By Rowan O’Connell-Gates, student writer, UC Davis Global Affairs

With the 2018-19 academic year fast approaching, the time has come for UC Davis to welcome its latest cohort of Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program participants. This year’s 12 fellows have come to campus from 12 different countries with the the hope of strengthening their professional skills, improving their leadership abilities, and engaging in meaningful cultural exchange.

Not only do the fellows bring invaluable international perspective to the UC Davis and Davis communities, but they also provide expertise in fields such as agriculture and rural development, natural resources and environmental science, and environmental policy.

“With 12 professionals, from as many countries, focused on topics such as environmental management, policy, community development and water management, this cohort of Humphrey Fellows are a spectacular group,” said Nikki Grey Rutamu, associate director of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program within Global Affairs.

The fellows participate in various community events, conferences and seminars, with activities ranging from a Putah Creek cleanup to participating in the Global Climate Action Symposium to training sessions on geographic information systems (GIS) mapping and grant writing.

“While they are here honing professional skills,” said Grey Rutamu, “we enjoy the professional exchange and the opportunities for enhanced global understanding in our community.”

The program also includes trips to famed American cities such as Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, allowing fellows to explore the cultural, professional, social, and community aspects of these areas.

On September 28, UC Davis Global Affairs will host a public reception to welcome the fellows. Each fellow will formally introduce themselves to the campus and community, share their unique background, and explain how they plan to spend their time at UC Davis to help their future work. Light refreshments will be served.

2018-19 UC Davis Humphrey Fellows
 

• Abdelkader Abdulla, Senior Engineer, Ministry of Housing and Utilities, Libya

  • Available for: Speaking on a technical and/or cultural topic; informal classroom visit; meeting with individual professors/researchers

• Hossein Babazadeh, Head of The Department of Water Science and Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Iran

  • Available for: Speaking on a technical topic (water scarcity in Iran); meeting with individual professors/researchers; meeting with student groups; formal classroom visit; speaking on a cultural topic

• Angelina Davydova, Director, German-Russian Office of Environmental Information, Russia

  • Available for: Speaking on a technical topic (Russia's environmental/climate policy, civil society developments in Russia, Russian media landscape, international climate policy, UN FCCC process, global climate negotiations); meeting with individual professors/ researchers; meeting with student groups; informal classroom visit; formal classroom visit; speaking on a cultural topic

• Sophia Espinoza, Research Analyst, Conservation Strategy Fund, Bolivia

  • Available for: Speaking on a technical topic (environmental economics); meeting with individual professors/researchers; meeting with student groups; informal classroom visit; speaking on a cultural topic

• Jorge Andrés Forero González, Technical and Political Advisor, Asesor Team Coordinator, National Ethnic Nacional Coordination of Peace, Colombia

  • Available for: Speaking on a technical topic (peace process implementation in Colombia, rural development and regional planning); meeting with individual professors/researchers; meeting with student groups; informal classroom visit; speaking on a cultural topic; formal classroom visit

• Mina Lalaoui Kamal, Head of Regional Committee of Environmental Impact Assessment, Wilaya of Marrakech-Safi Region, Morocco

  • Available for: Speaking on a cultural topic; meeting with individual professors/ researchers; meeting with student groups; formal classroom visit

• Irina Mkrtchyan, Co-founder, Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Development, Armenia

  • Available for: Speaking on a technical topic (waste management, rural development, marketing grants, NGOs); meeting with individual professors/researchers; meeting with student groups; informal classroom visit; formal classroom visit; speaking on a cultural topic

• Marlen Navarro, Senior Researcher, University of Matanzas, Cuba

  • Available for: Speaking on a cultural topic; meeting with individual professors/researchers; meeting with student groups; formal classroom visit

• Son Nguyen, General Officer, Viet Yen District People’s Committee, Vietnam

  • Available for: Formal classroom visit; meeting with individual professors/ researchers ​​​​​​​

• Kristel Nõges, Executive Officer of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Estonia

  • Available for: ​​​​​​​Speaking on a cultural topic; meeting with individual professors/researchers; meeting with student group​​​​​​​

• Venance Segere, District Environmental Officer, Ulanga District Council, Tanzania

  • Available for: ​​​​​​​Speaking on a technical topic (environmental inspection, forest carbon stock assessment, environmental impact assessment and project management); meeting with individual professors/ researchers; meeting with student groups; informal classroom visit; formal classroom visit; speaking on a cultural topic

• Binta Traore, Technical Advisor, Ministry of Mines, Mali

  • Available for: ​​​​​​​Speaking on a technical topic (mining and minerals in Mali); meeting with individual professors/researchers; meeting with student groups; informal classroom visit; formal classroom visit; speaking on a cultural topic

About Global Affairs at UC Davis

Global Affairs brings the world to UC Davis, welcoming more than 8,400 international students, scholars and leaders, and hosting programs that inspire global curiosity, understanding and engagement. Compelled by the valuable outcomes of thinking globally, we make transformative opportunities a reality by supporting the thousands of students and faculty studying and researching internationally—and by facilitating collaborations that tackle the world’s most pressing problems through more than 150 international partnerships.

Putting our vision of a UC Davis community that engages, thrives, and leads in this interconnected world into action, Global Affairs is now in pursuit of an ambitious goal: Global Education for All.

About the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program

An initiative of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program was founded in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter to honor the late senator and vice president, Hubert H. Humphrey, an advocate of international connections and understanding.