ATGHO Conference at the United Nations
Joe Conte

From April 23-25, 2008, I attended the Alliance Toward Harnessing Global Opportunities (ATGHO) Conference, at the United Nations. The focus of the conference was "Global Governance Who Leads: Technology or a Distinct Mindset?" The conference provided a great opportunity to expand on the skills honed in class and to network with like-minded ambitious individuals from around the world. The conference provided two main opportunities. The first was the chance to hear from world-renowned individuals speak on the theme of the conference. They tended to focus on whether the world is moving through Global Governance through technological advances or a converging global mindset. The panels included various Ambassadors to the United Nations, the heads of global NGO's, and scholars in various fields ranging from religion to technology.

The second opportunity was a chance to collaborate within our predetermined groups. The ATHGO organization created twelve teams consisting of about 10 members. Each individual was assigned a role within the team. The team was then tasked with developing two proposals: one, a new business model focusing on the themes of the conference and two, a policy proposal to be implemented by the United Nations.

The experience as a whole could not have been more beneficial to myself. The role I received in my group, group spokesperson, provided me the opportunity to present my group's policy proposal to the entire conference. The public speaking experience gained was invaluable, and also recorded which allowed me to see my own shortfalls as a public speaker. Then connections I made with the international students can do nothing but open doors around the world. I appreciate the opportunity provided by the political science department for me to participate in this event. I hope other students interested in public policy can attend in the future.

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ATHGO Conference at the University of California at Los Angeles
Kerri Ann Souto
Political Science Major, Junior

I was given the opportunity to attend Athgo International’s Global Clean Technology Forum from March 4-7 at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). The forum was broken up into three days of keynote speakers and panelists while the fourth day was devoted to the participants as we were given the opportunity to present the projects we had been working on as groups over the past three days. The speakers included the United Nations Under-Secretary-General, various business people from companies such as Dell and IBM, authors, founders of companies devoted specifically to improving the environment, local Los Angeles media personalities and many others. Each day was given a specific theme but they all related back to the environment and what role businesses, the government, the media, and consumers play in the destruction of it. Speakers also discussed the positive things they or their companies were doing to improve the environment and what we as consumers can do to lessen our carbon footprint and save money while helping the environment.

Another major aspect of the conference was the group Social Venture Business Proposal. As participants, we were broken into groups and given the task of coming up with a business venture (it could be a totally new concept or an improvement on an old idea) that had three impacts: environmental, social, and economic. We were allotted time during each day to work with our groups to develop our ideas. Each group member was assigned a role but we all had to contribute equally to the development and writing of the proposal. My role was advisor to the spokesperson. On the last day when the groups presented our proposals in a panel discussion, my job was to help the spokesperson answer any questions from the judges and audience pertaining to our Social Venture Design.

Overall, I am very happy with my decision to attend the ATHGO conference; it was a wonderful opportunity for me to listen to people who are making a difference in the environment and learn directly from them what I can do to help improve the environment. The conference also provided a great networking experience for me. I made many new friends from around the country and around the world. I have been able to apply most of what I learned at the conference to Professor Axelrod’s course, Environment and Politics. Additionally, most of the important environmental issues touched upon at the conference were discussed in Environment and Politics. This is an experience I will never forget and would encourage any Political Science student to go if given the opportunity.

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U.S. Air Force Military Academy
Irry Toh

I was given an opportunity to attend the 49^th Annual Academy Assembly held at the U.S. Air Force Military Academy in Colorado Springs this February. It was a four-day conference with a substantial amount of interesting discussions and activities. The topic for this year was "Continent at a crossroads—Prosperity, Justice, and Security in the South America."

We had a really packed and tight schedule with two briefings each day as an introduction and "warm-up" session for the exciting roundtable discussions. Personally I find these briefings especially interesting and beneficial for me as I had never taken any Latin American course before. I learnt a lot through the briefings as they were presented by experienced, professional scholars, as well as governmental officials who have considerable expertise in the Latin America.

