By Jason M. Sheldon.
Five College faculty members traveled to Cuba last week for a networking event at the Institute of Animal Science (ICA) in furtherance of the Cuba Research Initiative. The three-day event consisted of presentations and discussions of agricultural and animal science issues with a focus on developing new projects and collaborations between researchers in the US and Cuba. Representatives from the National Center for Agricultural Health (CENSA), National Institute for Agricultural Sciences (INCA), Agrarian University of Havana (UNAH) and the ICA greeted the visiting faculty. The meetings provided an opportunity to formulate research partnerships that will benefit both nations.
UConn faculty members and students from the College previously visited Cuba over the summer to participate in an international conference. Prior to the summer conference, Assistant Professor Tania Huedo-Medina of the Department of Allied Health Sciences, had initiated and strengthened relationships with ICA, CENSA and UNAH through a workshop she taught on meta-analysis for the biometrics doctorate program at ICA.
The trip was sponsored by the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR), the individual departments of visiting faculty members and Global Affairs and represents an ongoing effort to secure partnerships in the country.
Associate Professor Guillermo Risatti of the Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science led the UConn team. Other faculty members include Head and Professor Steven Zinn of the Department of Animal Science, Professor Hedley Freake of the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Assistant Extension Professor Ana Legrand of the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture and UConn Extension, Head and Professor John Volin of the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment.
Aviana Rosen of the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention and Policy and the project coordinator for the Cuba Research Initiative, conceived by Huedo-Medina, accompanied the group as well.
