University of Michigan
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Graham Sustainability Scholars - Through rich co-curricular experiences, Scholars learn to incorporate sustainability into the campus, their lifestyle, their discipline, and the broader community. Their primary focus is managing an interdisciplinary project with a local organization. Through training in project management and community engagement, participants hone leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills—all tools needed to be a leader in any organization.

Biological Station (UMBS) - UMBS students engage in and learn about biology and environmental science by studying directly in the field and by developing relationships with some of the world’s most respected experts. Natural historians collaborate with microbiologists, ecologists with climatologists, geologists with atmospheric scientists. These cross-disciplinary interactions – strengths of UMBS – foster a greater understanding of the natural world. UMBS is a highly interactive community where students, faculty and researchers come together to learn about the natural world, to examine environmental change, and to seek solutions to the critical environmental challenges of our times.

The Center for Global & Intercultural Study (CGIS) offers 120+ programs in over 45 countries. With programs scattered across 4 different regions, CGIS can help students fulfill your major/minor & language requirements abroad in programs ranging in length from 3 weeks to a full academic year.
Examples include:
1. EcoQuest Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in Pohara, Aotearoa (New Zealand) - During this 15-week semester, 16-credit program, students are based in Pohara by Golden Bay on the South Island of Aotearoa (New Zealand) as team members of the vibrant, sustainable EcoQuest learning community. Through an exciting mix of challenging academic courses, lectures, workshops, case studies, and hands-on experiential learning, students engage with a variety of community agribusinesses throughout the South Island.
2. Sustainable Development Studies in Thailand - With a focus on sustainable development, students travel and study throughout Thailand, from remote hill tribe villages in the North to tropical islands in the South. Collaboration and interaction with local communities enhances this experiential, field-based learning. Students live and work alongside locals, engaging in and experiencing first-hand farming practices in rural areas, resource management in tropical forests, and surveying coral reefs.
3. Climate Change and the Arctic in Ísafjörður, Iceland - The power of nature is evident in Iceland, making it the perfect setting to study the causes of climate change and its impact on the environment of the Arctic and the entire planet. On excursions to Finland and to Westfjords, one of Iceland's most remote regions, you'll see firsthand the impact of global warming on glaciers and ice sheets. Observe the impact of climate change amidst the stunning beauty of Iceland while learning about renewable technologies that will help lower the damage.

Additional website URLs:
http://lsa.umich.edu/umbs
http://lsa.umich.edu/cgis/undergraduate-students/programs0/asia-pacific/ecoquest-sustainable-agriculture-and-food-systems-in-pohara--aot.html
http://lsa.umich.edu/cgis/undergraduate-students/programs0/asia-pacific/ecoquest-sustainable-agriculture-and-food-systems-in-pohara--aot.html
http://lsa.umich.edu/cgis/undergraduate-students/programs0/europe/climate-change-and-the-arctic-in-isafjoerour--iceland.html