Fresno State students tour agriculture facilities in Azores

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Twelve Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology students returned recently from a study abroad trip to the Azorean islands of Terceira and Sao Miguel as part of Fresno State’s academic exchange agreement with the University of the Azores.

Students visited dairy, fish, floral, food processing, fruit, sugar, tea, vegetable, vineyard and winery production facilities from May 22 to May 31 and were joined by faculty members John Cordeiro (animal science) and Dr. Maggie Ellis (plant science). University and government officials also presented to the visiting group on international economic, cultural and historic topics.

Several Fresno State students have Portuguese heritage, and the group was composed of viticulture student Kathleen Amaral (San Jose); animal science students Gabriela Arias (Tracy) and Hannah Price (Leona Valley); plant science students Brian Coelho (Riverdale), Elizabeth Gingles (Lemoore) and Lindsey Vieira (Tulare); and agricultural education students Trevor Autry (Nipomo), Lauren Dutra (Hanford), Madison Galvez (Bakersfield), Natalie Gutierrez (Lindsay), Jonathon Porter (Tulare) and Cameron Rocha (Newman).

The trip was made possible by a $49,000 grant by the Lisbon-based Luso-American Development Foundation to encourage educational and research opportunities between the institutions announced in March 2016.

Fresno State hosted a similar trip by seven University of the Azores students last September who toured the 1,000-acre campus farm and other area industry locations and attended an area Portuguese cultural celebration and dinner sponsored by the Tulare-Angra Do Heroismo Sister City Foundation.

For more information on future academic exchanges between the institutions or to discuss support opportunities for this program or the Jordan College, contact Alcidia Freitas Gomes at 559.278.4266 or alcidia@csufresno.edu.