Overview
The CALS Global Fellows Program supports CALS undergraduate students from any major in pursuit of challenging, professionally-focused summer internships and research placements that enhance and complement their career goals and academic progress, while enriching their undergraduate experience with diverse cultural and international immersion. Through key partnerships, the Global Fellows Program provides a platform for students to make positive and definable contributions to global organizations and communities.
Acceptance to the program is competitive and a limited number of students are selected each year.
Students who are accepted into the CALS Global Fellows Program will be required to complete 4 parts of the program:
- An in-person 7-week, Spring (session 2) pre-engagement 1 credit course ALS 2300, focusing on health and safety, cultural awareness, logistics and more.
- a continuous 7–8-week internship or research placement in an international setting
- and a 7-week, 1 credit post-engagement course in the first half of the Fall 2025 semester (ALS/GDEV 3105)
- Poster Symposium in Fall 2025
Information Session:
None
Link to Ian Coyle's Poster on his Viticulture Experience
Link to Victoria Ziccardi's poster on her Landscape Architecture Experience
Placement Opportunities
Placements: 3-4 (in-person)
CALS partners with the University of Porto, Faculty of Sciences to offer select placements in ecology and viticulture fields.
Get a scientific, natural, and cultural experience in Portugal!!
The University of Porto (https://www.up.pt/portal/en) is offering three projects:
Specific Details of each project will be agreed upon with the student and PI once accepted to the program. When applying, please specify which project you are interested in working on.
(1) Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution;
(2) Landscape Architecture, and
(3) Enology and Viticulture
Students will be incorporated into multidisciplinary research teams at the Campus of Vairão, Vila do Conde, the headquarters of CIBIO (Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources: https://cibio.up.pt), GreenUP (https://www.fc.up.pt/GreenUPorto/pt), and at the Faculty of Sciences (https://www.up.pt/fcup/pt/).
The fieldwork for projects 1 and 2, could be based in either Porto or at the recently established Biological Station of Mértola (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083258114632), southern Portugal; in the Natural Park of the Guadiana Valley, a semiarid region, and a Mediterranean ecosystem biodiversity hotspot where the Iberian lynx was reintroduced - and the lab work for these projects will be at CIBIO.
Project 3, based in Porto and will include regular visits and fieldwork in the world heritage wine region of the Douro Valley (https://www.patrimoniocultural.gov.pt/en/patrimonio/patrimonio-mundial/portugal/alto-douro-vinhateiro/), while the lab work will be at GreenUP.
These projects will take place within a work environment that is relaxed and open, with students from different countries conducting many diverse studies in biodiversity, ecology, evolution, landscape systems and agriculture. Every Friday there are student and senior seminars to present the work being done at CIBIO and by CIBIO’s guests. Join us and get an extraordinary experience in Portugal.
Specific Details of each project will be agreed upon with the student and PI once accepted to the program. When applying, please specify which project you are interested in working on.
Suggested majors and/or professional interests: Biological Sciences, Viticulture & Enology, Environment & Sustainability majors with a focus on ecology, conservation and/or wine tourism and applied field work, Landscape Architecture.
About Portugal
In 2017, WorldTravel selected Portugal as both Europe's Leading Destination and the World's Leading Destination. While in Portugal, Global Fellows will live in the world heritage city of Porto. Porto is home to many historical churches, museums, and the other tourist destinations. Tourists often visit the famous beaches and beach caves.
We encourage you to apply to your first-choice program only. There is a space within the application to indicate if you have a second choice. If you are interested in two opportunities that are very different from one another and would prefer to write two statements of purpose, you may upload both to the same application in ONE document. Make sure they are clearly titled with the correct placement opportunity IF you are writing two statements. For reference, click here to review examples of statements from past participants.
You may preview the application without starting an application by clicking on the “preview application” button next to the apply button. All applications contain the same questions and all information related to the program can be found within the experience page. There is no additional information within the application.
