Rafael Ribeiro had always dreamed of coming to the United States to study. Now that dream has become a reality with the opportunity provided by the Science Without Borders program in Brazil. An undergraduate Industrial Engineering student at Federal University of Vicosa, Rio Paranaiba (UFV), Ribeiro is visiting the College of Technology to conduct research. His mentor, Dr. Gary Richardson, is a noted project management expert, and Project Management Institute (PMI) endowed professor in project management at the University of Houston.
Primarily funded by the Brazilian government, the Science Without Borders program's priority is to provide opportunities for students in the Science, Technological, Math, and Engineering (STEM) field. The scholarships to undergraduate students from Brazil support one year of study at colleges and universities in the United States.
Prior to coming to UH, Riberio spent last summer at University of Michigan-Dearborn, and then studied at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, where he developed an interest in project management. Inspired by Dr. Richardson, Rafael determined to come to the College of Technology to focus on project management and the tracking methodologies used to evaluate progress. He is exploring the operational process for management components related to earned value and their role in defining current and future status of a project. Dr. Richardson comments that Rafael is a very bright young man who has been a quick learner with this topic. Rafael's goal is to complete his research, which will be presented upon his return to Brazil in August.