In a meeting characterized by the spirit of collaboration, Dr. Nicole Colin from the Faculty of Sciences received her certificate as a fellow of the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program #IVLP of the United States Department of State. The program for which she was selected was titled “Climate Change and Environmental Resilience”, and it took place from November 28 to December 10, 2022 in cities such as Washington DC, Baltimore, Sacramento, Portland and Seattle.
The IVLP, the US Department of State’s premier professional exchange program worldwide, recognizes current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields who, in short stays, have the opportunity to cultivate lasting relationships and meet from first-hand the experiences of American counterparts in the public, private, and academic spheres.
Dr. Colin is a biologist, PhD in Biodiversity from the University of Barcelona (Spain) and Master of Science, with a mention in Zoology, from the University of Concepción (Chile). She is a member of the Chilean Society of Limnology and the International Society of River Sciences (ISRS). She is currently an academic at the Institute of Environmental and Evolutionary Sciences of the Austral University of Chile, and has developed research focused on the effect of human activities on freshwater ecosystems in Chile and Spain for 15 years.
Regarding his stay in the United States, he said that “the activities of our program included various meetings with government institutions related to environmental strategies and climate change, energy companies, non-governmental organizations, a meeting with indigenous communities, a visit to a treatment plant sewage, and of course academic exchange”, he said. And he added that after the tour ended, “a very dynamic transdisciplinary work group has been formed with professionals from the north and south of the country, with whom we have even prepared joint financing proposals for projects that allow optimizing the management of water and freshwater ecosystems in Chile”, he highlighted.
Dr. Colin’s candidacy was sponsored by the Vice-Rector for Artistic Research, Development and Creation (VIDCA) of the Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh). Her Vice Chancellor, Dr. Mylthon Jiménez, congratulated Dr. Colin, indicating that her academic profile and her indisputable willingness to dialogue with society made her an ideal candidate for recognition of this type. “Dr. Colin constantly participates in information processes for public policy in our country and she also works with communities that her research on river ecology can impact. This gives us prestige as a University and for this reason we enthusiastically endorsed her name when the opportunity presented itself ”.
Each year nearly 5,000 professionals travel to the US to participate in this program. And to date, more than 200,000 international visitors have enriched their careers and networks through the IVLP, including more than 500 current or former heads of state or government. Meanwhile, during the year 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, 28 Chileans participated in the #IVLPa program that has been strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries for 83 years.
The United States Ambassador to Chile, Bernadette Meehan, participated in the certificate delivery ceremony, who called on the scholarship recipients to “continue strengthening our ties, deepening understanding, and forging a more united and prosperous world as partners for a better future.” , he concluded.
