When South Forsyth High School students go back to school, they will be able to join a new online learning community with students in Costa Rica, thanks to a 2004 seed grant from UGA’s Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach.
Heather Edelblute, a project manager in UGA’s College of Education, and Viviana Ziller, a Spanish teacher at South Forsyth High School, created the online community where students will share culture and learn about the global economy through projects about coffee, according to Edelblute.
“[The grant] also allowed me to further develop relationships with the Tropical Research Center and Higher Education Center in Turrialba, Costa Rica, and to infuse a coffee program focused on agriculture and the global economy into our study abroad for teachers,” says Edelblute, who received one of 18 mini-grants awarded this past year to support domestic or international outreach activities.
For the second year, OVPPSO will provide seed funding to encourage inclusion of outreach activities in teaching and research.
Faculty and staff are invited to submit proposals for domestic or international outreach activities, especially ones that involve multidisciplinary collaborations and service-learning. The application deadline for both programs is
Sept. 15.
The 2004 awards ranged from $3,000 to $5,000 for one year. Recipients came from a range of disciplines including horticulture, journalism, child and family development, social work, law, education, veterinary medicine, wildlife ecology, textiles, geography and environmental health.
The domestic grant program-Scholarship of Engagement for University Engagement-supports activities in the state of Georgia and the Southeast. A second program-International Development Education Awards-supports outreach in developing nations.
A list of projects supported in 2004 and the grant applications are available online (http://service.uga.edu).