FIU IN ACHANGINGworld

Education and engagement have the power to transform lives and to change the

world for the better. Our faculty, our staff and our students learn that every day through

the university’s research projects, which center on collaborative problem solving with

local and global communities. Our research mission has never been more important to

bettering the future of the world and the people who inhabit it.

Today’s society is global and so, too, must be the reach of universities. Thanks to

the vital work of our students and faculty, we have created meaningful partnerships

that transcend geographic borders. These collaborations truly matter, improving lives in

dramatic ways. You will read about some of them in the pages of this report.

Our faculty has made it their life’s work to nurture hearts and minds capable of equal

parts innovation and empathy. Our hope for the future lies in the continuing pursuit of

that essential balance.

Our university community is made up of men and women who are smart, creative

and inspired. Our research generates results. It’s a powerful combination. It’s what

makes FIU Worlds Ahead.

Natural disasters in the 21st century have the potential to loom larger and

affect more people than ever before. Richard Olson, director of the USAID-supported Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas Pro-gram and co-director of the USAID-supported Paul C. Bell Jr. Risk Management Program, says that our global population explosion – two billion people inhabited the earth in 1900, and nine billion are expected by 2050 – combined with unwise land use and poorly planned urban growth have established a scenario in which earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis and fl ooding will have increasingly greater negative impact.

The programs bring together more than a dozen FIU researchers and facilities to work with communities, groups, universities and governments in Chile, Peru, Colombia, Central America and the Caribbean. The aim is to get ahead of what Olson fears is coming – disas-ters of a proportion not seen in modern times – through smarter land use planning, stricter

building standards and alert-warning systems.Olson’s team recognizes that build-

ing expertise among professors and other professionals within the various countries is key to their educating others and expanding the number of people involved and vested in risk reduction. In 11 public institutions in eight countries, FIU has worked to help develop geographic information systems and remote sensing capabilities, which will make possible in-country and in-region analysis of potential risks. Forty-six faculty members in 13 countries have been trained through seminars in real-world situations. Seven “communities of practice” in disaster risk reduction have been established in six countries to harness the knowledge of local experts in urban and rural planning, archi-tecture, the environment and risk manage-ment. Additionally, three online courses that cover topics such as the cost-benefi t analy-sis of investing in disaster risk reduction and the political economy of disaster risk

reduction are now available through FIU. Understanding the immediate human

needs created by a natural disaster, USAID program personnel are working with FIU’s International Hurricane Research Center to test transitional structures that might be used as temporary housing in the aftermath of widespread devastation.

Wall of WindThe Wall of Wind is a facility powered

by 12 electric fan-motor units capable of simulating category 5 hurricane winds. Test-ing of temporary structures within the facility gives manufacturers a chance to understand shortcomings in design and improve prod-ucts prior to use.

The simulator, the most powerful in the United States, was funded with a combina-tion of private and public monies, and al-ready recommendations made as a result of roof testing (on permanent structures) have been published in the Florida Building Code.

Reducing Disaster Risk

[ ]In 2011 Japan suffered

the compound

natural disasters of

an earthquake and a

tsunami.

“We have to get real about the vulnerabilities and have the political and economic courage to reduce them.”Richard Olson, directorDisaster Risk Reduction in the Americas Program

The Wall of Wind is a facility powered by 12 electric fan-motor units capable of simulating category 5 hurricane winds.

Reducing arsenic levels in riceFIU researcher Barry Rosen’s decades

of work studying how organisms handle arsenic at the molecular level is now pointing to strategies that may reduce the amount of arsenic that ends up in rice, a staple found in the diets of half of the world’s population.

Organic arsenic is absorbed into rice from the wet ground where rice is grown. While this type of arsenic is thought to be safe, concerns exist about the long-term effects of ingesting it, and few countries regulate arsenic levels in food.

Rosen and his team of researchers discovered that the one-celled alga called Cyanidioschyzon has learned to adapt and process arsenic safely into gas. The alga is found in the Norris Geyser Basin at Yellowstone National Park, which has one of the highest arsenic levels in the world. Cloning a gene from this alga and from other bacteria that turn arsenic into a gas, Rosen and the team introduced these genes into rice.

In collaboration with a group from Xiamen, China, Rosen’s team has grown their first rice crops and shown that they actually can

transform arsenic into organic species that can be volatilized. The team’s demonstrated ability to produce rice grains with reduced arsenic content could have a transformational impact on the safety of food supplies around the world.

