Texas A&M University- Texarkana was recently awarded a $34,000 grant by the Partners of the Americas Foundation as a part of their 100k Strong in the Americas program. Funded by the U.S. State Department, CAF: Development Bank if Latin America, and MinCiencias (Colombia’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation), these new 100K Strong partnerships will support innovative, inclusive training and exchange programs for students and faculty in strategic areas, including climate solutions, sustainable energy, digital transformation, health, creative industries, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), among others.
Students from Texas A&M University-Texarkana are among those from 23 universities in 17 states to participate in the partnerships with 31 regional higher education institutions from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. A&M- Texarkana’s partnership is with Universidad Pedagógica and Tecnológica de Colombia (UPTC) in Bogotá, Colombia.
Five students from Colombia are residing on the A&M-Texarkana Campus during the fall 2023 semester and are enrolled in a biology class, an immersive English class, and participating in research focused on the Impact of Anthropic Activity on a Texas Urban Ecosystem. The Colombian students will propose and identify restoration strategies for the habitat of two tributaries of the City of Texarkana’s Days Creek Aquatic System that have been impacted by urbanization and the release of hazardous substances.
