Faculty leaders from the Graduate School and International Education's Cell and Molecular Biology Program traveled to Washington, D.C., last month to visit international organizations to strengthen relationships and recruit sponsored students.

Douglas Rhoads, director of the CEMB program, and Adnan Alrubaye, associate director, visited the nation's capital on Aug. 26-27, where they met with the Iraqi Cultural Office, the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission and the Indonesian Education & Cultural Attache.

The meetings continue conversations Rhoads and Alrubaye started earlier this year in their trips to Saudi Arabia and Indonesia to explore opportunities for collaboration and to recruit more students to the U of A.

"These discussions opened doors for new collaborations that will help us recruit fully sponsored students, enrich our graduate program and expand global research opportunities for our students," Alrubaye said. "Engaging with international education and cultural offices in Washington, D.C., reaffirmed our shared commitment to advancing science through cross-cultural exchange. We look forward to building bridges that will support graduate training, expand innovation and establish lasting connections between the University of Arkansas and our international partners."

"The CEMB program leadership has visited both Indonesia and Saudi Arabia this year to establish lines of communication, meet with government and university leadership, and establish research collaborations," Rhoads said. "This short trip to Washington, D.C., was to meet with scholarship and educational representatives to further the in-country connections and obtain guidance on how to work with the governments involved. This follows in the path established by Senator Fulbright that we can best pursue international peace through shared education."

For more information on the CEMB program, visit their website.