The roundtable sessions were the highlights of the conference. We were divided into a group of 8-10, led by a facilitator and a roundtable leader. Our leader, Victor Tise, is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. Listening to his incredible experiences as a Military Intelligence officer serving in the Latin America for 18 years was the most valuable moment for me throughout the conference. His real-life experiences not only enhanced and livened up the meetings, but also brought about more pragmatic and down-to-earth discussions. That was a rather challenging experience as we learnt to compromise and finally reaching a common ground through the consensus building process during the discussions. Also, the exchange of information and ideas among the delegates were fascinating as we were given the opportunity to learn from each other’s strength.

We discussed topics of various aspects from market economics, international trade, to democratization and hemispheric security. The topic I was most interested in was about the market economics in South America. We talked about the possibility and feasibility of Latin America as an integrated economic entity primarily based on natural resources especially oil. This seemed to be a rather interesting and optimistic view when we look at the how the European Coal and Steel Community, which was also established on the basis of natural resources, evolved into the ECC and finally becoming the European Union of today.

We also had a debate on the topic "Is Latin America moving towards the Left? Is this a correct direction for the Latin America?" Delegates from three roundtables were grouped together. We were assigned to take a positive stance on this issue and that was to argue that the movement towards the left is beneficial to Latin America. It was a really heated-up and fun debate when there were times when we almost could not hear what the speakers were saying as the crowds cheered and booed throughout the debate. The most exciting part was of course when the judge announced that we won the debate! There were also a lot of social events being held after the meetings. Most of the delegates were Political Science and International Studies major with a concentration in Latin America studies. This is another exhilarating moment where I not only meet people of the same interest from all over the country, but also cadets from Canada and Latin America. I was really impressed and inspired by their outstanding performances.

I find this opportunity extraordinarily precious and unforgettable. I am so grateful that Adelphi University and the Political Science department had given me this opportunity to participate in this conference which enriched my life in the United States as an international student.

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Danish Atlantic Youth Seminar:
Caspian Sea, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, North Sea: Pondering Peace in the Caucasus from the Kattegat
Timothy Beaucage

This past summer I had the privilege of attending the Danish Atlantic Youth Seminar of 2006 in Aalborg, Denmark. US Undergraduate and Graduate students competed in a research competition on the importance of internal versus external origins in finding a solution to the frozen conflicts of the Causasus region. From those applicants, six US delegates were selected and sponsored by the US Embassy to participate in a week long seminar and simulation on the persistent conflicts of the Caucasus region. Representatives from over 35 countries gathered at the Royal Danish Air Base in Aalborg in western Denmark and participated in the simulation. Each day consisted of three morning lectures and discussions, which were followed by afternoon and evening negotiations, press conferences/crisis simulations, and cultural/social activities. Each participant was evaluated during the first few days and placed into their roles as representatives of parties to the conflict. I had the pleasure and difficult task of representing the president of Iran. We proceeded to develop our foreign policy strategies and establish ourselves as important and powerful actors in the region. Everyone was required to submit action plans, press releases and speeches so that newspapers, radio clips and other media could be developed to further enhance the simulation of negotiating peace in the Caucasus region

Our time was not only spent deliberating on the Caucasus. Participants were also exposed to the culture of western Dennark; we learned Danish folk dancing, we took trips to the northern most point in Denmark and spent a day at the beach, we celebrated the World Cup, competed in sporting events, and were also afforded the opportunity to participate in a parachuting simulation. Overall the seminar was well balanced and educational, and the students who participated were inspiring, talented, and became friends whom I plan to soon visit. Many were already graduate students or beyond, working for the UN in Geneva, or running for Parliament in Finland, and even working for the European Court of Justice. Many thanks to the Political Science Department for supporting my trip and participation in the seminar. Special thanks to Professor Katie Laatikainen for her motivating letter of recommendation and encouragement.

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Washington Internship
Megan Wilkin
Washington Intern

This past summer, I was given the great opportunity to participate in The Washington Center's internship program where I was able to witness first hand the innerworkings of our nation's government. As an employee in Governor M. Jodi Rell's Washington, D.C. based office, I participated in issues on both the national and state levels such as education, energy, and others. The academic foundation that I acquired from political science courses was further emphasized when outlining the progress of a specific policy as well as observing the balance of federalism between the state and national government. As a student, I would highly recommend this program others studying in any academic field as a tool to apply the knowledge gained to the real world.