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U.S. Department of State Pilots Open Educational Resources
In 2015, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Collaboratory launched and ran three open education pilots as part of our commitment to the second U.S. Open Government National Action Plan. One year in, the Collaboratory examined all three pilots and shared lessons learned from these programs.
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State Department Announces Gilman Top Producing Institutions
The U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce the inaugural list of U.S. higher education institutions that sent the most students overseas on the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program in academic year 2016-2017.
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The IVLP through the Lens of a Trafficking in Persons Report Hero
Each year, the U.S. Department of State honors individuals around the world who have devoted their lives to the fight against human trafficking and made exceptional contributions in their home countries to combat the crime and assist trafficking victims.
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Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat, Ph.D
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Content created by Virtual Intern Meghan Crowley
Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat is an important figure in Lebanese environmental conservation circles. She began her environmental career in 2008, and recently became the president of a nonprofit focusing on reforestation and launched an online database of native Lebanese flora (http://www.lebanon-flora.org).
In 2013, she participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) entitled “Women’s Innovation in Science and Engineering,” and spent three weeks in different cities across the United States. She expanded her network due to her IVLP and now collaborates with colleagues she met from the Smithsonian Institution. Together, they've researched DNA barcoding and metabarcoding, with the goal of exploring biodiversity. Another favorite memory from her IVLP experience was visiting the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C. to see how they bring science to the world through their interactive programming.
Prior to her IVLP experience, most of Kharrat’s international collaboration took place with colleagues in other parts of the world. The exchange gave her an even broader network and provided opportunities to collaborate with Americans. Magda Bou Dagher Kharrat is a plant geneticist attempting to understand the historical evolutionary process of tree populations and flowering plants to help inform conservation policies. She has become a strong advocate for international exchange programs to build global connections.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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KharratIVLP Alumni
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Vered Cohen-Barzilay
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Vered Cohen-Barzilay" src="https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/Participant-headshot/ivlp_profiles_barzilay.png" width="1126" height="1164" />
Content created by Virtual Intern Bridget Raymundo
Vered Cohen-Barzilay is an Israeli-born social entrepreneur and tenacious advocate for aviation, space and science education. The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) inspired Cohen-Barzilay, a journalist and women’s rights activist, to change career paths and focus on building religious and cultural bridges through innovation and education. Upon her return to Israel, she founded the nonprofit “Out of the Box” to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), space education, and entrepreneurship for youth in Israel.
Cohen-Barzilay runs the Science Accelerator, a program that has had over 350 student participants. The program is a partnership between many stakeholders, including American iLEAD Charter Schools, the NASA Ames Research Center, U.S. Embassy Jerusalem, the Israeli Ministry of Science, and the Israeli Space Agency. Through lectures and interactive lessons, Israeli and American students interact with space and science experts and entrepreneurs, acquiring the skills to effectively utilize high-tech tools and to pitch and promote their innovative ideas.
Vered Cohen-Barzilay’s passionate promotion of STEM and space education inspires youth in Israel to reach for the stars.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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Cohen-BarzilayIVLP Alumni
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Eva Truuverk
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Content created by Virtual Intern Ingrid Liu
Eva Truuverk spearheaded the 2008 clean-up campaign “Let’s Do It!” in Estonia, and the national cleanup event engaged over 50,000 people in a country of 1.3 million. They cleaned up 10,000 tons of illegal waste. In 2010, Truuverk participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) entitled "Volunteerism: United We Serve." Inspired by the other participants and volunteers, Truuverk decided to expand her initiative and take it global. Her IVLP connections helped recruit others for a worldwide cleanup, and a fellow IVLP alumnus still leads the “Let’s Do It World” team in their country today. On September 15th 2018, 17.8 million people from 157 countries participated in The World Cleanup Day. The movement received several awards, including the 2018 UNESCO - Japan Prize.
Eva Truuverk received Estonia’s Citizen of the Year Award in 2018. After 13 years she estimates that more than 56 million people from 180 countries have participated in the “Let's Do It!” movement. Truuverk is has stepped away from her leadership role in "Let's Do It!" to focus on a new project called Rohetiiger (Green Tiger), an economic concept that promotes cooperation among various sectors to achieve effective resource consumption in Estonia.
Eva Truuverk is a leading advocate for environmental awareness, and her legacy continues to positively affect communities and support global activism.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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TruuverkIVLP Alumni
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Meaza Ashenafi, Chief Justice of Ethiopia
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Content created by Virtual Intern Nora Moest
The first female federal Chief Justice of Ethiopia and IVLP alumna, Meaza Ashenafi spent her lifetime breaking barriers through her contributions in the legal field.
She strives to promote and advocate for human rights and women's issues. Ashenafi looks forward to restoring public trust in the judiciary and ensuring judicial independence.
Co-founder of Enat Bank, the first bank targeted to women's economic empowerment, Ashenafi is dedicated to vocalizing the needs of marginalized women. She founded the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association to provide pro-bono services to women unable to afford a legal defense, created a word in Amharic to describe sexual harassment, and reformed the way the Ethiopian judicial system treats sexual harassment cases. Ashenafi is changing women's lives and inspiring the next generation of female lawyers.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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AshenafiIVLP Alumni
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Chunlei Liu
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Content created by Virtual Intern Chhim SokkuntheaAfter working in the telecommunications industry for nine years, Chunlei Liu became interested in reducing environmental pollution in China. He planned to use technology to collect and analyze information that could lead to environmental improvements.
Liu created Shanghai Qingyue Environmental Protection Center, a non-governmental organization that reviews and collects data on the environmental impact of existing policies. The Center uses the data to create policy recommendations that give governmental entities information so they can improve current policies and reduce overall pollution.
In 2015, Liu traveled to the United States as part of an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) focused on climate change, the environment, and clean energy. During his IVLP, Liu learned how various government entities in the United States work together to reduce pollution in their communities. Based on his experience, he has integrated new ideas into his work.
The Center’s suggestions on environmental credit, green finance, and emissions disclosure have been well-received and have led to some policy changes.
Chunlei Liu is a forward-thinking environmentalist who is taking steps to bring cleaner air and healthier communities to China. He proves on a daily basis that the actions of one person can improve the quality of life for millions of people.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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