Rosen is the recipient of a $5 million MERIT grant from the National Institutes of Health, a distinction given to fewer than 1 percent of grant recipients.

Local ties, global impactEmploying a broader focus on

sustainability and food safety, FIU’s agroecology program has grown from a handful of students in 2005 to more than 100 students today. Many of these students have received scholarships and paid internships for training, research, international travel and professional conferences thanks to more than $5 million in USDA grant support.

The physical heart of the program is FIU’s organic garden. Here, students, many of whom come from urban backgrounds, learn the science and practice of earth-friendly agriculture.

Reaching beyond the campus boundaries, international collaborations with colleagues in India and Honduras promote a global practice of agriculture that is ecologically sustainable and economically viable. As part of that ongoing dialogue, faculty and students host an annual, week-long workshop for Honduran agriculture students on agriculture, food safety, food security and agroforestry.

Recently, program leaders spearheaded the establishment of the Florida-Caribbean Consortium for Agricultural Education and Hispanic Workforce Development. This USDA-funded program will prepare more than 50 students from under-represented ethnicities from universities in Florida and Puerto Rico for career advancement in agriculture science.

Securing the Food Supply [ ]Rice fields in the southern

United States, as well as several countries in Asia, have been

found to contain high levels of arsenic, which seeps into the grains and increases humans’

risks of cancer.

[ ] The FIU team produced rice grains with reduced arsenic content, which could have a transformational impact on the safety of the world’s food supplies.

A healthy population and stable economy depend upon a secure,

sustainable food supply. Faculty and students are nurturing and cultivating the intricate links among plants and human health in communities here and abroad. Their efforts are helping create a modern food system that is more productive, competitive, sustainable and safe.

Senior environmental studies student Nall Moonilall spent a year researching alternative growing media for ornamental plants. His work developing compost materials from insect-rearing waste shows promise for wider applica-tion around the world.

“Prior to this research, the waste had no practical use,” he says. “This is about moving us toward a more sustainable future.”

The recipient of a $24,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Multicultural Scholars Program grant, Moonilall conducted his work at the USDA field extension office in Miami. He has submitted a manuscript for publication to Horticulture Technology.

Preserving the Earth’s resources is a responsibility that belongs to

everyone. FIU takes this duty seriously, developing programs, conducting research and engaging in sustainable practices for effective change. In 2010, the School of Environment, Arts and Society (SEAS) was formed to better understand and address the challenges that arise from the interaction between human and environmental systems.

WaterSCAPESResearch in FIU’s WaterSCAPES

program focuses on the interaction between the hydrologic cycle and vegetation dynamics of the Florida Everglades. Sponsored by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, WaterSCAPES is also studying similar ecosystems in other parts of the world. The research is helping to answer the questions of how is the Earth changing and what are the consequences for life on Earth. SEAS also houses the Agroecology Program where

students increase their understanding of the function and productivity of agricultural systems as well as increase their scientific knowledge of broad spatial agricultural issues such as regional water allocation conflicts, urban-rural conflicts and ecosystem impacts.

GLOWSInternationally, FIU’s Global Water for

Sustainability (GLOWS) program is working to increase social, economic and environmental benefits to people in the developing world. While water is a basic need for survival, it is also a finite resource. GLOWS teams provide a holistic approach to integrated water resource management. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development, GLOWS currently manages six projects located in Ghana, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Mozambique and the country of Georgia.

In Rwanda, GLOWS provides training and educational workshops to increase

awareness of climate vulnerability and capacity. One week, training sessions were hosted for 13 local and central government members. The following week, 75 villagers from four communities, including 16 women, were apprised of climate change issues and came up with proposed adaption plans.

In the country of Georgia, where most of the population has access to potable water, the big issues are waste management and conservation. Many surface waters are severely polluted, forests are illegally logged and grasslands are overgrazed. Inappropriate irrigation and agricultural practices have degraded large areas of arable land through erosion and salinization of soils. GLOWS is promoting the benefits of preserving the country’s abundant natural resources and

[ ]Just below the ocean’s surface, seagrass meadows conservatively

store 19.9 billion metric tons of carbon, even though the threatened marine ecosystems make up only 0.2 percent of Earth’s surface. The

findings lend support to the idea that seagrass protection and restoration could play a major role in mitigating

climate change.

