Congratulations to Francisco Arriaga, Geoff Siemering, Doug Soldat, and Zac Freedman for being one of the grant recipients of the inaugural Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Partnership Program. The Graduate School MSI Partnership Program focuses on creating long-term and mutually beneficial relationships in areas such as research collaborations, faculty professional development, creation of collaborative activities, and exchange programs for faculty, staff, and students.  The grant establishes a partnership with the Univ. of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez.  Francisco is an alumnus of the university and has maintained individual relationships with its faculty, including Mario Flores-Mangual, who earned his PhD in Soil Science at UW-Madison. This project seeks to establish week-long, field-based classes in Wisconsin and Puerto Rico, where students will be able to determine differences between ecosystems in both locations. Students will also interact with individuals at the partner institution to learn how cultural differences inform ecosystem management.