
CAORC & COE-LWRM Overseas
Faculty Development Seminar
Brazil: Traditions and Innovations in Agriculture and Forestry
São Paulo, Piracicaba, and Campinas

This Overseas Faculty Development Seminar is administered by CAORC in collaboration with The Americas Research Network (ARENET), and is designed for faculty of the institutional members of The 1890 Center of Excellence in Land, Water, and Resource Management (COE-LWRM).
This seminar introduces faculty participants to Brazil’s globally significant role in agricultural innovation, with a focus on large-scale precision agriculture, bioengineering, and AI-driven farming systems adapted to tropical environments. Based in São Paulo state, the program combines academic engagement with site-based learning across research institutions, commercial farms, and ag-tech startups. Participants will examine how Brazil has transformed marginal land into highly productive agricultural systems through technological innovation, data-driven management, and public-private research collaboration. The seminar will include structured meetings with faculty and researchers, field visits to precision farming operations, and exposure to Brazil’s biofuel and strategic infrastructure protection initiatives. Cultural programming in São Paulo and surrounding regions will contextualize agriculture within broader Brazilian society, economy, and strategic policy.
Seminar dates: May 2027
Meet the Seminar Leaders

Greta de León
ARENET Executive Director

Jeff Badger
CAORC Senior Program Director
Eligibility
The program is open to faculty of the institutional members of The 1890 Center of Excellence for Center of Excellence in Land, Water, and Resource Management (COE-LWRM):
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Alabama A&M University
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Florida A&M University
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Fort Valley State University
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Langston University
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Lincoln University
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Prairie View A&M University
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Southern University
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Tennessee State University
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University of Maryland at Eastern Shore
All applicants must hold a valid passport that does not expire within six months of the last date of the program. Applicants must individually apply for and receive a visa from the government of Brazil to participate.
Program Expectations
As an outcome of the Overseas Faculty Development Seminar program, participants are required to develop and implement a project to increase internationalization on their campus. Details and examples of these projects will be shared with awardees during pre-departure orientation. Projects should be implemented within one year of the conclusion of the program, at which time participants will be asked to submit a project report and share curriculum and/or documentation of the project for inclusion on CAORC's Open Educational Resources site.
Application Process
Applications can be accessed via CAORC's SM Apply application portal. You must sign up for an account to access the seminar application. This will allow you to save and return to your application before submitting. Please save your login/password information for future applications.
In addition to providing basic personal and professional information, applicants are required to respond to the following essay questions (up to 500 words each):
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Discuss your background and experience, elucidating your personal interest in joining this Overseas Faculty Development Seminar, with a focus on the region and/or seminar theme. Provide details about your current engagement with these subjects in your teaching, research, campus activities, or community initiatives. (500 words)
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Articulate how your participation in the seminar will contribute to your professional growth, particularly in enhancing your teaching, research methods, and/or contribution to global education on your campus. (500 words)
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Outline a proposal for your post-seminar project, describing how participation in this seminar will directly impact your teaching, curriculum, and/or research. Specify the projects, courses, or activities you envision resulting from the seminar. Furthermore, discuss how your OFDS experience might be multiplied for the benefit of your students, colleagues, institution, and/or community. (500 words)
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Share a specific occasion when you encountered attitudes, perspectives, values, or behaviors different from your own. Explain your response and reflect on what you learned about yourself and your attitudes from the experience. (500 words)
In addition, applicants are required to:
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Upload a current cv/resume (maximum of 3 pages)
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Request a letter of support from a department chair, academic division head, or academic dean at your college or institution. You will be able to send a link to your recommender via the online grant portal, SM Apply, by entering their contact details, which will trigger the system into sending an automated email. Your recommender will then be able to upload their letter. Recommendation letters will be confidential in the system.In their letter, the recommender should address the following questions/points:
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Please tell us why you support the applicant’s participation in the CAORC faculty development seminar. From your perspective, how will they benefit professionally from the program?
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Please describe the applicant’s engagement with your institution’s internationalization efforts and how their participation in the seminar might benefit students, colleagues, and the broader campus community.
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Please discuss the applicant’s collegiality, teamwork, and professionalism. How have they demonstrated the ability to cooperate, work, and share with others to achieve goals and positive outcomes?
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It is advisable to enter your recommender's contact details into the recommendation letter section of the application as soon as possible (and click 'mark as complete') so that they have sufficient time to complete and upload their letter. The applicant is responsible for checking in with their recommender to ensure the letter is submitted by the recommender deadline. CAORC is not able to reach out to recommenders on behalf of the applicant.
Opening date for applications: May 23, 2026
Application deadline: December 1, 2026 @ 11:59pm ET
Recommendation letter deadline: December 8, 2026 @ 11:59pm ET
Seminar Dates: May 2027
If you have questions, please email: fellowships@caorc.org.
Online Information Sessions
Join a presentation by Jeff Badger, Program Director at the Council of American Overseas Research Centers, and Greta Leon, Director General of the Americas Research Network (ARENET), to learn more about the this Overseas Faculty Development Seminar administered by CAORC in collaboration with the Americas Research Network, and designed for faculty of the institutional members of The 1890 Center of Excellence in Land, Water, and Resource Management (COE-LWRM).
The webinar will cover:
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introduction to CAORC and ARENET
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application and selection process
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award details
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program itinerary and destinations
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alumni opportunities
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Q & A
Session 1: Date & Time TBD


