About the presentation: This presentation will focus on the Why, How and So What, of LACIS as a program to educate new generations, support faculty, and offer outreach to the general public about Latin America, the Caribbean and the Iberian Peninsula. Alberto will reflect on his 20 year tenure as Associate Director and will offer ideas for continuity and relevance of the program as circumstances change.
About the presenter: Alberto is the Associate Director of the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (UW-Madison) since 2005, and Teaching Faculty at the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Alberto studied agronomy at the Monterrey Technological Institute in Querétaro, México, and earned a PhD in Land Resources and forestry from UW-Madison. He was one of founders of an Eco-development research center in Quintana Roo, México in the 1980s, and has worked in global environmental policy in Washington, D.C. and as policy analyst for the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. He currently teaches a Seminar on Sustainable Development for the Gaylord Nelson Institute and is interested in the interface between science and policy as it relates to conservation and development in Latin America and other parts of the world. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Transdisciplinary Center for Research on Psychoactive Substances (TCRPS), where he works on issues related to the psychedelic humanities and history, culture and sustainability of psychedelic plants, fungi and animals. He received the 2021 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Service to the University.