Developing Engineering and Science Collaborations Between the University of Massachusetts and Three Central American Universities

在这次美国-中美洲规划研讨会上，来自美国、哥斯达黎加、洪都拉斯和尼加拉瓜的研究人员将举行会议，推动建立一个名为网络工程研究中心（NERC）的合作研究和教育联盟。NERC将让教师、本科生和研究生参与国际合作研究和教育，设计和实施跨学科的可持续技术和方法，包括生物学、化学、塑料工程、化学工程、机械工程、土木工程、市场营销和金融。参与该联盟的五所大学是马萨诸塞大学洛厄尔分校、马萨诸塞大学阿姆赫斯特分校、洪都拉斯国立大学Autónoma、尼加拉瓜加勒比海岸地区大学Autónoma和哥斯达黎加国立大学。这项工作的主要目标是定义和讨论每个机构内具体的合作研究领域和教育计划。预计这些讨论将导致NSF国际研究与教育伙伴关系（PIRE）计划的提案的发展。NERC允许科学家、工程师和试验台创新伙伴（应用工程系统的实践者）之间密切合作，开发和采用可再生能源技术和生物多样性友好的农林系统，用于生产咖啡、生物燃料和精油。咖啡和生物燃料生产的迅速增长以及化妆品和制药行业的精油是可再生技术和创新的潜在驱动力，这些技术和创新将改善生物多样性友好型生产方法。这种合作丰富了研究和教学工作，并为学生和教师提供了挑战，使教科书知识适应复杂且经常相互竞争的市场、文化和自然环境。通过应对气候变化、栖息地丧失、教育和推广可持续产品，NERC将对社会产生广泛影响。美国学生和早期教师将参与这些讨论和随后的互动。初级研究人员参与国际研究是OISE的一个主要目标。

In this U.S.-Central American planning workshop researchers from the U.S. and Costa Rica, Honduras, and Nicaragua will meet to catalyze a collaborative research and education consortium known as the Networked Engineering Research Center (NERC). The NERC will engage faculty, undergraduate and graduate students in collaborative international research and education for designing and implementing sustainable technologies and methods across disciplines, including biology, chemistry, plastics engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, marketing and finance. The five universities involved in this consortium are the University of Massachusetts Lowell, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, Universidad Regional Autónoma de la Costa del Caribe de Nicaragua, and Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. The main goal of this effort is to define and discuss specific collaborative research areas and education programs within each institution. It is expected that these discussions will lead to the development of a proposal to the NSF Partnership for International Research and Education (PIRE) program.The NERC allows close collaboration among scientists, engineers, and testbed innovation partners (the practitioners who apply the engineered systems) to develop and adopt renewable energy technology and biodiversity friendly agro-forestry systems for the production of coffee, bio-fuels, and essential oils. Coffee and the burgeoning growth of bio-fuel production and essential oils for the cosmetics and pharmaceuticals industry are potential drivers for renewable technology and innovations that will improve methods of biodiversity friendly production. This collaboration enriches both research and teaching efforts and provides challenges to students and teachers alike to adapt textbook knowledge to complex and often competing forces of markets, cultures, and the natural environment. The NERC will have broad implications for society by addressing climate change, habitat loss, education, and the promotion of sustainable products. U.S. students and early faculty members will participate in these discussions and any subsequent interactions. Involvement of junior researchers in international research is a major goal of OISE.