Ukrainian BridgeUSA Fellows Visit FSU to Share Lessons and Forge Future Collaborations and Research Partnerships

This past month, two Ukrainian scholars spent four weeks at Florida State University, sharing lessons learned from a war-torn country and building relationships for shared research projects. The exchange is part of the BridgeUSA Ukraine Program for Resilience and Reconstruction (UPRR), which connects Ukrainian and U.S. scholars for collaborative research, education development and knowledge sharing.

BridgeUSA is funded by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv and administered by the American Councils for International Education. This is the second year that the Ukraine Task Force (UTF), housed at the Learning Systems Institute (LSI), has hosted fellows from the program. Dr. Vilma Fuentes is the director of the UTF.

"We are thankful to the U.S. Embassy Kyiv and the American Councils for International Education for making these academic exchanges possible," said Fuentes. "We were honored to have hosted Dr. Sofiia Doskich and Dr. Kostyantyn Mezentsev and to have facilitated these new and growing engagements with Ukrainian academic partners."

The knowledge exchange between Dr. Doskich, Dr. Mezentsev and FSU faculty and staff centered on numerous areas, including emergency management, homeland security, urban planning, drone applications, engineering, geography and the reconstruction of urban regions after disasters. The meetings generated a number of areas for research collaborations and partnerships.

"First of all, we have experience that American researchers don't have, which allowed us to build databases from the frontline," said Doskich. "We have nearly 80 GPS stations across Ukraine providing very valuable data that both Ukrainian and American researchers can use. We have research on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine and our use of remote sensing techniques. We have technology to improve satellite image detections, so we can share our knowledge in these areas as well."

Mezentsev, who is a professor, head of department and member of the Academic Senate at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, focuses his research on urban geopolitics, urbicide, urban regeneration and urban resilience. His work, focusing on rebuilding Ukraine's cities after the Russian invasion, struck a chord with numerous faculty members at FSU.

"Let's look at what the impact is on cities through the lens of any disturbance, any disaster for a city," said Mezentsev. "It could happen anywhere. Tornadoes or hurricanes. Consider evacuation or seeking shelter in the event of a bomb threat. It's the same way we think about the impact of any external disaster. I asked a group 'How many of you evacuated during the last hurricane.' Who stayed at home? What does it mean for your city?"

BridgeUSA aims to foster partnerships between universities. The program equips professionals with the skills and expertise needed to support Ukraine's recovery and resilience but it also provides host universities with the opportunity to gain insight into valuable research learned firsthand during a time of unspeakable violence and destruction.

"This is not just about us needing assistance and our country being in pain," said Mezentsev. "We can also exchange information. I'm participating in the BridgeUSA program and it's a bridge for both sides, not just one way. It's for both sides to make this bridge more stable."

"I came to find collaboration, to share knowledge and research, and this will be very helpful for us, for our country, for other scientists, for other researchers and for other educators," said Doskich. "It's good to have someone who can look at your research from another direction and maybe notice some things that they can see from other perspectives."

LSI strives to lead the way in creating innovative educational solutions that seamlessly connect theory with practice. Through advanced research, we develop industry-leading methods and implementation strategies to enhance systematic learning at all levels and in all environments. For more than five decades, LSI has been committed to driving measurable improvements in the performance of both individuals and organizations.