Elizabethtown College Associate Professor of Management and Director of the International Business program, Cristina Ciocirlan, and Visiting Researcher at Elizabethtown College, Anna Satta, University of Sassari, Italy, are currently collaborating on climate-focused research.

“The benefits of international collaboration extend beyond research productivity,” Ciocirlan said. “It helps us to understand each other’s culture, break down stereotypes, and open minds.”

Ciocirlan and Satta met in the spring of 2023 while Ciocirlan was on sabbatical in Italy, where Satta is a doctoral student at the University of Sassari. The two began talking about collaborative projects focused on employee benefits and climate change and started working together in the fall.

“This is a great opportunity because I can learn more about different cultures and systems and understand more about American culture and how it differs from my own,” Satta said. “It’s important because I had the opportunity to attend classes in America that are totally different from classes at my university and I can share these ideas upon my return.”

Ciocirlan and Satta’s first project, which they presented at the 2023 Lancaster Learns Conference on Feb. 23, focuses on using virtual reality (VR) simulations to enhance students’ empathy and climate awareness levels. They found that participation in a VR simulation can increase several components of climate awareness and improve cognitive empathy and emotional reactivity.

Their second project, which is still in progress, seeks to explore the importance of green benefits in attracting a Gen Z workforce. Some of the green benefits they are studying are, providing paid time off to employees to allow them to volunteer for environmental causes, offering eco-friendly office supplies, the opportunity to work on sustainable initiatives, and providing environmental sabbaticals in a country or region that is affected by climate change.

Ciocirlan and Satta plan to finish conducting research and send their work to a peer-reviewed journal by December 2024.