Preserving Earth’s Resources

[ ] demonstrating the link between sustainable development and future economic growth.

In its second year of implementation, 60 communities were selected in four pilot areas, the upper (upstream) and lower (downstream) areas of two different watersheds. These communities are now involved in the planning and management of watershed resources. Through continuing discussions, local communities and authorities have been apprised of the

priority issues, needs and opportunities of the pilot watersheds as well as on feasible alternatives for proposed on-the-ground interventions and their potential environmental and social impacts.

In its efforts to change behavior of younger stakeholders in order to create sustainable landscapes for the future, GLOWS has created EcoClubs as a tool for informal education in public schools. Twenty-one EcoClubs have been founded, with a total of 336 members, including 298 students, 36 teachers and two parents.

Through informative-cognitive training programs, EcoClubs provide information and hands-on activities for youth interested in environmental topics. Interest in EcoClubs has resulted in the formation of an EcoClub Alliance, which promotes EcoClub activities and connects peers.

Blue Carbon and the AmazonFIU researchers also are diving into the

depths of the world’s oceans to study marine organisms, their habitats and the resources they provide and need to survive. James Fourqurean’s Blue Carbon research initiative is one such project. Fourqurean, a marine sciences professor, is examining seagrass meadows as potential carbon stores for greenhouse gas emissions, placing a market value on a rapidly disappearing resource. In the Amazon, researchers are conducting a variety of projects to preserve one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. All across the world, FIU students and researchers are engaged in efforts to protect, preserve and restore the world’s vast resources.

Solar Decathlon: Along with architecture professor Marilys Nepomechie, a group of FIU students conceived a home design perfect for South Florida but adaptable to other regions – one that could get all its energy from the sun. They built the house for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, the prestigious biennial competition that prepares and inspires tomorrow’s architects and engineers and to show the world comfortable, cost-efficient “green” housing.

FIU’s team consisted of a diverse group of more than 40 architecture, engineering, interior design, computer science, landscape architecture and journalism students.

One of 20 teams from around the world, FIU tied for first place for energy balance, producing all the power the house used with its solar array. Overall, FIU placed eleventh in the competition.

“PerFORM[D]ance House,” the 780-square-foot home (with a 1,500-square-foot porch/pavilion), built by the FIU team, is now back in Miami. It is now the permanent home of the FIU Office of Sustainability.

.007%Less than 1 percent (.007) of the planet’s

fresh water is accessible for human use.

Today, as more nations transition from authoritarian rule to democracy, FIU

is committed to the student exchanges and outreach necessary for a better understanding of freedom, universal human rights and diplomacy worldwide. Through lectures, conferences and research, FIU students are learning how abstract ideas, including the pre-eminence of individual human rights over the rights of nation states, are applied in political realities.

The School of International and Public Affairs recently founded the Vaclav Havel Center for Human Rights and Diplomacy under the direction of Dr. Martin Palous, former ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United Nations. The center explores the impact of democratic transitions, providing students with the opportunity to learn from distinguished scholars and practitioners in diplomacy, activism and policy.

Center for Administration of JusticeThe university’s Center for the

Administration of Justice has been engaged in justice and human rights issues since 1984, leading research, education and real-world problem solving projects throughout Latin America. The center was part of the USAID-funded Colombian Justice Reform initiative, focused on expanding the legal system to Colombia’s most vulnerable citizens: Afro-Colombians, indigenous groups, women and victims of sexual or domestic violence. The center worked closely with Colombian public and private sector counterparts in the construction and organization of six new regional Justice Houses and 14 satellite Justice Houses primarily located in confl ict-impacted areas.

International Media CenterThe FIU International Media Center

is a not-for-profi t research and education center established as part of the Latin American Journalism Program, a 10-year project funded by USAID. The center operates international programs designed

to strengthen professional communication media in Latin America and throughout the world. Through education, training and research, the program encourages journalists, journalism educators and media owners to make a critical examination of the role of a free and independent press. With a special emphasis on ethics and on better writing through critical thinking, the program has organized workshops on environmental reporting, investigative reporting, human rights, women’s issues, the role of the press in a developing democracy and others. The program’s success has been clearly conveyed by former Guatemalan President Ramiro de León Carpio, who said journalists trained by FIU helped save democracy in his country.

