Clemson University staff to travel to Colombia as Climate Change Fellows

Published: June 16, 2011

Daniel Hitchcock, left, James London and Eric Rodgers will travel to Colombia in July. image by: Clemson University

By Partners of the Americas

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Clemson University's Daniel Hitchcock, James London and Eric Rodgers will travel to Colombia on Climate Change Fellowships offered by Partners of the Americas through the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs from July 23 until Aug. 6.

During their fellowships, they will build sustainable relationships with Colombian professionals and organizations in diverse communities around the issue of climate change in the Southern Hemisphere.

Fellows were chosen by representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Colombia in conjunction with members of Partners of the Americas on the basis of their work with climate change and environmental issues:

• Hitchcock has worked as an assistant professor in the biosystems engineering program in the agricultural and biological engineering department at Clemson since June 2006. His primary research interests relate to coastal hydrology, water quality and land-use change, especially in areas with shallow water tables.
• London is the associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. London has been involved in climate change research more than 20 years, starting with sea-level rise projections in the U.S. and energy-efficiency studies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in China and Mexico for the World Bank.
• Rodgers works for Clemson's "Your Day" radio program and produces segments for broadcast on public radio; hosts a live call-in program on technology-related topics; and produces video for distribution on television, DVD and the web.

While in Colombia, Fellows will interact with leading climate change professionals and organizations to harness the power of citizen diplomacy and link it to long-term engagement around climate change issues that affect multiple communities. The professional talents of these Fellows will match those of their host institutions, with partnerships already created between the Colombian Ministry of the Environment and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Presidential Initiative Against Illicit Crops and Conservation International.

Headlines from Colombia show the need for increased understanding of climate change. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos declared that recent heavy rain that impacted the lives of more than 2.3 million people was the worst natural disaster in the history of the country.

Clemson Fellows will be hosted by Coralina, Bioma Ingenieria Ambiental Ldta./University of Cali and El Espectador, respectively.

END

The Climate Change Fellows Program
The Climate Change Fellows Program seeks to build bilateral relationships and capacities between climate change institutions in the U.S. and Colombia. In 2011, 44 Fellows, evenly representing both Colombia and the U.S., will travel to their respective countries to exchange knowledge through their work and experiences. The Climate Change Fellows are a first step to constructing a global network of climate change institutions in the Americas. Learn more at www.partners.net/climatechangefellows.

Partners of the Americas
Partners of the Americas is an international grassroots network that connects volunteers, institutions and communities to serve and to change lives. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy, today it is one of the largest volunteer-based organizations in the Western Hemisphere engaged in social, economic and cultural development. By linking Latin America and the Caribbean with counterparts in the United States, Partners of the Americas acts in long-term, focused partnership with the people and places of the Americas. For more information, visit www.partners.net.

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) sponsors exchange programs and activities for students, educators, artists, athletes and professionals in many fields in the United States and in more than 160 countries around the world. Alumni of ECA exchange programs comprise more than one million people, including more than 40 Nobel Laureates and more than 365 current or former heads of state and government. The Climate Change Fellows Program is among the State Department's professional exchanges. For more information, visit http://exchanges.state.gov/citizens/profs.html.

The South Carolina-Southwest Colombia Partners
Founded more than 30 years ago, the South Carolina-Southwest Colombia Partners is a volunteer led, private non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to connect South Carolina people, businesses, institutions and communities with our counterparts in our sister chapters in Cali’ and Pasto, Colombia. Throughout its history, the South Carolina-Southwest Colombia Partners have worked to change lives through lasting partnerships. Over the years the partnership has initiated and sustained many programs to accomplish its mission, including health programs that have transferred tens of thousands of dollars worth of medical equipment to hospitals in Colombia; education programs that are connecting classroom in Cali’, Colombia, with classroom in Columbia, S.C.; micro-loan programs to support entrepreneurial efforts in Pasto; and, most recently, the development of youth programs involving young people in community service and building for the future of our partnership. In 2010, the South Carolina partners revitalized its chapter membership in Clemson. Several new partners members in Clemson are leading efforts with the Climate Change Project.