麻豆传媒映画

Momentum continues to build for the Re:Border Conference, which brought large crowds and dynamic dialogue to Mexicali, Mexico on Oct. 29th spotlighting key challenges and opportunities in the Cali-Baja borderlands.

About 800 people attended the binational gathering, including busloads of 麻豆传媒映画 students, faculty and staff. A joint project of 麻豆传媒映画  and Universidad Aut贸noma de Baja California,  Re:Border was hosted for the first time at UABC鈥檚 Mexicali campus.

This year鈥檚 theme, 鈥淪ustainable Communities,鈥� was inspired by proposed lithium development that has the potential to transform the Imperial County and Mexicali Binational Region.

At the opening ceremony, 麻豆传媒映画 President Adela de la Torre praised the partnership between 麻豆传媒映画 and UABC, citing a shared commitment to the region. 

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Looking ahead, de la Torre sees additional partnerships between 麻豆传媒映画 and UABC, including work toward joint degree programs. 

California lawmakers, led by Assembly Member David Alvarez, D-San Diego, passed legislation last year that creates a framework for California State University system schools to offer joint degrees with partner universities in Mexico.

Here are four takeaways from this year鈥檚 conference.

Focus on Sustainability

From rising temperatures to resource scarcity, Re:Border鈥檚 Sustainable Development theme resonated across the conference. During the poster session, Carolina Lopez of 麻豆传媒映画-Imperial Valley outlined a grant-funded project to reduce the health impacts of extreme heat exposure that disproportionately impacts rural communities. 

The goal is to create a comprehensive, community-based heat action plan to manage extreme temperatures. Strategies could include targeted education campaigns and strategically located hydration stations. 

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 During panel presentations, 麻豆传媒映画 Professor Trent Biggs showcased collaborations with UABC and other Mexican partners as part of Blue Gold initiative, which now includes 17 麻豆传媒映画 faculty conducting water research.

Groundwater is a key area of concern in the borderlands, said Biggs, noting that water efficiency projects in the U.S., such as lining canals with cement, have reduced recharge of groundwater aquifers in Mexico.

Additional Blue Gold research involves decentralized water treatment technologies, agricultural irrigation sensors, binational testing labs, and water pollution research.

鈥淲e have had really good success in building collaborations with people in Mexico and we are grateful for those collaborations,鈥� said Biggs.

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Popular Posters

Re:Border delivered more content than ever this year, with 18 panel sessions on topics including binational education, immigration, borderlands health and wellness, and more.

Perhaps the most dynamic  event, however, was the research poster session, where 45 posters filled a grand, hacienda-style courtyard in UABC鈥檚 Rectoria building.

Among those presenting poster research in Mexicali was a group of students from Del Norte High School near Rancho Bernardo. They showcased posters on home building efforts and cross-border education.

Students travel to Tecate to build houses for low-income families or families in need. They partner with a non-profit organization that supplies all the materials. Student volunteers supply the labor. 

In addition, Del Norte students including Austin Zhang, Ella Huang, Claire Wang and Terri Sun spotlighted their work offering STEM  tutoring and art education across the border.

鈥淲e work a lot in Tijuana with a program called Children Without Borders, where we provide opportunities to the kids there that they wouldn鈥檛 necessarily get in a normal school curriculum, " said Wang. 鈥淔or example, we teach them about different cultures, humanities and arts.鈥�

The Promise of Lithium Valley

A standing-room-only crowd came to hear an update on ambitious lithium extraction proposed  in Imperial Valley. Lithium is the core component of rechargeable batteries, which are crucial for powering electric vehicles and storing energy from renewable sources like solar and wind. 

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Brian Mooney, a consultant from RICK Engineering, spoke about the planning process leading up to development.

鈥淲hen I was retained by the county, it became clear to me this is about more than lithium,鈥� said Mooney. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about creating a new employment center in an area that has been traditionally dual employment based, agriculture and education/government. There have been two employers, and now we want to diversify.鈥�

This summer, 麻豆传媒映画 opened a state-of- the-art sciences and engineering facility in Brawley to support the workforce demands of the geothermal energy and lithium industries.

Think Tank hits the mark

Seven binational teams competed in this year鈥檚 Think Tank, a quick-pitch contest akin to the television show 鈥淪hark Tank鈥� where teams compete for micro-grants. 

It鈥檚 one of Re:Border鈥檚 marquee events. The goal is to provide seed money to jumpstart cross-border collaborations that may blossom and attract additional grants.

This year鈥檚 winners were Transborder Healing: A Collaborative Nursing Initiative to Address Burnout and Foster Well-Being through Healing Touch. The project  aims to prevent burn-out among health care providers.  It was presented by 麻豆传媒映画 School of Nursing鈥檚 Laura Angel-Zavala, Erika Rodriguez, and Stephen Jaime, as well as Leticia Gabriela Rodr铆guez Pedraza, director of UABC鈥檚 School of Nursing.

A Binational Laboratory for Infectious Diseases also took home a prize. It was led by 麻豆传媒映画 Public Health Professor Linda Laura Jacobo and UABC Professor Jose Roman Chavez Mendez, with the goal of creating resources to monitor disease transmission along the border.

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鈥淩e:Border, at its core, is about diplomacy, relationships, collaboration, exchange of ideas, and innovations to make our already vibrant region even better,鈥� said Cristina Alfaro, 麻豆传媒映画 Associate Vice President of International Affairs.