Strengthening Democracy[ ]FIU’s Model United Nations team is ranked

No. 5 in North America.

Independent journalists in Cuba are now being trained via videoconference workshops and in a virtual newsroom through the International Media Center. More than 500 journalists from all regions of the island have participated, fi rst through grants from USAID and currently through grants from the Western Hemisphere Affairs agency.

Model United NationsWhile globally engaged, FIU’s

commitment to an international dialogue always begins with its students. The university’s Model United Nations program ranks among the top in North America, training students in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations’ agenda. At the same time, students in

the Master of Arts in Global Governance program are studying how globalization has broadened and intensifi ed modern-day security challenges, including migration, refugee fl ows, environmental changes, resource scarcity, transnational crime, terrorism, poverty and natural disasters.

As a doctoral student, Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian completed an internship at the Organization of American States. That experience would inform the rest of her career. Today, she continues to build a foundation for the exercise of democracy in Latin America as the acting director the OAS Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation.

Her work is the behind-the-scenes mechanics of democracy: non-partisan cooperation, strategic analysis, technical training and problem solving.

“It’s very, very exciting. I can see something concrete come out of the things we do,” Muñoz-Pogossian said. “The best part is the person who is benefi tting the most is the citizen.”

She credits FIU political science professor Eduardo Gamarra — who arranged for her to interview offi cials at the highest levels of Bolivian government as part of her dissertation research — for keeping her focused.

[ ]Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian (right) visits a polling station with Dante Caputo, chief of the OAS Mission, to observe the local and federal elections in Mexico on July 5, 2009. Photo courtesy of the Organization of American States.

Honduras• Collaborative

agroecology programs

Cuba• Professional

Support for Cuba’s Independent Journalists

Puerto Rico• Florida-Caribbean

Consortium for Agricultural Education and Hispanic Workforce Development preparing students for career advancement in agriculture science

Haiti • Protecting Haitian

Patrimony Initiative • Cognitive behavioral

stress management intervention randomized trial focused on earthquake survivors

• Pilot study focused on the impact of traumatic and surgical amputations on earthquake victims

West Africa• West Africa Water

Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WA-WASH)

Morocco • Morocco Water

and Development Alliance

Colombia • Justice

Reform and Modernization Program

Rwanda• Rwanda Integrated

Water Security Program (RlWSP)

a helping handA sampling of FIU research across the globe

Amazon• Ongoing research in

support of ecosystem preservation

Pan-Latin American and Caribbean Activities• The Inter-American Conference

of Mayors and Local Authorities • The Latin America Grid• The Americas Venture

Capital Conference• Disaster Risk Reduction

in the Americas• Latin American

Journalism Program

Kenya and Tanzania• Transboundary Water

for Biodiversity in the Mara River Basin

Republic of Georgia• Integrated Natural

Resources Management in Watersheds of Georgia

Botswana • HIV Disease Drug Abuse

And Nutrient Therapy clinical trial

China• Collaborative project

on reducing arsenic in rice crops

Russia• FIU’s NSF-CAKE,

creating solutions to major development and public health problems through geospatial technologies

India• Public Health

Research Institute• Collaborative

agroecology programs

Worldwide• Integrated Water

Resources Management Assistant to USAID Missions Worldwide

FIU’s commitment to improving health on a global level extends to a variety of

projects. Primary among them is the Global Water for Sustainability (GLOWS) program created in 2006 with funding from the USAID to help address the world’s growing water crisis. The on-the-ground interaction between a research university and development groups enable both to focus on critical questions and specific needs, particularly in the area of water sanitation, a vital component of health promotion.

The Wami Ruvu Basin in Tanzania is water rich, but more than half the people there have no access to a clean source. The $15 million GLOWS program is working with local governments and NGOs to provide sanitation and hygiene services. Already the work is paying off, with 66,000 people having gained access to clean water; 85,000 people having been educated about improved hygiene practices; 13 school latrine blocks having been completed; and 14 more currently under construction, among other positive outcomes.

A second, $6.3 million GLOWS program

funded by USAID also touches Tanzania, along with its neighbor Kenya, which together share the resources – and challenges – of the Mara River Basin. Already the multi-faceted project has increased access to safe water for 32,000 people and educated 15,000 about the importance of improved hygiene.

