Deep Medhi, Curators’ Professor, will be headed for Brazil for the next several summers. His Brazil’s Science Without Borders Program proposal in the “Special Visiting Researcher” category submitted in partnership with State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil has been funded. According to the program’s webpage, “Senior researchers who are internationally recognized in the science field are encouraged to collaborate with Brazilian research groups, and to work in Brazil for up to three months each year . . . Doctoral and post-doctorate students will be supported to work in the project both in Brazil and abroad. These individuals will receive financial support for living expenses in Brazil and funding for the local laboratory.” Science without Borders is an initiative of President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil and the Brazilian Government. It aims to send 100,000 Brazilian students to study in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at universities across the world, and to bring international leading researchers in STEM fields to the country.

Dr. Medhi will receive funds for five total months of research during summers in Brazil over the next three years . His hosts will be Professors Edmundo Madeira and Nelson de Fonseca at the UNICAMP. The Brazil’s Science Without Borders Program will fund Dr. Medhi’s international airfare, his collaborator’s research expenses and the expenses for a post-doc at the University of Campinas to visit him while in Brazil. Our congratulations to Dr. Deep Medhi, he is the only UMKC faculty to be funded under this program. We hope that through this program UMKC and SCE will find more collaborative opportunities with Brazil’s scientific and academic communities. Brazil’s economy is now ranked 6th in the world, matching its soccer prowess, according to Bloomberg.com.