UC Davis wants to help people explore the world from A to Z, by providing a connection to faculty members described as having expertise in one or more countries.

These experts are being listed in a new online directory posted by University Outreach and International Programs. The public directory is available at www.ucdavis.edu/international; under Quick Links, click on International Faculty Database. A pull-down menu lists more than 200 countries, with Afghanistan at the top and Zimbabwe at the bottom.

"There is a great need to share information about the international expertise of our faculty," said Nicole Ranganath, campus opportunities officer in Outreach and International Programs. She and Dennis Dutschke, associate vice provost for international programs, coordinated the project.

Ranganath said the School of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences developed their own directories of international expertise, and reported that faculty and students used the listings extensively.

"We really needed a campuswide directory," said Ranganath, and now it is up and running after about a year's worth of work.

"Often, faculty don't even know about the international expertise of other faculty members," she said. "This will save faculty time and promote collaborations in international research and education."

She suggested that graduate students with an interest in a particular country could use the site to find a faculty mentor with knowledge of that country. "Often they (grad students) are stuck in their own department," Ranganath said. "The new Web site gives them a broader view of faculty expertise."

Recruiting tool

She noted that faculty and students elsewhere in the United States and around the world also can use the site. As a result, the database may be a useful tool in recruiting graduate students from abroad.

Associate Vice Provost Dutschke said: "Across the U.S., numerous benchmark universities, such as the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, have established similar databases knowing that this tool will highlight their faculty's international expertise."

The UC Davis directory is a work in progress, with only about 50 faculty members listed so far, said Ranganath, who added that she hopes to see a majority of the campus' 2,400 faculty participate. "This directory is going to be only as strong as their participation," Ranganath said. To enter a listing, simply go to the Web site, log in as a faculty member, and open the form; it takes only a few minutes to fill out, she said.

As of Nov. 10, a search for experts on Chile turned up two names: Raissa D'Souza, an assistant professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering; and Lovell "Tu" Jarvis, associate dean of human sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

D'Souza, new on campus this year, said her expertise comes from being half-Chilean, on her mother's side, and being raised in Chile part time. She said she visits family there every other year.

Jarvis, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, took sabbaticals in Chile in 1972, 1973, 1978, 1979 and 1992, according to the directory. He also is listed as having expertise on Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Namibia.

Different ways to search

Another way to search is by selecting a region of the world. Jarvis' name came up under Latin America, Asia and Africa.

A search for experts on the Middle East revealed two names: Jim Hill, a professor in the Department of Plant Sciences; and Suad Joseph, a professor of anthropology, and women and gender studies. Joseph is director of the Middle East-South Asia Studies Program.

Hill's name is associated with two other regions, Asia and Latin America, and four countries, Egypt, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Joseph's name is associated with Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine.

People using the new Web site also can search by area or areas of specialization. Joseph has many: family systems, gender, citizenship, human rights, children and socialization. Hill's specialty is agronomy.

Or you can search by country of research and educational collaboration, and language spoken, or by first or last name. There is also keyword search capability.