Contact: Leah Barbour

STARKVILLE, Miss.--As part of recognizing the many benefits of international education and exchange programs, Mississippi State celebrated the Brazil Scientific Mobility Undergraduate Program with a recent ceremony.

University officials, including Provost and Executive Vice President Jerry Gilbert and Interim Associate Vice President of International Programs Jon Rezek, gathered with other faculty and staff members to recognize more than 50 Brazilians who came to MSU this year to improve their English and engage in hands-on study.

The Brazil Scientific Mobility Undergraduate Program is sponsored by the government of South America's largest nation to send students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics--the STEM fields--to study at institutions of higher learning worldwide.

In the U.S., the Brazil Scientific Mobility Undergraduate Program is administered through the private, non-profit Institute of International Education, with the support of MSU's English as a Second Language Center, the International Institute and the Richard Holmes Cultural Diversity Center.

"It's great that we can reach out to other countries and bring students to interface with our students," Gilbert observed. "Getting to be here and really interact together: It's been tremendous to be able to experience and learn things from each other."

The Brazilian students first came to the U.S. to attend MSU's English as a Second Language Center, and after they completed studies there, the group studied in additional academic programs and participated in hands-on learning experiences in STEM labs.

"They've enjoyed the educational system here as active learners, and they are increasing the interest level in STEM fields, both here at MSU and in their native country," Rezek said. "They've had many hands-on opportunities in terms of experiences in the labs," he added.

"It's an honor having such a vibrant culture as Brazil represented at Mississippi State. It's one of the most interesting and diverse cultures in the world," Rezek said.

For more information about MSU's cultural outreach and exchange opportunities available through the International Institute, visit http://international.msstate.edu.

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