German Ambassador visits EARTH
On Wednesday, July 11, Dr. Ernst Martens, German ambassador to Costa Rica, visited EARTH’s Guácimo campus. While at the University, he met with EARTH president Dr. José Zaglul, EARTH provost Dr. Daniel Sherrard, Director of Strategic Initiatives Dr. Gerardo Mirabelli and Professor Bert Kohlmann.
During the visit, Dr. Martens shared his admiration for EARTH’s innovative educational model, commitment to social justice and environmental stewardship. He also expressed enthusiasm for REN@EARTH, the first renewable energies lab in Central America. In a show of his nation’s support for the project—on which the German government has collaborated with the University—he offered the gift of three highly-specialized microscopes and a digital microscope camera for the Natural Sciences Laboratory. This gift is part of the support given to Bert Kohlmann´s research by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Bonn, Germany, which also supported him during a sabbatical at the Technical University of Dresden, where he studied wastewater microbiology.
In addition, the leaders discussed the possibility of encouraging more EARTH graduates to pursue further professional and academic opportunities in Germany. Dr. Martens and the University look forward to continuing their dialogue on shared goals.
