The Oregon State University Study of the U.S. Institute for the Environment (SUSIE) program brings 23 undergraduates from Central American and Caribbean countries to visit Corvallis, Oregon and engage in a multi-disciplinary Environmental Institute. The students will participate in classroom study and field trips that will focus on the relationship of water in environmental sciences, public health, engineering, policy and governance. The goal is to create a cohort of students who understand the complexity of water issues in their environment, and who return to their home countries with the tools to help create a broader understanding of the overall role of the environment in ensuring quality of life, and the specific role that water issues play in their country’s development.

During the institute the students will interact with instructors from Oregon State University as well as professionals and citizens from a host of environmental organizations active in Oregon. The Institute will combine academic seminars with field trips that give the participants an opportunity to apply the knowledge learned in seminars, question practitioners about the interrelated roles of science, technology, policy and regulation, and provide opportunities to take part in community based volunteer work to improve the environment.

The program is sponsored by the Study of the U.S. Branch in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is led by the OSU Institute for Water and Watersheds and by OSU International Programs.