Dina Franceschi, PhD, Professor of Economics at Fairfield, specializes in environmental economics. Her graduate and current work focuses on sustainable development strategies for developing nations. She works primarily in Latin America, specifically in Brazil on sustainability in Amazonia and more recently on water quality and access issues in the region more generally. Dr. Franceschi teaches for both the Economics Department and the International Studies Program on campus. She has facilitated developing and also taught herself, an ongoing interdisciplinary course with intensive immersion travel to Nicaragua, to encourage in-country field work and research by undergraduates. She has also trained and led teams of undergraduates on research data collection expeditions in both Nicaragua and Belize. Since at Fairfield, she has been awarded two Dept. of Education grants to encourage student and faculty exchange between the U.S. and Brazil, one Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, a Dept. of State grant to enable institutionalization of international education in Brazil and multiple, smaller internal, private and corporate grants to expand international and environmental education and research opportunities in Latin America. On campus, Professor Franceschi has served as Director of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Environmental Studies and International Studies at different points in time.
