The University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno recently signed two international collaboration agreements with institutions in Italy. One is with the Università dell’Insubria (University of Insubria) and the other is with the Universitá degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca (University of Milano-Biccoca). These partnerships formalize the academic connection between the universities and will foster research focusing on sustainability, ecotourism and lake water resource use.
Both agreements encourage engagement in scholarly activities where faculty and university programs can formally exchange ideas and develop collaborations. The agreements are designed to expand over time to engage various disciplines and colleges.
“These partnerships help foster international collaboration and science-backed decision making,” President of the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno Brian Sandoval said. “We are proud to support these programs that further groundbreaking insights in the fields of sustainability and responsible ecotourism surrounding lakes, both of which are incredibly important to our region and the communities we serve.”
The collaborations align with many of the six strategic goals of the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno’s five-year strategic plan, “Wolf Pack Rising.”
Each agreement includes a program in which students from ÁùºÏ±¦µä and the two Italian universities will participate in exchange study, providing the opportunity to experience culture and scholarship within another country. Business Manager of the Department of Biology at the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno Ekaterina Tsareva recently visited Italy as part of the University’s delegation to help set up the agreements.
“The agreements allow University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno students to attend the University of Insubria or Milano Bicocca without incurring enrollment or tuition costs beyond their regular tuition at the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno,” Tsareva said. “Likewise, Italian students are able to come to ÁùºÏ±¦µä for a semester or a year. The cooperative agreements also extend to temporary faculty exchanges, special short-term academic programs, as well as joint research activities, such as the Freshwater Innovations in Research and Education (FIRE) program.”
Director of the Ozmen Institute for Global Studies, Director of the Global Water Center and Professor Sudeep Chandra was also part of the delegation and has been instrumental in organizing these agreements and student exchanges. As one of the lead scientists at the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno at Lake Tahoe campus, Chandra is intimately aware of and involved in researching the sustainability, water quality and economic importance and impact of Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America.
Chandra and the team from the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno are eager to host Italian students, sharing with them the ways in which scholars encourage science-based decision making to protect Lake Tahoe so that those international scholars may take similar steps in Italy and around the world. They are also eager to learn from their colleagues in Italy as they have done extensive research on world famous and vitally important lakes there.
"Students studying the economy can learn from students studying freshwater and environmental sciences.”
Researchers from the Universitá dell’Insubria are developing efforts to understand plastic pollution's effects on Lake Como and other lakes. The University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno researchers are doing the same at Lake Tahoe through new funding from the U.S. government. The researchers involved hope to forge deeper collaborations between the universities to address the impacts of plastic pollution, climate and changes from drought and lack of snowpack influences on each lake. With the new partnerships, they will be able to share knowledge across systems to develop plans for protecting the lakes.
The formalized collaboration partnerships and exchanges offer exciting new opportunities.
“Now our students can discover insights from global challenges and learn about how to implement ideas that protect lakes and communities locally,” Chandra said. “The idea of the exchanges is to foster the interdisciplinary cross-sections of knowledge needed to sustain lakes for future generations. Students studying the economy can learn from students studying freshwater and environmental sciences.”
Freshwater Innovations in Research and Education (FIRE)
The agreement with the Universitá di Milano-Bicocca takes the student exchange program a step further. The Freshwater Innovation in Research and Education (FIRE) program is part of that agreement and it is the first United States-Italy partnership investigating changes in large lakes. The program has already started with the Italian-led exchange to the lakes of Northern Italy in July 2024 and will continue with the American-led expedition to Lake Tahoe in July 2025.
Led by Associate Professor Barbara Leoni and Postdoctoral Researcher Veronica Nava of the Università di Milano-Bicocca, Italia, and by Chandra, the project research will focus on how the lakes are crucial ecosystems supporting diverse flora and fauna, and how each are essential to the cultural identities of their regions while supporting the local economies through tourism, industry and agriculture.
“A primary goal of this expedition is to train early careers (students and recent graduates) on the use of the technologies and mapping of water quality conditions,” the co-authored request for support for the project states. “In addition, we seek support for a higher-level exchange of scientific ideas and cultural connections that will lead to a deeper understanding of our lakes and lend to future exchanges between our countries, which promote joint scientific, engineering and policy endeavors that conserve each lake.”
This partnership officially links the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno at Lake Tahoe research and outreach program with the large iconic lakes in Italy, such as Como, Maggiore, Iseo and Garda.
“These are unique, iconic lakes that support communities and help sustain the human spirit,” Chandra said. “They are also very important for supporting the economies of each region. Lake Tahoe supports a $5 billion regional economy, and Lake Garda supports an $11 billion economy. Communities around each lake depend on tourism. As the environment is changing in each region, and so too, the watershed with climate change, the introduction of species, or natural hazards like earthquakes. We want to understand what is happening at each lake and share knowledge on how we might develop science-based policies to protect them.”
Two University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno students are already engaging in the FIRE program in Italy: Dahlia Villalobos and Madeline Zunino. The students are part of the Young Explorers Program of ÁùºÏ±¦µä supported by the Ozmen Institute for Global Studies and the Honors College.
A history of collaboration
Paula Noble, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering at the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno has been collaborating with faculty at the Università dell’Insubria since 2016 on water-related projects.
“This [the formalized FIRE exchange program] is a natural step because we have already had some successful faculty and student exchanges and ,” Noble said. “I’m really excited that this has come together, as I see many opportunities extending beyond the collaborations I’ve been involved with.”
Tsareva, part of the delegation to Italy with Noble and Chandra, added, “Throughout the trip it was clear that the cooperative agreements are a great opportunity for us to expand existing collaborative engagements in geosciences and freshwater research and encourage new collaborations. It is also an opportunity to bring new ideas and perspectives to the University, whether through targeted efforts such as FIRE or through student and faculty exchange programs. It was exciting to consider the possibilities that this offers to the University, and from our exchanges, it was clear that the Italian institutions are just as excited about partnering with us.”
