Publishing in peer-reviewed journals is a priority for researchers in Uzbekistan higher education to disseminate their knowledge. Through the Central Asia University Partnerships Program (UniCEN), administered by American Councils for International Education and funded by the U.S. State Department through the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Iowa State University and the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers-Bukhara Branch (TIIAME-BB) are enhancing the reputation of research through professional development.
In Winter 2021, Iowa State University delivered a series of online professional development seminars for 22 TIIAME-BB faculty. Designed by the Engineering-Liberal Arts and Sciences Online Learning (ELO), the instructional design unit at Iowa State University, the modules shared best practices in the design of research projects and tips on how to write, find, and apply for grants.
In May 2021, Professor Tina Coffelt traveled to TIIAME-BB to share insights with professors on publication in journals abroad, collaboration with foreign professors, and English language for scientific fields. Prof. Coffelt consulted with 25 Uzbekistan faculty and provided feedback and edits to facilitate English development and emulate feedback from top-tier, high impact academic journals.
Iowa State continues to engage with TIIAME-BB faculty members and their research interests, to connect faculty from Uzbekistan with faculty at Iowa State and be a catalyst for new collaborations for joint publications, conference presentations, research projects, visiting fellowships, and access to library resources. Iowa State and TIIAME-BB outline their future collaboration as Uzbek faculty visits to Iowa State University to access to laboratory equipment, field stations, library resources, and observations of teaching methods.