Wisconsin in the World (ed. Elise S. Ahn) is a recently published book exploring the long and ongoing story of internationalization at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW). Against that backdrop, each chapter takes a unique look at how people across the UW campus engaged in this work amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mary Beth Collins, the CommNS executive director, co-authored a chapter in this volume with affiliated faculty and global partners. “Connecting Landscapes: A Collaborative Collegial Exchange and Community-Engaged Youth Environmental Project” tells part of the story of the long-standing relationship between UW-Madison and the University of Guadalajara. The chapter highlights a cross-disciplinary effort to extend the impact of the University of Guadalajara Museum of Environmental Science—with impacts ranging from classroom exchanges, delegation visits, collaborative grant writing, a global photo blog, and translation of award-winning poetry on the environment. This collaboration was a formative opportunity for the CommNS, and the start of many strong relationships with colleagues from Guadalajara and the University of Guadalajara system. The collaboration provided a unique opportunity to explore community leadership, youth civic engagement, and nonprofit and NGO efforts across contexts.