The culmination of a collaboration more than two years in the making, between Florida Tech and Brazil’s SENAI Institutes of Innovation and Technology brought five students and meteorology professor Steven Lazarus to the Santa Catarina state in southeastern Brazil in May.
The visit was made possible by a $40,000 grant from Partners of the Americas’ 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative. The award, secured by a collaboration led by Florida Tech by principal investigator Troy Nguyen and partners at SENAI, supports international partnerships that strengthen education cooperation, expand institutional capacity, and increase opportunities for student exchange and workforce training.
The successful proposal, submitted in July 2024 and approved for funding four months later, was titled, “AMERICAS CLIMATE GUARD – Empowering Precision Disaster Preparedness through Satellite Integration, AI Prediction, Mobile Alerts, and Inspiring International Cooperation.” The project was later renamed to “AMERICAS TECHGUARD.”
The partnership is designed to draw on the expertise of both institutions to strengthen disaster preparedness in at-risk communities in Brazil and the U.S. Through the integration of satellite data, AI-driven forecasting, and mobile alert systems, the project seeks to enhance disaster monitoring, risk assessment and response capabilities.
Beyond the proposal’s scientific and technological goals, the project was designed to foster international cooperation and cross-cultural learning. The exchange began in April 2026, when a group of researchers and project managers from the SENAI Institutes in Brazil visited Florida Tech for more than a week to discuss collaborative research opportunities.
During their FIT visit, the delegation discussed potential areas for collaboration, toured Florida Tech’s Vertex Applied Innovation Hub, viewed student design projects, visited the Ortega Observatory, and experienced campus life at Panther Dining Hall. They also visited the Kennedy Space Center. Beyond the formal activities, the guests also enjoyed local hospitality, joining Professor Steven Lazarus for a kayaking adventure on Turkey Creek and an evening pizza party at his home, where they sang karaoke, with Nguyen accompanying on the guitar.
“The experience went far beyond a technical or institutional agenda,” wrote Valério Piana, internationalization coordinator at SENAI Institutes, noting how the experiences, from lectures and technical discussions to cultural moments, coupled with the unfailing generosity of the hosts, elevated the visit.
“For our group,” Piana wrote in a detailed follow-up letter to project participants, “this was not merely an international project: it became an experience of connection, learning, trust, and shared purpose.”
So it was that Lazarus and students Jaedon Benbow, Allie Barnett, Trinity Abraham, Lucas Silva, and Aaron Bennett, selected based on their outstanding academics and their interests, arrived at Santa Catarina on May 11 for five days of engagement and enrichment.
As with the 2024 visit to Florida Tech, this one blended scholarship, such as student presentations, technical talks, and tours of advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity facilities, with cultural experiences including sand sledding on the dunes at Joaquina Beach, hiking at the Parque Natural Municipal da Lagoinha do Leste, and a visit to the Projeto Tamar (Sea Turtle Project) .
“It was an immersive experience in research and key topics as we lived like locals,” Lazarus said.
Both areas resonated with students on the trip.
“One of the most memorable experiences of the trip was hiking. The views were incredible, and the beach we went to was amazing,” said aviation meteorology major Aaron Bennett.
Trinity Abraham, an undergraduate meteorology major, learned about Brazilian culture, she said, “and made a lot of new friends.”
The students also spoke of more academic impacts.
“This experience enhances what I learned in the classroom by showing me how different cultures approach learning and allowing me to understand different methods of education,” Bennett said.
Allie Barnett, a master’s student in meteorology, talked about seeing research and design in robots and lasers. Meteorology undergraduate Lucas Silva was interested in aerospace and metalworking.
Jaedon Benbow, an undergraduate meteorology major, said the trip taught him about the tech sector in the area and business opportunities there.
“I’ll hold onto this experience for the rest of my life,” he said.
The SENAI Institute’s Piana said that the international experiences of both Brazilians in Florida and Floridians in Brazil highlighted how the technical and the personal are really part of a broader whole.
“Beyond the technical results themselves, one of the most important outcomes has been the development of stronger international perspectives among the students,” she said. “Through this collaboration, they were able to understand how applied research, technological innovation, international cooperation, and societal impact can be meaningfully connected.”
