Learning By Doing

Learning By Doing: Students from Honduran university bring unique educational background to Auburn. By Kristen Bowman.
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hat does Auburn University have in common with a small, private university near the capital of Honduras?

Probably a great deal more than you think.

Zamorano University, officially known as the Pan-American Agricultural School (Escuela Agrícola Panamericana), is a private university located approximately 20 miles from the capital city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Zamorano attracts students from across Latin America and occasionally from Europe, fostering a multicultural learning environment.

Nearly a decade ago, an unofficial partnership began between Zamorano and Auburn, when one of its alumni started working on the Plains and brought a student to work as an intern.

“A few months after I was hired as an extension specialist and associate professor in the Department of Poultry Science here at Auburn, Dr. Abel Gernat, a professor in poultry science and animal nutrition at Zamorano, recommended Endhier Lezcano, a third-year student from Panama, for an internship with my research team,” said Wilmer Pacheco, who earned his Bachelor of Science in food science and technology from Zamorano.

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ll students from Zamorano are required to complete an internship in their senior year, according to Pacheco. After reviewing Lezcano’s application package and noting that he was in the top 10% of his class, Pacheco decided to bring him onto his research team.

At the time, Pacheco was still building his research program, so he asked Lezcano to assist other faculty members with their research projects. This served a few key purposes. It allowed Lezcano to learn techniques he could not learn in Pacheco’s lab, but it also introduced other faculty to the work ethic instilled in students from Zamorano.

Zamorano is known for its “Learning by Doing” educational model, where students engage in practical, hands-on experiences in addition to their academic studies. This approach is designed to develop well-rounded professionals who are prepared to address the challenges in agriculture and rural development in Latin America and beyond. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in areas such as agronomy, animal science, food technology, environment and development, and agribusiness.

Issa Diaz, who earned her Master of Science in soil physics under the advisement of Associate Professor Thorsten Knappenberger at Auburn, also started at Auburn as an intern from Zamorano. She said the division between “learning and doing” at Zamorano is about 50/50.

“We study about half of the day and work about half of the day, for four years,” she said. “We are exposed to every kind of agricultural area through this, including animal science, plant science, food processing, economics, everything.”

The distinctions from Auburn are clear. At Zamorano, students wear uniforms and are paired with a roommate from a different country for the first semester. This practice is intended to foster “Pan Americanism,” according to Pacheco, promoting mutual understanding, cultural exchange and discussions about common challenges and opportunities in their respective countries of origin.

Wilmer Pacheco headshot with red, blue, and yellow rope as a design element
Wilmer Pacheco, Extension Specialist & Associate Professor
For those students who make their way stateside, Auburn offers the opportunity to gain educational experience in the U.S. And in return, Auburn gains the experience of students prepared to make meaningful contributions to agriculture, food science, environmental protection and agribusiness in Alabama and across the United States.

“After graduation, some students return to Latin America to support agriculture in their home regions, while others remain in Alabama or other states, where they contribute to local agriculture,” Pacheco said. “Additionally, Auburn University students have had the opportunity to travel to Honduras and spend time at Zamorano, where they participated in Learning-by-Doing activities, exchanged experiences with students from Latin America and gained insights into campus life at Zamorano.”

Diaz, for example, has started a Ph.D. at Cornell. She will be working on nutrient management in soils but will move to the animal science department to specifically work with manure from dairy cattle.

She is one of more than 100 students who have made their way to Auburn since Lezcano. The mutually beneficial partnership has only grown, with nearly 60 total students from Zamorano at Auburn this fall.

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n 2016, Pacheco joined several other Auburn faculty members for a visit to Zamorano to assess opportunities of collaboration. During the visit, five students were interviewed and invited to do their internships in 2017.

“From this second group, three students are now finishing doctorates in poultry science and horticulture, while one is leading and coordinating research studies in swine nutrition, gilt development, management, innovation technologies and sire genetics under commercial conditions with the Hanor Family of Companies,” Pacheco said.

A Memorandum of Understanding between both institutions was created and signed following the trip, which opened the doors for the many students who would follow.

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The relationships built on these trips have provided unexpected dividends. On his 2017 return trip, Pacheco met Jeffery Lansdale, who was president of Zamorano at the time. Later, Lansdale became president of the American Farm School in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Thanks to his relationship with Lansdale, Pacheco was able to build and lead a study abroad program to Thessaloniki in which students from the College of Agriculture were hosted by the American Farm School and Perrotis College. They had the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of global poultry and agricultural practices, immerse themselves in Greek culture and exchange experiences with students and faculty from the American Farm School.

And this fall, Auburn played host to a large contingent of Zamorano alumni.

“Initially, Zamorano students at Auburn University created a chapter for Zamorano in the U.S., which later evolved into the Zamorano Alumni Association, officially recognized by Auburn University,” Pacheco explained. “This year, the Zamorano Alumni Association organized the 10th Symposium of Zamorano in the U.S., titled Innovative and Sustainable Solutions in Agricultural Systems.”

The symposium aimed to promote scientific and professional development, providing a platform for networking and the exchange of innovative ideas in agriculture and related fields. The event featured national and international speakers, a poster competition and opportunities to connect with colleagues and other professionals.

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iaz said the Zamorano Alumni Association allows for an easier transition to life in the States. Zamorano students generally receive a stipend, which helps them cover their basic expenses at Auburn University. However, they are responsible for covering their flights, housing and living expenses.

One of the living expenses that provides the greatest challenge is furnishings. Very few student apartments in town are fully furnished, but Zamorano alumni who are graduating from Auburn often leave furnishings for newcomers, or offer spare bedrooms they have available, or help them navigate “Buy Nothing” groups on Facebook.

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“We also make sure to have a presence on social media, where we share things like how to arrive to Auburn, for example,” she said. “A lot of people don’t know how to get here from the airport.”

Once they are settled, however, these students are able to hit the ground running, and Pacheco said their experiences are mutually beneficial.

“In return for their stipend, Zamorano interns and graduate students contribute by running research trials, which often result in publications in high-impact peer-reviewed journals,” he said.

Last year, Pacheco travelled with Department Heads Desmond Layne (Horticulture) and Steven Hague (Crop, Soil & Environmental Sciences) as well as Soledad Peresin and Stephen Ditchkoff from the College of Forestry, Wildlife & Environment to continue strengthening the relationships with Zamorano.

Pacheco said by that trip, the interest of Zamorano students in coming to Auburn had increased tremendously.

“During our last visit, we met with students eager to pursue internships or degrees at Auburn, and this time, over 70 students attended our session,” he said. “This is excellent, as it enables faculty to recruit highly qualified students into our programs and help to expand Auburn University’s global footprint.”