The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs recently invited Antonio Moreira, vice provost of Academic Affairs and professor of chemical and biochemical engineering, to visit Argentina to discuss best practices of STEM education. Moreira visited the Argentine cities of Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata in late May and was hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Argentina.

During his time in Argentina, Moreira met with government officials, universities, think tanks, students and many other audiences to talk about the importance of investing in STEM education. “Argentina shares with the United States a similar challenge with recruiting and retaining an adequate number of students into STEM fields,” he said. “During my discussions with many individuals and organizations, I found an enormous interest in the US STEM education experience and very specifically in the successes in STEM education at UMBC. There are many who strongly wish to make a difference in Argentina and I hope they will find the energy and the pathways for achieving their goals.”

Katherine Ordoñez, assistant cultural affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, said, “Dr. Moreira’s visit enabled the Embassy to engage with a variety of Argentine audiences in STEM education best practices… [his] expertise was well-received by Argentines as they seek to increase the number of students graduating with degrees in STEM subjects.”

La Capital Mar del Plata, a daily Argentine newspaper, reported on Moreira’s visit. Click here to read “Highlights the importance of studying careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” translated from the original Spanish.