2018 ASHS Annual Conference

An international academic partnership between Louisiana State University (LSU) and the Universidad Nacional de Agricultura (UNAG) in Honduras was strengthened by a Partners of the Americas-funded study abroad award. The main activities included a one-week tropical horticulture field study course in Honduras for LSU and UNAG students, followed by a three-month visiting scholar program at LSU for five UNAG students. The study abroad course provided some of the most impressionable horticulture-related learning experiences for all student participants and fortified their career interest in horticulture. It also gave LSU students the opportunity to see crops that do not grow in the continental U.S. and understand the entire value chain from production through marketing. The visiting scholar program developed UNAG student competencies in field and laboratory research from faculty and staff-supervised training. It also provided U.S.-university classroom learning experiences in a diversity of horticulture-related subjects. The most outstanding student scholars are included in a pool of potential future graduate students. Reciprocal study abroad programs are very effective methods to build collaboration among universities and facilitate impactful global learning experiences for the individual student participants.