On October 6th, Suzana Padua received the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award during an event at the University of Florida (UF), United States. The president of IPÊ was honored by the Council of Former Students of the Center for Latin American Studies (LAS) of the University, which recognizes former university students whose achievements over the years have had a significant impact in their field in a regional, state or national.
The award recognized the leadership role and service to the community and society of Suzana, as well as the significant achievements in his career, his history in training for conservation and environmental education through the foundation of IPÊ, the environmental education program and the ESCAS - School of Environmental Conservation and Sustainability.
With a master's degree from the University of Florida (UF) in 1991, focusing on environmental education and, later, a Ph.D. from the University of Brasília (UnB), in 2004, Suzana published more than 50 articles and guided 30 Master's his career to date. Because of actions that influenced the socio-environmental transformation and the lives of many students, professionals and members of the rural community, especially women, was recognized by 17 national and international awards. The work with her husband, Claudio Padua, developing pioneering graduate programs was inspired by the interdisciplinary training they received at the UF Latin American Studies Center and the Center's Conservation and Tropical Development (TCD) program.
"I am extremely happy for this award, which I share with the entire IPÊ team and our partners because we do nothing alone. The Center for Latin American Studies and TCD influenced Claudio and I tremendously. When we were setting up the short-term curriculum for IPÊ, Masters and even the MBA, we used our interdisciplinary experience at UF as the basis for what we wanted to offer. This is how social and environmental issues become inseparable, giving life more meaning and value", said Suzana.