal is to prepare students with the technical knowledge and skills to solve global issues while working in diverse teams. To support this mission, four objectives guide the program:
- Implement a joint international research program between Tuskegee, UA, and Uninorte with two international academic visits.
- Recruit students from each institution to participate in the pilot year of the international research program with a focus on historically minoritized students enrolled in the STEM fields
- Students will do a comparison study around the topic of WASH on two identified underserved communities within the State of Alabama and Departamento de Atlántico in Colombia
- Students will demonstrate academic and personal growth in working in cross-cultural teams following their participation in the study abroad program.