By Cailin McKenna

In late August, four students arrived on Fordham’s campus to take part in a year long exchange program focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as part of the Brazil Science Mobility Program (BSMP). The program provides students with an opportunity to expand their English language skills and learn about science and technology in a fast paced environment.

The four students Caio Batista de Melo, Dicksson Rammon Oliveira de Almeida, Aryadne Guardieiro Pereira Rezende and Tulio Aimola are all natives of Brazil. For the majority of these students it is their first time studying and living away from home.

BSMP is a one-year, non-degree program for Brazilian college students in STEM majors to study abroad in the United States. The program is a component of the Institute of International Education and works in collaboration with an education entity in Brazil known as CAPES (Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior).

“The Brazil Science Mobility Program gives the Brazilian students an opportunity to learn science and English at Fordham,” said Carla Romney, associate dean for STEM and pre-health education. “The program also gives Fordham College Rose Hill students, faculty and staff an opportunity to learn about Brazil.”

Due to economic instability in the country, the Brazilian government has been working to create initiatives that strengthen its foothold in the STEM fields and incentivizes students to travel and study in countries such as the United States.

Brazilian STEM students rely heavily on the resources provided by these entities as well as the Science Without Borders Program. The BSMP requires an above-average academic standing, in addition to recommendation letters and essays describing a student’s goals for the program. After acceptance into the program, Brazilian students are placed at universities around the United States.

Before leaving for the United States this summer, Guardieiro Pereira Rezende, a computer science major who studies at Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, talked to alumni of the program to get a feel for what the program would entail and what the experience abroad would be like. “It seemed [like] an amazing opportunity to improve my major and my language skills,” she said. “Many friends that returned from this program said that it had been an unique experience.”

While at Fordham, the students take part in the university’s core curriculum as well as courses in their field. Batista de Melo, a computer science major, has been exposed to a variety of courses in and outside of his major. “I’m taking classes that I wouldn’t have the chance to take back in Brazil,” he said. “So I’m eager to learn new things in different areas of study.”

Batista de Melo, who studies at the University of Brasilia in his nation’s capital, commented on the differences in class sizes between universities in Brazil and Fordham. “Classes here have fewer students, and that’s a good thing,” he said. “Professors can take more time to help you individually and you get to know each other more.”

Rammon Oliveira de Almeida has also noticed differences between his home institution and Fordham. He has found the slower pace of classes allows students to take advantage of their diverse curriculum and setting. “Students have a better learning curve, and more free time to learn other things,” he said.

Before returning home to finish their degrees at their home universities, the students must either partake in a summer internship or research project. Aimola, a chemistry major who studies at Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, plans to work with Dr. Christopher Koenigsmann, a professor of chemistry, who works with the application of synthesized nanowires as a catalyst on fuel cells and biosensors.

At Fordham, Aimola has utilized his background in organic and computational chemistry in his three chemistry classes this semester. “The professors are great and really committed to teaching and helping students,” he said.

After he completes his degree at Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Aimola hopes to attend graduate school and teach chemistry at the college level.

Over the course of the exchange program, Rammon Oliveira de Almeida plans to stay focused on his academic work while taking advantage of the many opportunities at Fordham and in New York. “Getting involved with my surroundings will earn me a lot of experience to share with my country, and help [it] grow as much as I did,” he said.