Three from Clemson selected for Climate Change Fellowships

Published: April 13, 2012

By Raquel Cobb

CLEMSON — A Ph.D. candidate, a faculty member and an undergraduate student from Clemson University were chosen to travel to Colombia to participate in the Climate Change Fellowship. The program was offered by Partners of the Americas through the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Matthew Brownlee, a Ph.D. student in parks, recreation and tourism management; and Anand Jayakaran, assistant professor in the School of Agricultural, Forest and Environmental Sciences, were chosen by representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, USAID and other State Department officials in conjunction with members of Partners of the Americas on the basis of their work with Clemson University.

Brownlee’s research examines how an individual’s interactions and attachments to climate-sensitive and climate-influenced resources influence their visitation and tourism behavior, climate change perceptions and attitudes towards sustainable tourism.

Jayakaran researches the effects of human- and climate-induced change on coastal watersheds and how these changes impact the amount of water and sediments that are washed off the landscape. Most of his research revolves around the management of water resources to ensure long-term economic and ecological sustainability.

While in Colombia, Brownlee and Jayakaran interacted 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.

Clemson junior Larissa Clarke, a conservation biology major from Charleston, recently was selected for a summer internship in Colombia to participate in the Climate Change Fellowship as part of the South Carolina International Research program.

END

The Climate Change Fellows Program seeks to build bilateral relationships and capacities between climate change institutions in the U.S. and Colombia. In 2011-2012, 44 Fellows, evenly representing both Colombia and the U.S., will travel to the respective countries to exchange knowledge through their work and experiences. The Climate Change Fellows program is a first step to constructing a global network of climate change institutions in 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 Partners 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 acts in long-term, focused partnership with the people and places of the Americas.

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors exchange programs and activities for students, educators, artists, athletes and professionals in many fields in the United States and in more than 160 around the world. Alumni of the 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 department's Professional Exchanges.