The programs are diverse: some students take Spanish while teaching English; others learn about tropical ecosystems or how to develop ecotourism programs. Study-abroad websites promising “life-changing” experiences show images of lush forests and students zip-lining, riding horses or whooshing down water slides. 

With its political stability, biodiversity, relative poverty and international accolades for “green living” and the world’s happiest population, Costa Rica has become a magnet for such short-term visits. But as President Luis Guillermo Solis comes to Atlanta next month to recruit investors from sectors like information technology and medical devices, he will be highlighting programs that engage the country on a more enduring level. 

Georgia Institute of Technology’s Supply Chain Logistics Institute in 2009 launched its Trade, Innovation and Productivity Center in San Jose with lofty goals: to change the way the country gets its export products to market, largely by using research to maximize domestic infrastructure and streamline regulations related to trade. 

Read the article in its entirety within the Global Atlanta website.