Forming Research Connections Through Collaboration

Yawei Wang, associate professor, Department of Hospitality and Tourism at the Feliciano School of Business, expanded her research horizon beyond her interest in mature tourism as she took a hard look at sustainability and technology in tourism. “They are reshaping the whole entire industry,” says Wang. Collaborating with one of her doctoral students, she studied those technologies designed to enhance sustainability. “We presented the research last summer and are currently working on the journal,” she says. “It’s such a huge part of corporate social responsibility and we cannot avoid it.”

At the undergraduate level, Wang uses a project-based learning approach during a collaboration with the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Venezuela. Teaming up with Venezuelan students, her students explore sustainable development goals (SDGs) in global tourism. Called the Collaborative Online International Learning Project, students study the United Nations’ 17 sustainability goals for development. “We spend a lot of time talking about how SDG goals play a role,” says Wang. “My interest in sustainability helps out a lot in a project like this. It’s a good experience for my students in the classroom.”

Her interest in technology and tourism has resulted in a collaboration with a fellow Feliciano professor who teaches gaming. The two are seeking funding to obtain a self-driving system for the campus. “This will be really good for tourism planning,” Wang says. “For example, where to set up the stop signs. The vehicle will also be good for my interest in the older population group who have started to lose their mobility. How can this enhance their involvement in virtual tourism?”

Her position at Feliciano allows Wang to forge strong research connections with professors in other disciplines, which enables them to bring a certain energy into the classroom. “I can actually talk about the technology and the information systems so passionately in my class. A lot of topics we can actually get in touch with the tourism subject and get into discussions because there are advantages but also a lot of challenges. Those give us a lot of good points for discussion in the classroom,” she says.