CASNR to celebrate international education during November
The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) Global Learning Hub will be host to numerous events this November as the larger university community celebrates International Education Week. This year, the official celebrations run from November 15 to 19, 2021. However, to provide additional flexibility for students’ schedules and to further elevate the power of a global education, IEW at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln celebration has been extended to a month-long celebration from November 1 to 24, 2021.
“Creating opportunities for our students to have global experiences both here at Nebraska and abroad is a critical way to help them be prepared to be successful in our interconnected world,” said CASNR global programs manager, Brianne Wolf.
“We are fortunate to have a diverse body of international students, for whom their time here is very clearly a ‘global learning experience,'’’ said CASNR Dean Tiffany Heng-Moss. “We are grateful for all they bring to our CASNR community, and we hope international programming like we have this month helps them feel like they belong, while also allowing them to continue to experience the world from their academic home here at Nebraska.”
Food is one of our world’s great unifiers, and CASNR is excited to blend culture, place, agricultural sciences and food in this upcoming event November 16. Featuring local chef Amrita Mahapatra as our cooking expert, students are invited to join to learn to make several traditional dishes of Punjabi Indian cuisine, while they learn from the dynamic and knowledgeable guest chef. Additionally, Heena Puri, a doctoral student in the department of entomology, will share about how IANR/CASNR research bridges the distance between the wonderful Indian food many of us enjoy with the agricultural practices that support it. Registration is not required but is strongly encouraged to secure one’s spot for this event at the East Campus Wellness Kitchen. We would like to make this a recurring event, so if you have a regional/world cuisine that you’d like to see spotlighted next, contact Brianne to share your suggestions.
Over the next two weeks, the Global Learning Hub will host several in-person “language café” events for students to network with their peers and other campus individuals and practice their language skills in the context of their discipline. While a student may speak well in general casual conversation in another language, the vocabulary or other context of speaking about food safety, crop pathogens, or zoonotic disease might be more challenging. We hope these language café events can help students expand and develop their capacity to use another language professionally as well as expand their network. Open to all speakers, whether you are a fluent active user of the language, a heritage speaker who would like more contextual practice, or a language learner looking to grow your skills. Offering coffee, tea and treats, all are welcome for these events: Portuguese café on Thursday, November 11, Spanish the following day on Friday November 12, and French on Thursday November 18 all in Agricultural Hall 202, the CASNR Global Learning Hub space. Interested individuals can contact Kaitlyn Waller with any questions about those events, which the office hopes to offer more of in the future.
While the November 8 panel discussing rural issues both here and around the world has been temporarily postponed (to be conducted later this month), it will feature perspectives from Nebraska to Germany to Rwanda and Chile and beyond. For more information or to be notified when it is rescheduled, contact Brianne.
Alongside events being hosted by the Global Learning Hub, there will also be many others that CASNR students may be interested in attending, like a panel focused on careers in international trade, hosted by the Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance. Students can explore this and other university events taking place for International Education Week 2021 here.
Last, we are excited to once again welcome the return of education abroad to our students’ university experience. CASNR will host an education abroad fair featuring the numerous faculty-led study tour trips that students can take advantage of this upcoming summer, from Namibia to Ireland, South Africa, Spain and beyond! The fair, which will be held Wednesday, November 17 from 12:30-2:00 p.m. in the first floor lobby of the East Campus Union, will be a casual type event where you can pass through to speak with program leaders and recieve information about upcoming international programs. Be sure to check out the CASNR Education Abroad page in the meantime to explore your options and prepare for your next adventure.
About International Education Week:
International Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. As part of a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, International Education Week showcases the efforts of programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States. The annual event also highlights international diversity and promotes the opportunity to experience new cultures.