News

University of Maryland classroom joins forces with students from Uganda Martyrs University by way of a teleconferenced global charrette—a collaborative design challenge—to create architectural plans for each other’s communities and design across cultural divides.

As SPH doctoral student Ibiyinka Amokeodo listened to Tanzanian farmers’ worries about the safety of the water they use on their crops and in their homes. She had her lightbulb moment: Aquasafe. The project supports farmers by providing affordable water testing kits and education on water quality management, including how to improve crop safety and local public health through monitoring contamination in irrigation water.

Jody Olsen Ph.D. ’79 reflects on her six decade career in the Peace Corps. Olsen reflects on how the Peace Corps changed the way she views the world and herself, the commonalities she discovered across vastly different cultures, and how building relationships grounded in trust and respect can change communities and save lives.

Six Global STEWARDS Fellows to visit Tanzania, hailing from across UMD and bringing diverse expertise to the pressing and interrelated issues of food, energy and water (FEW) in a changing climate. The fellows travelled to Tanzania to engage, learn and share knowledge with local partners, farmers and researchers who are working towards sustainable solutions.

Dennis Kivlighan, professor at the University of Maryland College of Education, will study how attitudes toward group counseling vary across the globe and whether group therapy models can be translated across different cultures. The team will also examine how group composition and cohesion influence group therapy’s effectiveness and what characteristics make for stronger, more efficient results.

Dr. Buse Gonul, visiting Fulbright scholar from Türkiye (Turkey), shares her work as a developmental science scholar, exploring young adults’ perceptions about peers with different social class backgrounds.