Alamo Colleges ST. PHILIP'S COLLEGE CONTINUES EXCHANGE PROJECT WITH EDUCATORS IN BRAZIL Brazilians partner with college to explore teaching methods and concepts of delivering instruction SAN ANTONIO (Aug. 24, 2010) --- A recent highlight of St. Philip's College's exchange project with educators in Brazil occurred when several Brazilian educators visited the college's two campuses as guests of St. Philip's College President Dr. Adena Williams Loston, her leadership team, and several students this summer. Two of the college's instructors had visited Brazil in the spring on an exchange to further this project that explores best practices in teaching and delivering instruction. At that time, welding program coordinator Robert Medina led exchanges of ideas and instructional techniques with students and educators who live in the Brazilian city of Pelotas. Mr. Medina provided a 36-hour course on welding to 25 instructors in Pelotas' Instituto Federal Educacional system. Repair and Manufacturing Technology Department chairperson Jose Ybarra (at right in image) visited Pelotas to conduct an introductory robotics class for students at Instituto Federal Sul-rio-grandense. "It was a long one, the trip going there was 24 hours and the trip coming back was 23," Medina said. "Upon arrival in Brazil, I quickly toured local shipyard facilities. Then began the lectures that lasted until the trip back. The class was also a workforce education assessment to see what needs to occur for them to supply their region with entry-level welders." "They will open an education extension in a community that has shipbuilding yards and lacks skilled welders to build new ships in dry-docks. Pelotas has an industry that builds oil rigs, and that industry wants to partner with the institute to hire their welding students directly from school. I sent them recommendations to accomplish their goals. They are enthusiastic about going in new directions. The rest remains to be seen. When I landed back here, Mr. Ybarra was taking off for Brazil," he concluded. Ybarra traveled to Brazil in place of a colleague at San Antonio College who had earlier hosted a professor from Brazil in 2010. "I went in his place because we share resources and expertise in technical areas," said Ybarra. "I met faculty and staff from the Robotics Department at Instituto Federal Su-rio-grandense who were interested in exchanging experiences and learning about Alamo Colleges' expertise in industrial robotics education. It was a fruitful experience and an honor. I took a Robix Rascal robot with me to have students assemble and program it as a classroom exercise. The students I saw had developed eyeglasses that can be used as a mouse, by nodding their heads." "The students were researchers who knew industrial robotics and sensors theories very well. I provided the link between that expertise and the practical history of robotics as viewed by the United States, the philosophical implications behind it all. We accomplished our mission with few breaks in communication. Through our exchange program with Brazil that is conducted by the International Programs Department at Alamo Colleges, I had the honor of meeting and hosting several colleagues from Brazil during their reciprocal visit to St. Philip's College recently," Ybarra concluded. (COURTESY IMAGES.) About St. Philip's: Bishop James Steptoe Johnston of the St. Philip's Episcopal Church of the West Texas Diocese founded St. Philip's College in 1898. Today, St. Philip's College, a member of the Alamo Colleges, is a multi-campus institution and serves a semester enrollment of more than 11,000 credit and more than 8,000 continuing education students. St. Philip's College is a Historically Black College and Hispanic Serving Institution. As "A Point of Pride in the Community," St. Philip's College is among the oldest and most diverse community colleges in the United States. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org www.hbculibraries.org 404.592.4820 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/meeting-form.html for the October 24-26, 2010 HBCU Library Alliance 4th Membership Meeting and the "Conference on Advocacy" pre-conference in Montgomery, AL. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.