Brazil program needs nerds

UNM offers scholarships to students eager to explore Brazil’s booming job market, but few are taking advantage of the opportunity.

Robyn Cote, the Latin American and Iberian Institute’s program director, said the program targets science students, but many aren’t willing to study Portuguese for four semesters, a program requirement.

“Language was the major hindrance to engineers,” she said. “Unless they had a real interest in Portuguese, it would’ve been hard for them to add that to their coursework.”

In past years, fewer than half of the program participants were from math and science disciplines, Cote said.

UNM is teaming up with Texas Tech to offer the program, which allows students to immerse themselves in Brazil’s fast-emerging global economy and explore the job market. Students can’t get out of the Portuguese requirement, but UNM offers accelerated classes that fit two semesters into one, Cote said, and other options that help students meet the requirement.

Professor Timothy Ross, an advocate for the Brazil program, said it is crucial for Americans in the business world to forge global ties.
“Engineering and technology is a global issue, and the U.S. is not a leader in this anymore,” he said. “At best, we can become a strong partner of the world community.”

To get people interested in applying for the program, the Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) granted an all-expenses-paid trip in March for nine students from Texas Tech and UNM to get acquainted with Brazil’s culture.

Student Ashley Hooper said the trip inspired her to take advantage of the FIPSE study-abroad program. She said she already knows Spanish, and can take a one-semester class to fulfill the requirement, so she’ll likely apply for the program.

“The purpose of the trip was to introduce us to Brazil and get a better idea if we want to do the FIPSE,” she said. “I can’t wait to get back.”
Drew Landis, a junior in mechanical engineering, also went on the March trip, but he isn’t sure if he’ll apply for the program because of the Portuguese requirement.

“I am interested, but I’m not sure whether or not I can because of when I need to take certain classes,” he said. “You know how they offer certain classes in the fall and certain classes in the spring? I’ve never taken Portuguese before.”

Scott Collins, one of the principle investigators for the FIPSE scholarship, said the U.S.-Brazil Program will be focused on air/land and environmental sciences.

“Brazil has significant environmental issues and a lot of resources and great talent,” he said. “There are great opportunities for collaboration in environmental sciences, as we face common problems here and many of those problems are the same in Brazil.”

Lia Driscoll, who participated in FIPSE last year, said the program expanded her knowledge and global competency.

“The possibilities in Brazil are really endless,” she said, “It’s more important now than ever that the U.S. maintain this relationship with Brazil.”