University of São Paulo: USP, Unicamp and Dow celebrate partnership to offer scientific initiation scholarships
USP, Unicamp and Dow, a multinational in the field of materials science, entered into a partnership that offers scientific initiation scholarships to ten self- declared black, brown or indigenous students. This is the second year these scholarships have been offered.
Aimed at undergraduate students in Chemistry, Physics, Biological Sciences, Pharmacy, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Food Engineering and Materials Engineering, Dow’s CRIE (Science, Representativeness, Inclusion and Experience) program aims to encourage awakening of the scientific vocation of the fellows.
At USP, the selected students are from the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), from the Biosciences Institute (IB), from the São Carlos School of Engineering (EESC), from the São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC). ), the Polytechnic School (Poli) and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP).
In his speech, the dean of USP, Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior, recalled that “the universities in São Paulo have carried out a large program of inclusion in recent years and this has changed the University’s view of its students”. Carlotti highlighted the need for a program of belonging, both financial and academic, and requested the formation of a support network with the Brazilian business community, in order to expand the number of scholarships offered: “This will help us to train professionals with different characteristics and companies may have a more diverse composition in the future. It’s a win-win partnership.”
The Dean of Research at Unicamp, João Marcos Travassos Romano, thanked the partnership on behalf of all the grantees and wished the collaboration to last. “Unicamp has been trying to make this compatibility between excellence and inclusion for a long time. More than compatible, in our country this is necessary”, highlighted Romano.
The president of Dow Latin America, Javier Constante, spoke of his satisfaction in establishing a partnership with two of the best Brazilian universities. “It is a very positive program for Dow, for universities and, above all, for the societies in which we operate,” he said. He also reinforced the importance of education as a “passport to social inclusion”, a cause in which he is personally engaged.
In addition to the R$850 scientific initiation grants, CRIE will promote mentoring sessions with Dow professionals to develop the scholarship holders’ skills. Interested students are offered a free English course offered by the NGO Citizen Pro-Mundo.
The partnership was formalized in an online event that took place on October 31 and brought together fellows and Dow and university leaders.