 |
|
At
Usina Sao Joao (Sao Joao Sugar Mill), municipality
of Araras, Sao Paulo State.
|
Leticia Cesarino
"I've travelled around Southwest-Central
Brazil for the past month, trying to
see on the ground what the recent biofuels 'boom'
is looking like, as well as gathering literature
on the history and science of sugarcane technologies
- the focus of my PhD dissertation.
These
sites included Brasilia, the interior and the capital
of Sao Paulo State, and Northern Mato Grosso State.
I've also been to a couple of conferences in Porto
Seguro (Bahia) and Rio (as they say, regardless of
everything, "o Rio de Janeiro continua lindo...", "Rio
de Janeiro is still beautiful..."),
besides my own hometown of Belo Horizonte.
For
most part of the trip, I had the company of a
team from Berkeley's ESPM, also researching on
biofuels. Such collective work, with scholars
from disciplinary fields different than my own,
was really exciting. I think it's a great
undertaking for those who have a chance to
do it, since you'll learn a lot more and
faster.
