NGONIDZASHE CHIRINDA
With a Doctorate in Agroecology and a Masters degree in Agronomy, Ngonidzashe Chirinda has dedicated his life to creating deeper understandings of the world around us and sharing those understandings with others.
Over the past 14 years, Dr. Chirinda has worked on several projects conducted in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, where he has acquired knowledge and accumulated experiences in different fields including climate change mitigation science, livestock science, soil science, crop science, rural development and environmental impact assessments.
He has conducted field experiments, done life cycle analysis and run model simulations to evaluate the organic and inorganic fertilizer-based cropping systems under temperate conditions (Denmark). He is the founder and coordinator of the Latin America Mitigation Network (LAMNET), in which he has led the designing and conducting of experiments to quantify nitrous oxide emissions from improved and degraded pastures in Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Nicaragua and Trinidad and Tobago. He is currently a principal investigator in several projects aimed at identifying and evaluating climate change mitigation options in the cattle and rice sectors.
His research interests are on how to use his acquired knowledge and experiences to generate and evaluate management and technological options that increase agricultural productivity and enhance farmer livelihoods without harming the environment. He has experience developing project ideas, fund raising, conducting laboratory assays and field measurements, using process-based biogeochemical models, writing and publishing articles for scientific audience and the general public. Recently, he was selected to be a lead author of an IPCC chapter on revising greenhouse gas emission factors for the agricultural sector.
He is currently working on the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia, a non-profit organization that focuses on reducing poverty and hunger while protecting natural resources in developing countries.
Nelson Graves
Nelson Graves is the founder of News-Decoder, an innovative news service and forum that fosters global understanding by helping young adults extend their horizons and learn about international affairs.
He is an experienced educator and administrator, and was a correspondent, bureau chief, and regional manager at Reuters for 24 years, where he managed news production across two dozen countries in Asia and led a team of over 700 journalists.
He then served as an admission director at Johns Hopkins University’s graduate program in international studies in Italy, and has worked with schools around the world as a teacher and a trustee.
Recently, he has also served as Secretary General for the Anglo-American Press Association of Paris, the oldest journalists’ organization in France.
Wanting to aid students in developing their journalistic skills, News-Decoder partners with schools around the world to accompany students through the editorial process, including identifying story ideas, conducting reporting, consulting experts, developing multimedia content and publishing for a global audience. On their website, they also foster debate, discussions, and round tables focusing on the world’s biggest issues, to further help students in becoming better global citizens.
Nelson is fluent in English, French and Italian.
Alysa Perreras
Alysa Perreras aspires to be a listener, learner, and leader in creating a more just and equitable society through constant self-interrogation of her own privileges and empowering those around her to be agents of systemic social change.
Her instructional experience includes nine years of classroom teaching. Her teaching style focuses on creating authentic learning environments through project-based learning, design thinking, systems thinking and anti-bias and justice-centered curriculum writing.
Above all, she believes her role, both in the classroom and outside of it, is one she must pursue with a conviction to justice, even when this causes great discomfort to a society that protects the status quo. If what she is doing each day is aligned with her love for people and genuine relationships, utmost regard for equity and inclusion, she believes she is on the right track.
As a social justice and equity coach, she works with all school stakeholders with the hope of cultivating and inspiring social innovation within the school’s systems and culture by offering data-driven, personalized, and ongoing professional development experiences centered on using systems thinking in the pursuit of social equity and the practice of justice.
She has served as a diversity and inclusion trainer for various organizations and believes deeply in the power of tackling mental models in order to make systemic change. She believes the work of social justice can only truly be done when we find value in the experiences and perspectives of those around us and humbly are willing to say, “I cannot do this alone.” Other than teaching and the pursuit of social justice, her other passions include her rescue pit bull, tattoos as a form of expression, and eating tacos.
Felipe Mesa
Felipe is a production engineer with a postgraduate degree in Management and Environmental Management, apart from being a nature documentary photographer. For more than ten years, he has travelled to remote locations in Colombia to work on social and environmental projects through video and photography. Furthermore, he has worked on the publication of several books, magazines, and newspapers.
Most importantly, he is a co-producer on the documentary “Expedición Tribugá” which focuses on showing the natural beauty of the Tribuga Gulf, located in the Choco region of Colombia. Tribuga is considered by many experts to be the most biodiverse place on Earth, however, it’s now being threatened by the construction of ports, roads, and railroads. This will possibly lead to the destruction of several ecosystems which include jungles, manglars, and whale reproduction sites. At the same time, the survival and current lifestyle of natives is at risk. The documentary, thus, covers three main areas: the jungle, the ocean, and the native community.
During his presentation, Felipe will be discussing his work with “Expedición Tribugá”.
Lauren Tetz
Have you ever wondered: What is toxicology? How are environmental chemicals affecting our health? How can we use the scientific inquiry processes to live more sustainably? Dr. Lauren Tetz will address these questions and more in her keynote speech. Dr. Lauren Tetz teaches middle school science at the Columbus School and formerly worked as a Reproductive Toxicologist at the University of Michigan and Vanderbilt University. Her doctoral work focused on how chemicals found in disposable plastics affect the health of women during pregnancy.
Carlos Pinto
Please present the following as my bio: Carlos Pinto, a current GIN GAP Youth Director, joined the Global Issues Network in 2015. As a seventh-grader, he co-led a project that successfully removed plastic cups from his school campus. After attending his first GIN Conference in Rio de Janeiro, he was accepted to the GIN Global Ambassadors Program and served as a GA for one year. During the Summer of 2017, he became a GINtern with the hopes of directly helping expand the impact of the Global Issues Network and the GIN Global Ambassadors Program. As a junior studying at EABH, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Carlos is co-developing the GIN Project Library and helping create the GIN GAP Curriculum, which is being taught virtually (through the GIN Global Ambassadors Program) and in-person (at The Columbus School). The empowerment GIN and GAP have granted him have taught him the power of today’s youth and the fact that youngsters are not only tomorrow’s leaders but also responsible and capable of taking action today.
Juan Manuel Sanabria
Juan Manuel has participated in the GIN program at Colegio Bolívar for three consecutive years. His involvement began with the EDUCAMBIO project in 2018. Its purpose was the reutilization of notebook paper for the creation of recycled notebooks destined for children from vulnerable communities. In 2019, he worked on a vocational guidance project with senior students from a public school located in the rural area of Cali. With his classmates, he established a connection with institutes, universities, business centers and different companies to create a unique experience that would encourage these young people to dream about their future. Currently, he is focused on strengthening the environmental education process with children in public schools. Together with his group, he is currently implementing a school garden for the cultivation of vegetables that can contribute to the food security of these families. Additionally, he is working together with the agriculture class for the implementation of sweet potato cultivation in the school garden, with the aim of diversifying the community.
Juan Manuel will share his experience of personal growth through these projects, especially talking about the ability to solve problems, thinking flexibly, and communicate effectively.