The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has honored a UF/IFAS researcher through selection of his proposed project, a milestone establishing the first UNESCO Chair at the university. Sebastian Galindo, an associate professor of program evaluation in the department of agricultural education and communication, will lead a team of UF/IFAS faculty members advancing program evaluation and lifelong learning.
Galindo approaches his new role with a keen appreciation influenced by past collaboration with UNESCO partners.
“I have seen firsthand all the benefits their work brings to communities, countries and people around the world, and they are really making a difference,” he said. “So, this is a great opportunity and a wonderful honor. I am extremely excited about it.”
UNESCO was founded in 1945 as a response to the destruction caused by World War I and World War II. The agency promotes peace by fostering international cooperation through education, arts, science and culture. There are more than 1,000 UNESCO Chairs, essentially teams from higher education or research institutions that partner with the agency to advance knowledge across various disciplines.
Galindo’s four-year appointment begins in the spring, but he has already secured letters of support from UNESCO teams in the United States, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa eager to work with him. By leveraging his experience leading evaluation efforts for UF/IFAS Extension, he will help UNESCO educators develop resource materials and best practices designed to enhance teaching impacts.
“I can apply many of the things I learned from Extension to the UNESCO Chair work, and much of what I learn through the UNESCO program will help inform our practices at UF/IFAS,” he said.
Multiple UF leaders championed Galindo’s application, including Scott Angle, senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and administrative leader of UF/IFAS; Robert Gilbert, UF/IFAS dean for research and executive director for academic affairs; Martha Wayne, dean of the UF International Center and associate provost; and Brian Myers, agricultural education and communication department chair.
“Dr. Galindo is a national and international leader of program evaluation,” Myers said. “The establishment of a UNESCO Chair at the University of Florida is an appropriate recognition of his past work, and this role will elevate his research and exponentially increase its impact.”
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ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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