CEFS doctoral students Suzanne O’Connell (Horticultural and Soil Science) and Aaron Fox (Crop Science and Entomology) have recently returned from a month-long exchange program at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. The program is the result of a partnership between the University and NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The goal of the exchange was to evaluate, from a graduate student’s perspective, the potential of establishing more formal academic exchanges in the future.

Together they visited more than a dozen university departments engaged in agricultural and resource-management related research and participated in a European course on global climate change.

Suzanne with Dabi and Danijela, the day before their departure to the U.S. to participate in the CEFS summer internship program. The famous Dolac market flower vendors can be seen in the background.

Suzanne with Dabi and Danijela, the day before their departure to the U.S. to participate in the CEFS summer internship program. The famous Dolac market flower vendors can be seen in the background.

Croatia is located in Southeast Europe. There are three distinct geographic regions including the Adriatic coast, the mountains, and the Pannonian plains. Due to the diversity of climates, both temperate and sub-tropical crops are widely grown. The country was heavily influenced by the Austrian and Ottoman Empires, both World Wars, and more recently the rise and fall of communist Yugoslavia. Next summer, Croatia will officially become a part of the EU.

Many researchers are concerned about how EU integration will affect Croatia’s agricultural community. As a result, current research efforts focus on improving the production and marketing of high quality and unique regional products, improving environmental protection and remediation efforts, understanding and addressing the effects of global climate change, and identifying alternative sources of nitrogen and phosphorus for fertilizers.

Both students have created online travel journals (click here for Suzanne’s, and here for Aaron’s) and will be presenting a talk this October at NCSU. They are available to share more about their experiences and can be reached at: suzanne.oconnell@gmail.com and affox@ncsu.edu.

From the August 2012 E-Newsletter