University of Connecticut
AC-5: Immersive Experience

The university offers a wide variety of sustainability-focused immersive exchange programs through study abroad, including, but not limited to: Zürich, Switzerland – Sustainable Cities (Summer Term) Limpopo Province, South Africa – Field Ecology in South Africa (Summer Term) Nairobi, Kenya – Society and Climate Change (Summer Term) Umbra Institute in Perugia, Italy – Food, Sustainability, and Environmental Science (Fall or Spring Semester) Taipei, Taiwan- Geoscience and Geohazards (Winter Term) University of Dublin, Ireland – Natural Sciences, Agriculture (Fall or Spring Semester) University of Edinburgh, Scotland – Environmental Engineering (Fall or Spring Semester) Cardiff University, Wales – Earth and Ocean Sciences; Geography and Planning (Fall or Spring Semester) University of Melbourne, Australia – Environmental Studies (Fall or Spring Semester) University of Dublin, Ireland – Natural Sciences, Agriculture (Fall or Spring Semester) Ushuaia, Argentina – People, Environment, and Climate Change in Patagonia and Antarctica (Fall or Spring Semester) Skukuza, South Africa – African Ecology and Conservation in South Africa (Fall or Spring Semester) The Office of Community Outreach also provides alternative break service learning opportunities for students to spend weekends and/or weeks on sustainability related service trips. These trips are intended to make participants more knowledgeable about conservation and environmental service in a fully-engaging setting. The trips for this academic year that relate to sustainability include but are not limited to: Environmental Conservation (Weekend Trip) Location: Groton, CT; November 2-3 Community Sustainability (Winter Break) Location: Puerto Rico; January 3-13 Community Development (Winter Break) Location: Costa Rica; January 3-13 Community Development (Spring Break) Location: Cosby, TN; March 9-16 Food Systems (Spring Break) Location: New Haven, CT; March 10-16 UConn@COP Fellowship Program

The UConn@COP program runs each year and sends UConn students and faculty to the UN Climate Change Conference. This experience allows students and faculty to participate in a full and reflective experience discussing current climate change issues and solutions. This past year, a cohort of UConn students were set to attend the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference for an immersive, week-long experience at the global climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. However, due to safety concerns regarding conflict in the Middle East, UConn did not attend the conference.

 Student groups and experiences on campus include, but are not limited to: Student undergraduate housing which promotes sustainability is also offered. EcoHouse, the sustainable living and learning community at UConn, requires students to attend lectures, seminars and complete volunteer hours related to sustainability and environmental topics. These students live on the eighth floor of Werth Tower (Next Gen Resident Hall). Additionally, there is a subset of EcoHouse called Spring Valley Student Farm which offers a full immersive experience in sustainable farming. These students live on the farm and are required to do 10 hours of work per week to help sustain farm operations. Many of the students live at the farm year-round, because most harvesting begins in summer. All students living in EcoHouse receive one credit hour per semester to reflect their immersive learning experience. On campus, the undergraduate student interns in the Office of Sustainability work in support of environmental initiatives, ranging from making successful policy and events to general outreach and setting of sustainability goals. Students create outreach materials, plan events, conduct surveys, write grants and award applications, interview faculty, work on sustainability pledges and drives, and attend policy meetings as full committee members.

https://sustainability.uconn.edu/uconn-at-cop/

Additional Resources: https://egl.uconn.edu/

https://dining.uconn.edu/spring-valley-farm/