HIV in BotswanaElsewhere in Africa – in Botswana – HIV

was the subject of a recently completed seven-year randomized clinical trial. An FIU research group worked on the National Institute on Drug Abuse funded clinical trial in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health and the Botswana-Harvard Partnership.

The purpose of the program was to determine whether providing nutritional supplements to HIV-infected adults could improve immune function and either reduce mortality in those infected or prolong the time before onset of AIDS.

Botswana has the world’s highest incidence of HIV, with more than 24 percent of the population aged 15-49 infected, and

antiretroviral therapies used successfully in other parts of the world are too costly an option.

Researchers followed 878 participants for two years and found that long-term micronutrient supplementation early on was both safe and significantly reduced the risk of immune failure, morbidity and mortality while preventing tuberculosis. The study provides a solid base for additional research that might help establish life-saving or life-extending programs in the absence of access to pharmaceuticals.

Public Health Research InstituteConcerns regarding HIV, as well as

other health issues, inform the mission of the Public Health Research Institute in India. The independent non-governmental organization was founded and funded by FIU Professor Purnima Madhivanan, M.D. Indian born, Madhivanan understands the societal challenges women face in her homeland as well as the lack of critical preventive measures such as screenings for cancer and

Increasing the Demographic Dividend

HIV. Selling off her car and home enabled her to keep 27 people in a rural area employed as health educators and clinicians who offer tests and exams to thousands of women and girls annually.

Madhivanan has had to rely foremost on a cadre of local woman to spread word of available resources and encourage villagers to participate. Working with an artist, she created a teaching manual with colorful images and text that is used in health presentations. She also hired a female

driver to transport groups of women seeking

health services as cultural norms discourage

women from accepting rides from any man

who is not a relative. Additionally, she has

promoted “buy in” of her programs by telling

those in positions of power that healthy

women improve the quality of life for men

and children.

The Institute today includes a

reproductive health clinic, two mobile clinics,

a lab and a research facility.

Contributing directly to the work of the Public Health Research Institute in India ap-pealed to epidemiology doctoral student Alnecia Rumphs. She spent five weeks in rural areas working on a screening program for cervical cancer – the number one killer of women in India.

Rumphs evaluated the program’s documentation practices, helped analyze the collected epidemiologic data and made suggestions for improving the program’s efficiency and effectiveness.

The opportunity both educated Rumphs in a real-world setting and provided needed support to the institute, which is run from the United States by one of her professors.

“I was able to see the culture. I was able to have a better understanding of what strategies we should or should not use in that environment,” she said. “It was a very enriching experience.”

Increasing the Demographic Dividend

[ ]Women gather water in

Pemba, Tanzania, where

GLOWS is working on

sanitation projects and

hygiene education.

The National Science Foundation Industry-University Cooperative

Research Center for Advance Knowledge Enablement (NSF-CAKE), headquartered at FIU, is a coalition of universities and companies specializing in geospatial technologies that work together to create solutions to major development and public health problems.

The coalition includes: • TerraFly at FIU• GIS-Integro geo-analytics, developed by

Dubna University and Geosystem Institute, Russia

• Pirouette moving object monitoring technology from University of Illinois at Chicago

• LocationWorld the leading Latin American system for geo-data and analytics

• Alta Pix for high resolution aerial imagery collected by balloons

• IBM Carmel for disaster monitoring via airborne cameras

• IBM STEM for predictive analytics of diseases and preventive measures

FIU’s TerraFly, a tool that allows users to virtually “fl y” over any area and receive detailed data sets, was used after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti to locate displaced persons and facilities as well as track the progression of post-earthquake activities, enabling better coordination of relief efforts. Future projects will utilize NSF-CAKE’s interoperable technologies for predictive analytics of diseases, preventive measures and treatment outcomes.

With support from the NSF, FIU has established an “Ecosystem to Pipeline Research” designed to develop academic innovation and then translate research into viable products for industry. The fi rst ecosystem project, co-funded by the world’s largest vaccine company, Sanofi Pasteur, is focused on dengue analytics. By mining data effectively and effi ciently, FIU is making it possible to identify trends and come up with solutions that could have a real impact.

Connecting companies and capitalAccording to an industry group for the

mobile communications business, there

are 79 mobile money systems worldwide, mostly in Africa and Asia. Two-thirds of these businesses have been launched since 2009.

