Location

São Paulo, Brazil

Program Description

The environmental health statistics domain encompasses topics such as the surveillance and detection of infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, the emergence of novel pathogens, and community exposure to environmental hazards. Statistics plays a major role in assessing, analyzing, and interpreting various health outcomes and environmental exposure data.

In this program, you will have the exciting opportunity to explore the role of statistics in assessing, analyzing, and interpreting various health outcomes and environmental exposure data. You will learn how to extract valuable insights from data, assess environmental risks, and make evidence-based decisions to address challenges and promote sustainable practices. Site visits and guest lectures from renowned researchers at the University of São Paulo's Department of Public Health and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) in Rio de Janeiro will enrich your learning.

As for the academic side of the program, each student will receive credit for a 3-credit course. No prerequisites are required; no background in statistics, environmental sciences, or health sciences is necessary. The only thing that’s needed is your intellectual curiosity about the world, as well as a desire to learn.

This class, Math 103 (The Nature of Mathematics: Environmental Health Statistics), may count towards General Education requirements in other majors or programs. The class will be taught using classroom lectures and discussions, as well as group activities and site visits (University of São Paulo Department of Public Health and Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro). This program is structured in such a way as to allow you the freedom to explore on your own during our non-class periods.

There will also be opportunities for interacting with the locals, hiking, or simply relaxing on the beach. As you’ll find, Brazil has plenty to offer! After all, January is summer in Brazil!

Location Description

The primary destination for this program is the city of São Paulo in Brazil. There will be a short trip to the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil is the largest country in South America. It boasts many excellent universities and research centers.

São Paulo is a safe, beautiful, and moderately expensive city.

Rio de Janeiro has amazing beaches and the famous "Christ the Redeemer".

Director

Nusrat Jahan | jahannx@jmu.edu | Mathematics and Statistics

Accommodations

We will be housed in hotels—they usually have balconies —with two or three students to a room. They will be within walking distance to public transportation, restaurants, and shops.

Your program fee will cover all of your food (provided you don’t have a propensity for fancy restaurants, that is!). We will be provided light buffet breakfasts at the hotels for all days, we will have occasional group dinners or lunches, and you will receive a stipend every 5 days or so for the remaining meals, which you will handle on your own.

Additional Items to Consider

Students will need a visa for this program to Brazil.

Students with internationally-capable cell phones will find service nearly everywhere (the professor will have a phone for emergencies as well), and internet access will be available in most of the places we will be staying, though it can be spotty at times. There are also internet cafes in the towns and cities.

All transportation (site visits and all group activities) will be covered by the program fee from the time students first arrive in São Paulo, Brazil, until they depart.

Applicant Criteria

Applicants must have a GPA minimum of 2.0

Open to all undergraduate majors and class levels, including non-JMU students

No prior study of or proficiency in Spanish required