SUNY is expanding its partnership with the University of Puerto Rico through a new student field research exchange, its first academic collaboration fellow and campus programs in health care, conservation and joint research.
Twenty students will take part in the Buffalo–Mayagüez exchange during the spring 2027 semester, according to [a news release announcing the initiatives](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-highlights-expanded-collaboration-between-state-university-new-york-and). Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the expansion Friday during the SOMOS Conference in Puerto Rico.
## Students will study water systems in Buffalo and Puerto Rico
The new hydrogeology program will bring together 10 students from the University at Buffalo and 10 from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Students and one faculty member from each campus will spend seven days at their exchange campus.
Buffalo students will learn field methods in Puerto Rico’s tropical watersheds. Their Mayagüez counterparts will study Buffalo’s groundwater and aquifers. The exchange is designed to give both groups comparative experience studying water systems in different environments.
Luis Colón, a SUNY distinguished professor emeritus in Buffalo’s chemistry department, will serve as the first SUNY-Puerto Rico Academic Collaboration Fellow. He will lead efforts to strengthen ties between the university systems and develop educational opportunities and partnerships for students and faculty.
Colón is a Puerto Rico native and graduate of the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey. During his time at Buffalo, he helped recruit dozens of students from Puerto Rico. His mentoring work earned the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from then-President Barack Obama and the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s 2024 Lifetime Mentor Award.
The initiatives build on a five-year agreement signed in 2023 covering student success, research, sustainability and social mobility. That agreement extended and expanded a partnership established in 2018, encouraging individual campuses to work together on issues affecting New York, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
## Albany research funding and Downstate health internships
University at Albany President Havidán Rodríguez has dedicated up to $250,000 to accelerate joint research with the University of Puerto Rico. The funding, part of UAlbany’s Catalyst 2030 plan, will support projects addressing public safety, health and quality of life needs on the island that overlap with Albany’s research strengths.
Potential topics include artificial intelligence for sustainability and resilience, weather and climate extremes in Puerto Rico, renewable energy and the emerging energy economy, and climate, health and mental health equity.
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University will host a new competitive, eight-week summer internship for selected University of Puerto Rico gerontology and public health students. Its Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences will run the program through the Brooklyn Initiative to Develop Geriatrics Education, known as BRIDGE, Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program.
Funded by a Health Resources and Services Administration grant, the internship will provide supervised experience in geriatrics, geriatric psychiatry and Alzheimer’s disease care, along with mentored research. Training will follow the American Geriatrics Society competency framework, and students will participate in community health education serving Brooklyn’s diverse older adult populations.
Participants will receive a stipend to help cover living and travel costs. Applications will open in January, with the program running in June and July, according to the announcement.
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## Conservation, study abroad and biomedical research
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s partnerships encompass research, student learning, sustainability and forums focused on Puerto Rico, particularly Vieques. ESF has participated in an internship exchange with the University of Puerto Rico and conservation organization Para La Naturaleza.
The work gives students experience with water quality, biodiversity and conservation practices, ESF President Joanie Mahoney said. The broader SUNY internship exchange with the University of Puerto Rico and Para La Naturaleza is in its third year. SUNY highlighted that partnership at the SOMOS Conference in Albany in April.
SUNY Oswego offers both semester and summer study abroad programs at the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras. Students take university classes alongside local students and live in a campus residence hall, combining academic work with experience in Puerto Rican culture and daily life.
SUNY Upstate Medical University also hosts University of Puerto Rico students through a SUNY-supported summer internship exchange. Its 10-week Summer Undergraduate Research Program places participants in biomedical and health sciences laboratories, with fields ranging from biochemistry and cell biology to physical therapy and behavioral science.
Upstate participants attend a weekly journal club led by graduate students, educational seminars and social activities. Each works with a lead researcher and mentor on research culminating in a final paper and poster presentation.
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