One of those companies, Panama-based startup YellowPepper Holding, attended the inaugural Americas Venture Capital Conference presented by FIU’s Eugenio Pino and Family Global Entrepreneurship Center. YellowPepper was seeking funding partners to launch its product, a mobile ‘wallet’ that would provide banking services to those with limited or no access to traditional fi nancial services.

At the conference, YellowPepper was able to close a round of fi nancing with the IFC/World Bank and connected with the executive director of the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB). Within one month, YellowPepper received suffi cient seed funding and interest from both private and public investors.

Now operating in Haiti and eight other Latin American countries, YellowPepper has won several awards from the IDB and, more importantly, is playing a vital role in shaping communities, stimulating economies and connecting people to greater opportunities.

[ ]FIU’s annual Americas Venture

Capital Conference links

entrepreneurs together with

potential investors.

Linking Private Sector Investment and Development

Future projects will utilize NSF-CAKE’s interoperable

technologies for predictive analytics of diseases, preventive

measures and treatment outcomes.

Promoting the concept of “doing well by doing good,” FIU is creating

both university-based, profit-oriented initiatives and serving as a conduit between fledgling business ventures and capital investments.

Student Andrew Hofmeyer was introduced to the concept of microfinancing through the course “Women, Culture, and Economic Development.” Inspired by what he learned and encouraged by his teacher to learn more about international issues and think of solutions, he applied for and received an internship with the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh.

“I learned how powerful it can be to combine our varying experiences to unite and use our differences to solve global problems together,” he says. He met the bank’s founder, Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who told him whatever career he pursues, he should do it with joy.

Hofmeyer plans to earn a graduate degree in economics. And, he says, “I plan to do it with joy.”

FIU’s Haiti Initiative serves as the focal point of the university’s involvement with

Haiti and the Haitian-American community, locally and abroad.

What began as a task force to service the needs of our community immediately following the devastating earthquake of January 2010 has transitioned into a long-term strategic initiative supported by the institution.

The university-wide effort gives students, faculty and staff the opportunity to leverage strengths in the arts, environment, globalization and health to make a difference

for our Haitian neighbors. FIU is committed to protecting Haitian patrimony and preserving Haitian history and culture.

In the fi eld, FIU experts provide advice and counsel on environmental concerns regarding the geology of the country and how best to prepare for potential threats. From the student perspective, research to support Haiti provides a global educational experience. Finally, FIU has committed resources to support health-related initiatives, including much-needed mental health services and research.

Highlights from the past year of activity include continued support of the Digital

Library of the Caribbean’s (dLOC) Protecting Haitian Patrimony Initiative and the launch of “Haiti: An Island Luminous” collection. Digitization began of the 480 pieces of Haitian art that are part of the university’s Patricia and Philip Frost Art Museum’s collection.

For the second year, the university hosted Digicel’s annual leadership development conference, which brought 22 Haitian CEOs and entrepreneurs to FIU for a three-day retreat in support of their entrepreneurship development.

The Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work continued research

FIU’s commitment to Haiti has grown into a long-term strategic initiative. FIU has provided resources to support health services, experts to preserve Haitian patrimony and advice to help prepare for natural disasters.

Renewing Haiti

[ ]The university has continued

to support the activities

of FIU’s Haitian Student

Organization.

Above left: Children in Haiti

try on new sneakers hand-

decorated by FIU students and

community members in Miami.

granted by the NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism to conduct a randomized trial of a Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management intervention. The study focuses on the impact that the earthquake has had on survivors.

The Department of Physical Therapy in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences led an NIH-funded pilot study focused on the impact of traumatic and surgical amputations on earthquake victims in Haiti.

Members of the initiative represent all of the units with an interest in FIU’s sustained commitment to supporting Haiti. FIU students continue to play a crucial role in the initiative as many of the university’s activities have been proposed, driven and executed by students.

Members of the Haiti Initiative continue to meet every two months to discuss ongoing programs and the strategic alignment of new initiatives.

The Inter-American Conference of Mayors and Local Authorities

The fi rst Inter-American Conference of Mayors held in Washington, D.C., in 1994 was attended by approximately 100 people, and co-sponsored by the USAID, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Organization of American States and the World Bank. The second conference, co-sponsored by the same organizations, was held in Miami with almost double the number of participants.

