Proposal 0623573/0623535 PIs: Stephanie A. Guerlain, University of Virginia Clark A. Mount-Campbell, Ohio State University
In this collaborative project submitted to the IRES program (NSF 04-036) and supported by the Americas Program of the Office of International Science and Engineering, Dr. Stephanie A. Guerlain of the University of Virginia and Dr. Clark A. Mount-Campbell of Ohio State University expand an international pilot program of student exchange with Brazilian collaborators Dr. Jose Orlando Gomes from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Dr. Lia Buarque of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. The goal of this project is to have undergraduate students develop competencies in human factors engineering in a global context. The students will develop foreign language skills; comprehension of social, cultural, and technological differences; and the capacity to learn in differentiated contexts. At the end of the project students will be equipped to work in multinational teams, applying a human-centered approach to systems design within the global economy.
This IRES project can serve as a model for student exchanges in other domains and other countries, and publicizing its successes can set the tone for other engineering programs to globalize. This program encourages future international research collaborations while allowing the participating students to keep up with classmates by earning credits toward graduation.
