Robert Kerestes, JohnC.MascaroFacultyScholar Brazil

During Maymester 2023 , the first “Energy & Electrification in Brazil” course was offered by the Swanson School of Engineering, providing an opportunity for students to study renewable energy and electrification efforts in Brazil.

Students visited UNISINOS University and studied on-site solar power implementations used to power the campus. They also visited Osorio Wind Farm, where students learned about the combined effort of wind power generation and cattle farming. The next part of the course was a visit to Certaja Energia (a utility in the state of Rio Grande do Sul) where they learned about power distribution, control, and electrical system automation. Following the Certaja visit, students visited Higra, which produces submergible pumps and turbo generators Higra adds clean, distributed generation to the Brazilian electricity grid, while also aiding in the control of water overflow, which maintains healthy water levels; learn more about the visit on this Higra blog. Students next travelled to Foz do Iguacu, where they took enjoyed its waterfalls, one of the seven wonders of the world. Students also visited the Itaipu Dam, which with an impressive 14 GW power capacity is the largest renewable power plant in the world in terms of energy production – and the third largest in terms of installed capacity.

MCSI has long-partnered with Pitt’s Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS). In January 2023, MCSI joined CLAS colleagues, Florida International University, and Amazonian institutions to discuss the possibility of creating an Amazonian Studies consortium. In May 2023, MCSI co-hosted a delegation of visitors from the greater Piracicaba region of Brazil to explore a potential partnership to help develop an ESG certification program with the City of Piracicaba, which hosts over 40,000 businesses.

Joaquin Rodriguez, JohnC.MascaroFacultyFellow

Dr. Joaquin Rodriguez was awarded the Provost’s Diversity in the Curriculum Award and the James Pommersheim Award for Excellence in Teaching, including for contributions supported by MCIS’s John C. Mascaro Faculty Fellowship.

The 2023 CHE GLOBAL DAY supported by MCSI and the Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering displayed 12 projects by 72 senior Chemical Engineering students in collaboration with 18 foreign partners in 10 countries. Topics included water pollution and treatment in Guatemala, Brazil, and South Africa; sewage and sanitation in Bolivia and Brazil; waste management in Bangladesh; flooding prevention in Pakistan; modular drinking water units for northern Canada’ air pollution in Brazil; renewable energy in Germany; and farming modernization in Paraguay.

The 2022 Mascaro Award for Global Sustainability Project went to the “Fluid Displacement & Education in Micronesia” project from students: Jared Renz, Justin Brozyno, Dylan Atkinson, Adam Taylor, Aarin Kheehan, Dante Policicchio (pictured below); the project was mentored by Dr. David Sanchez

The event was held at the Pitt Global Hub in Posvar Hall on December 7, 2023, and included 18 judges from industry (Covestro, PPG, ARCADIS) and the University (Asian Studies Center, Center for Latin American Studies, Engineering for Humanity, MCSI, Physical Therapy, SSOE Global Experience, and University Center for International Studies,).