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from the issue of May 4, 2006
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Campus hosts officials from Zambia May 15-19
BY KELLY BARTLING, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
When Charles Wood first went to Zambia in 1993 he did not know what to expect.
| | IN ZAMBIA - Prem Paul and Harvey Perlman visit with a Zambian farmer and his family during their trip to Africa. Courtesy photo.
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"I didn't know what we were going to do there, or how," said Wood, a microbiologist and researcher in HIV/AIDS at UNL since 1996.
But today, Wood, the director of the Nebraska Center for Virology, knows Zambia well, and because of the trust and relationship built between him and Zambian officials, educators, businesspeople, health care workers and everyday people, the university is in a position to build some important international collaborations.
During Zambia Week, May 15-19, six high-ranking Zambian university and government officials will meet with UNL counterparts to build on a nine-year relationship with Wood, and since last summer with Vice Chancellor for Research Prem Paul and Chancellor Harvey Perlman. The University of Zambia's vice chancellor, deans of medicine, agriculture and education; director of research and graduate education, and clinical health director will visit with various units throughout UNL to share ideas, get advice, talk about collaborative research or outreach and follow up on discussions from last summer.
Shared research opportunities are tremendous, Paul said April 27 during a "travelogue" meeting at the Nebraska Union with about 75 faculty and staff attending. Because Zambia's climate is much like Nebraska's, opportunities exist for research on agriculture and agronomy, livestock nutrition, breeding and diseases, energy and food science. Exchange programs could be created for researchers, educators, faculty and students; as well as collaborations on health, education and distance learning, and information technology.
Funding opportunities exist with agencies like the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Fogarty and Fulbright Foundations, Department of State, as well as private foundations, Paul said.
"Zambia is similar to Nebraska in a lot of ways: They have corn and cattle. Their land sits over an aquifer," Perlman said. While mining is an important industry, along with agriculture, their industries are operated by corporations, oftentimes foreign. The small family farmer in Zambia lacks irrigation and infrastructure, as well as support.
Perlman said Wood's relationship with Zambians provides an opportunity.
"I built a trust level there and got to know them, painstakingly slowly," Wood said. "They know us and what we're doing. There is a lot of resentment toward developed countries coming in. But we learned a lot from watching that and didn't make the same mistake. They are part of our team."
Wood has trained medical workers and clinicians to help slow the spread of HIV/AIDS, but further work improving health care and education needs to be done, he said.
In five years' time Wood developed a cadre of health professionals to influence the health care system and improve public health policies. Since 1996 his work has led to the development of a research clinic to conduct clinical research and to care for HIV-infected children and their families; the construction of a modern lab for lab diagnoses and research, and partnered with the Centers for Disease Control Global AIDS program to develop a Center of Excellence for pediatric HIV care.
Perlman and Paul said their visit increased their enthusiasm about a Zambia-Nebraska collaboration, and prompted discussion about expanding the involvement to other UNL areas, like agriculture, education and health.
"We live in a global society and where we can learn, or teach, we should be a part of it, and expand where we have networks and relationships," Paul said.
The Office of Research has been planning the visit for several months and is setting up meetings with the Zambian representatives across campus. Paul encouraged anyone with interest in finding out more about collaborations with Zambia to go online to www.unl.edu/research/zambia or call Karen Underwood at 472-0030.
Zambia 101* Population: 11 million
* Industry: Mining (copper, gems) and agriculture (sorghum, maize);
Virtually no manufacturing.
* Capital: Lusaka, pop. 2 million
* Language: English with 45 or more tribal languages
* Unemployment: 60 percent
* 80 percent never attend school past primary grade level
* 10 percent of children are orphans, most living on streets
GO TO: ISSUE OF MAY 4
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Campus hosts officials from Zambia May 15-19
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