Science Without Borders
The universities of Birmingham and Nottingham have had the pleasure of welcoming over 300 Brazilian students to our campuses as part of the Brazilian government’s ground-breaking ‘Science without Borders’ programme, launched in 2012.
It has been particularly pleasing to attract students from universities across the length and breadth of Brazil: Nottingham’s 2015 cohort hailed from twenty-six Brazilian universities, and a third of the students took advantage of the university’s pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes training before joining the academic schools. A significant number of students come from institutions where Birmingham and Nottingham already collaborate closely on research and knowledge transfer activities.
Over the course of their studies, Science without Borders students have worked alongside some of our top researchers and research groups, and we are delighted that so many have, on returning to Brazil, maintained their connections with us and helped promote research collaboration between the two countries.
Title: Science Without Borders Case Study
Case Study:
My experience in Birmingham started in 2013, when I came to the University for an undergraduate exchange year through the Science without Borders programme. I immediately fell in love with the city and the University. Birmingham is a vibrant city where you can find almost anything that you might be looking for, from great restaurants, to shopping areas and bars. It also has excellent transport connections, which for me is essential, as our lives are becoming more international everyday.
The University of Birmingham provided us with orientation and support throughout the whole year, which made us feel at home and comfortable despite the fact that we were in a different country, experiencing a new culture and studying in a different language. Through the year I was here, I had the opportunity to not just study in a world-renowned university but also experience a professional working environment via a summer internship with P&G. This experience was invaluable for my career.
While in Birmingham I also had the opportunity to meet many academics and professors. In one of those meetings I showed interest in extending my studies in Birmingham and shortly after I was accepted for the Chemistry PhD programme. In 2015 I returned, as a PhD student also through the Science without Borders programme, and I’m looking forward for the new exciting opportunities that the University of Birmingham may bring for my career.
Mariana T Cardoso – PhD Chemistry student at University of Birmingham