U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced the winners of the Santander Bank-sponsored competition of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund. The nine winning institutions involve university partnerships between the United States and Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, and Mexico.
West Virginia University US Partner – Universidad Nacional de Asunción (Paraguay)
With a focus in the areas of energy, water quality, waste management, environment and economy, West Virginia University’s program will increase student and faculty mobility between WVU’s College of Agriculture and Resource Economics, and UNA’s Economics, Management and Accounting, Faculty of Economics. Students will attend special seminars in the related themes, travel to prominent sites in the field for first-hand observations, as well as participate in hands-on training in new and advanced technologies at the respective campuses’ ICT centers. Furthermore, using a corporate sponsor’s media platform, WeSpeke, WVU will maintain connectivity between students across the Americas by providing the means for intercultural interactions with their counterparts, allowing students to discuss issues in resource economics, design scenarios, and partner with each other on problem-solving exercises.
The goal of 100,000 Strong in the Americas, President Obama’s signature education initiative in the Western Hemisphere, is to increase the number of U.S. students studying in the Western Hemisphere to 100,000, and the number of students from Latin America and the Caribbean studying in the United States to 100,000 by the year 2020. The initiative enhances hemispheric competitiveness, increases prosperity, and prepares a more globally competent workforce.
