Course Goals
The goal of this course is to learn foundational concepts of ecology and field biology through field study in the forests, highlands and coast of Peru. Understanding tropical ecology is becoming increasingly important to understanding global climate systems and ecological patterns and processes. Peru offers a unique opportunity to experience ecosystems ranging from the rainforests of the Amazonian Basin, to high elevation cloud forests, to the driest coastal desert in the world. Biological diversity will be studied within and between ecosystems, with students experiencing diverse, rich forests and the wildlife that lives there.
Students will also learn about local cultures and traditions, learning about the origins of the potato, and experiencing the diverse regional cultures. The relationships between humans and the natural world will also be emphasized as students learn about effects from deforestation, farming, mining and El Nino.
The goal of this course is to learn foundational concepts of ecology and field biology through field study in the forests, highlands and coast of Peru. Understanding tropical ecology is becoming increasingly important to understanding global climate systems and ecological patterns and processes. Peru offers a unique opportunity to experience ecosystems ranging from the rainforests of the Amazonian Basin, to high elevation cloud forests, to the driest coastal desert in the world. Biological diversity will be studied within and between ecosystems, with students experiencing diverse, rich forests and the wildlife that lives there.
Students will also learn about local cultures and traditions, learning about the origins of the potato, and experiencing the diverse regional cultures. The relationships between humans and the natural world will also be emphasized as students learn about effects from deforestation, farming, mining and El Nino.
What I Gained Most From Studying Abroad
While abroad I learned a lot about forest structure, plant identification, and species diversity, but most importantly I learned more about myself. I learned that environmental studies is indeed my passion in life and that I have chosen the right major for myself. I love learning how the environment works and how it affects everything: the organisms that live in the it, the people that depend on it, and the world that contains it. It is reassuring that I am studying a discipline that challenges me and inspires me to do more for the environment. Additionally, I realized that a possible career opportunity for me to pursue is a wildlife/naturalist guide for a reserved area. I would be able to be outside all day and not in an office cubical. I would be able to teach people about that particular environment, its role in the surrounding community, and why preservation is important for the future of humanity. I would also be able to expand my knowledge everyday by learning about the animals, birds, and plants that I would encounter on any of the nature trails. Overall, this trip gave me the confidence and inspiration to pursue a career in environmental studies.
Why I Would Recommend This Course To Other StudentsI would recommend this course to other students because it is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. Countries in Europe and bordering the United States are so frequently visited that they lose their sense of majesty and individuality. Peru is a country of kindness and originality, with 60% of their environment under reserve to keep their rainforest protected. All the people that I met in Peru were so family oriented and proud of their country that they made me more appreciative of my on family and standard of living. However, I would stress the fact that it is a course rather than a trip. There is a lot of work that needs to be done in a short amount of time. With the lack of electricity for more than 2/3 of the trip it was difficult to work after dark on our lab reports. So if students are interested in this trip I would strongly recommend it but with the precaution that it is a lot of work and not a vacation.
Leadership Skills Abroad
While abroad I was elected to two roles for the course in addition to the requirements needed to be an Elon student abroad. My professor asked if I could be an interpreter for the class and if I could be in charge of the GPS unit to take measurements throughout the trip. I felt that these were good vessels for exercising my leadership abilities because most people did not know spanish well enough to feel confident talking to the Peruvians and the GPS measurements were a crucial component for the lab experiments that we had to do. I was able to lead the students by example by being accesible for them when it came to translating a conversation of feeding them certain words that they needed. Also I was responsible and diligent in geting the measurements so that the other students would be able to complete their labs successfully. This experience allowed me to be a leader in my class and it taught me that I need to be accessible and diligent as a leader in order to successfuly lead others.
