Hub away from home
This is the fourth in a series of stories about Harvard’s engagement in Latin America. SÃO PAULO, Brazil — At 6 feet 4 inches, Jason Dyett cuts an imposing figure as he navigates the chaos that is São Paulo traffic. “We need to be a little bit careful, but also aggressive,” said Dyett as he guided visitors through a hectic crosswalk in Brazil’s largest city, population 11 million, toward the local office of Harvard’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS), a regional hub that supports faculty and students in research, teaching, and learning throughout the country. Harvard students, an alumnus from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a lecturer at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design gathered in the DRCLAS office in São Paulo to offer practical suggestions to two Brazilian scholars bound for Harvard this fall. Dyett’s rush-hour calm also characterizes his approach on the job. With a mix of determination and diplomacy, Dyett,...