Brasil@Rice hosted Marcos Pontes, the Brazilian Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, March 10 as part of his trip to Houston. This was the second campus visit for Pontes, a former Brazilian air force pilot and astronaut, as part of his ongoing work to deepen ties between Rice and Brazil by promoting academic exchanges and research collaborations.
Pontes was accompanied by Paulo Alvim, Brazil’s national secretary of entrepreneurship and innovation, and Ambassador Maria Izabel Vieira from the Consulate General of Brazil in Houston. The group was treated to a tour of campus led by the Brazilian Student Association and lunch at Cohen House with Rice President David Leebron.
During Pontes’ time at Rice, he visited with students and faculty alike, including Vice President for Global and Digital Strategy Caroline Levander, Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Seiichi Matsuda and Pedro Alvarez, the George R. Brown Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of Rice’s NEWT Center. His time in Houston also included a tour of The Ion March 9 and a trip to the Port of Houston March 11.