Since 1996, FIU’s Institute for Public Management and Community Service has worked with Miami-Dade County to present the Inter-American Conference of Mayors and Local Authorities, annually bringing to Miami more than 500 mayors and city council members from Latin America and the Caribbean. The conference provides a forum for representatives of local, regional and national governments, NGOs, various international and donor organizations and

those interested in the strengthening of local governments to share experiences, information and practices and to discuss common goals for the promotion of democratic local governance.

The FIU Geopolitical SummitOne of FIU’s signature events, the FIU

Geopolitical Summit has been bringing distinguished intellectuals to campus since 2009, including political economist Francis Fukuyama, historian and foreign policy commentator Robert Kagan, journalist Fareed Zakaria, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. The summit was created to celebrate the opening of the university’s School of International and Public Affairs and provides opportunities for students, faculty and community members to explore the challenges of globalization through diverse, compelling perspectives by major scholars and thinkers.

The Latin America GridThe Latin America Grid program is a

consortium of universities, businesses and local governments jointly working together to create computer tools that can be used to help meet global challenges. Through collaborative research projects, FIU graduate students work with their counterparts at partner institutions overseas, as well as in the industry, to make software run faster and more effi ciently and to build complex scientifi c applications with goals such as providing better health care and coordinating disaster mitigation.

The Americas Venture Capital ConferenceEstablished in 2010, FIU’s Americas

Venture Capital Conference invites

[ ]More than 2,000 people attended

the inaugural Geopolitical Summit

in 2009. The event brought

together four of the world’s

foremost foreign policy and

international relations experts to

discuss America’s changing role

in the world.

Convening the Americas

FIU leverages its Miami location at the crossroads of

the hemisphere, leading multiple initiatives to convene and connect the region’s thought leaders.

David Lagomasino – a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Earth and Environment, along with other graduate students with FIU’s NASA WaterSCAPES and Florida Coastal Everglades: Long-Term Ecological Research projects – helped organize a NASA-sponsored International Space Apps Challenge at FIU. The global “codeathon-style” event brought together teams from around the world to collaborate on the development of solutions that address critical challenges. Teams from 25 cities, 17 countries and seven continents participated simultaneously.

Lagomasino’s team developed an app called WET (Water Evaluation Tool), designed to help citizens understand the importance of water and the connectivity between water availability and urbanization.

“I hope that all of the participants continue to be inspired by the innovation and creativity sparked by this world-changing event and bring that enthusiasm for space exploration and environmental and social awareness to their communities,” said Lagomasino.

[ ] entrepreneurial fi rms doing business in Latin America and South Florida to present their businesses to an audience of leading venture capitalists and other strategic investors.

This unique forum creates opportunities for innovative companies to fi nd partners for their projects. One AVCC success story is YellowPepper, a mobile banking service. Attending the premier AVCC, YellowPepper

principals found fi nancing and partners through the event. YellowPepper is now the leading mobile fi nancial network in Latin America with more than 4.8 million active users and has received a grant from the Haiti Integrated Finance for Value Chains and Enterprise (HIFIVE), a USAID-funded project, to support the development of mobile money services in Haiti.

Members of the Miami Team take a break from NASA Space Apps Challenge held at the Engineering Center April 21-22.

FIU is #1 in the United Sates for awarding bachelor’s and master’s degrees to Hispanics.

FIU College of Law graduates were #1 in the state in their passage rate on the 2011 Florida Bar Exam.

The College of Business Administration’s international business program ranked 16 in 2012 in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges”.

Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work Associate Professor Mary Jo Trepka received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Engineering Professor Arindam Chowdhury is the recipient of a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation.

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Assistant Dean Pedro “Joe” Greer Jr., was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Creative writing Professor John Dufresne has been named a 2012 Guggenheim Fellow, which recognizes exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.

Architecture Professor David Rifkind received the Ackerman Prize, one of the most prestigious international awards for scholarly work in architectural history.

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Professor Madhavan Nair received a prestigious MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health recognizing outstanding competence and productivity in research.

Rankings & Recognitions

50,000 Spring 2012 enrollment

100,000 Students will graduate from FIU in the next decade

167,000 Alumni

180 Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs

96 Percent of faculty hold doctoral degrees or highest degree attainable in their field

12 Colleges and schools including Medicine, Law and Architecture

18 Division 1A sports teams, including football

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