Florida International University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Green Family NeighborhoodHELP™ is a centerpiece of the curriculum at FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Medical students partner with colleagues in nursing, social work, public health, law and other disciplines to work with a household in an under served neighborhood. Medical students work with the household for three years, helping families address societal and environmental challenges that impact their health. http://medicine.fiu.edu/education/md/undergraduate-medical-education/curriculum/service-learning/neighborhoodhelp/index.html The FIU Organic Garden is a hands-on teaching facility through the Agroecology program under the Department of Earth & Environment in FIU's College of Arts & Sciences. Students gain experiential learning right on campus about food production and its relationship to the ecosystem through gardening and plotted experiments. The garden is nestled adjacent to the FIU Nature Preserve, providing excellent opportunities to understand the various interaction between growing food and ecosystem needs. It contains 9 distinct areas for research and education: Shade house, class plots, community plots, herb garden, fruit grove, meditation gardening, composting, biofuels, and aquaponics. For various projects, the Agroecology Program has partnered with universities in India and Honduras where students can travel and get hands-on education in other areas of the world. http://agroecology.fiu.edu/about/ The Medina Aquarius Program is dedicated to the study and preservation of marine ecosystems worldwide. As part of the FIU Marine Education and Research Initiative, the Program is enhancing the scope and impact of FIU on research, educational outreach, technology development, and professional training. At the heart of the program is the one-of-a-kind Aquarius Reef Base, the world’s only undersea research laboratory. Deployed 60 feet beneath the surface in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Aquarius is a globally significant asset that provides unparalleled means to study the ocean, test and develop state-of-the-art undersea technology, train specialized divers and astronauts, and engage the world's imagination. At Aquarius, scientists are at the cutting edge of research on coral reefs, ocean acidification, climate change, fisheries and the overall health of the oceans. At Aquarius Reef Base, Florida International University is pushing the capabilities of what can be achieved underwater, putting students at the forefront of marine research. With each mission, Aquarius is inspiring the next generation of researchers and explorers through innovative education and outreach programs that reach millions of kids globally. Leveraging onboard video conferencing capabilities, scientists inside Aquarius and on the adjacent reefs are able to engage audiences worldwide through interactive classes and other live programming. At FIU, researchers are able to teach classes from the depths of the ocean and visit by offering virtual fieldtrips of the undersea lab and their coral reef study sites. Aquarius also features the Teacher Under the Sea program, which provides unique experiential learning opportunities to engage today’s explorers and tomorrow’s problem-solvers. https://aquarius.fiu.edu The Field Work Clinic: Things to Know Before You Go is an interactive workshop promoting the interaction between students and FIU research faculty and outside research organizations. Hosted by FIU's School of Environment, Arts, and Society (SEAS) in partnership with the Deering Estate this field work clinic will offer researchers tips on general field safety, professional etiquette in terms of international collaboration, and dealing with interpersonal relationships while in the field. https://seas.fiu.edu/students/opportunities/2016/field-work-clinic-2016-things-to-know-before-you-go/