University of Birmingham students travelling to the forest research station in Caxiuanã were selected in a University-wide competition and come from across the UK:
- Benika Lal - Wednesbury, West Midlands
- Hadil Touihri - Forest Hill, South East London.
- Madeleine Bavister - St Albans, Hertfordshire.
- Holly Davies - Amersham, Buckinghamshire.
- Lennox Stevenson - Leeds, West Yorkshire.
- Katy McCarthy - Alton, Hampshire.
- Aoife Moriarty - Pinner, North West London.
- Megan Bancroft - Wrexham, North Wales
Medical student Hadil Toihri said: “This is an amazing opportunity to develop my cultural awareness and reflect on the environmental and climate change challenges facing our planet ahead of COP30. I’m studying medicine at the University of Birmingham and looking to study for a Master’s degree in global health, so I’m particularly interested in learning about the public health issues facing the people of this region.”
The students join academics in visiting and collaborating with Belém-based partner organisations, as well as Amazonian communities that live within the forest, archaeological sites, forest management, and restoration sites. They will be using video and social media as part of the project to document their findings.
They then travel to São Paulo to join a UBBI delegation and take part in the International Conference on Global Development and Diplomacy, as well as a Global Leaders Dialogue at British Consulate with the UK Ambassador to Brazil Stephanie Jane Al-Qaq CMG. The students will present outcomes from their work in the Amazon to the University’s student and academic community in the autumn semester.
Professor Adriane Esquivel Muelbert, Joint Director UBBI, commented: “We aspire to provide the best opportunities to our students – using our expertise and partnerships to play our part in tackling some of the biggest climate change and sustainability challenges. By bringing together students from very different realities on this adventure of a lifetime we hope the students, from both nationalities, change their perspective of world around them. We aim to be inspiring next generation of future makers and that this group can inspire young people around the world to engage with the challenges associated with climate change.”
Birmingham academics taking part represent research disciplines from across the University including Environmental Science, Social Sciences, Decolonial Studies, Applied Health Sciences, Biosciences, and History.
