During the Fall 2022 semester, Colorado State University’s Department of Construction Management hosted George Passos, a visiting scholar from the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil. He joined CM this semester due to funding he received from the Brazilian Federal Foundation for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES), an agency under the Ministry of Education of Brazil.
Passos is a civil engineer (M.Sc.) and a Ph.D. candidate in management engineering from Brazil who has mainly worked as a construction manager. He has experience with high-rise residential buildings and runs a renovation company. In his academic career, he has developed studies related to sustainability and project management.
In his free time, he likes to be surrounded by friends, and do outdoor activities, such as beach tennis, beach volleyball, and traveling.
Why did you choose the CSU Department of Construction Management to conduct your research? I first heard about CSU when I started my masters research on sustainability in construction and discovered relevant research done by professors here. We got in touch with Rodolfo Valdes-Vasquez, associate professor of CM, who accepted the offer of becoming my co-adviser; he has been so since 2018, during my master’s degree, and continues into my doctorate.
What can you tell us about your current research? I have been studying the social aspect of sustainability since 2018. During my master’s degree, we could perceive that construction companies consider this aspect relevant. However, they do not manage this aspect in their projects. Therefore, in my doctoral research, we seek to develop decision models that consider the social aspect of sustainability.
How was your experience participating on the Global Ambassadors program? The Global Ambassadors Student Program was a great opportunity to share a little bit of my culture with Americans. I also met ambassadors from various countries and was able to learn a little about each one. Without a doubt, it was a very enriching exchange of experiences.
What are your favorite things about CSU and Fort Collins? What particularly attracted me was the community spirit that we found both at CSU and in Fort Collins. During my time here, I felt very welcomed. I also liked all the support that is given to the students at CSU, whether it be technical support through workshops or psychological support through assistive services.
What will you tell people from your home country about CSU? I will say that CSU provides state-of-the-art knowledge to its students. But, beyond that, CSU is concerned with forming professionals who are respectful, inclusive, and have a sense of integrity and social justice.
What is something people should know about Brazil or your hometown? People might have heard that Brazil is a tropical paradise, which is not untrue. However, like any developing country, the country faces many challenges to improve the quality of life of its citizens. We hope that scientific collaborations, like this one, can produce contributions to a more prosperous future.
The Department of Construction Management is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
