University of St. Thomas
AC-5: Immersive Experience

1. VISION
Since 1987, the University of St. Thomas offers January and Spring Break VISION Global Community Building Programs. VISION provides global community building opportunities for St. Thomas students, faculty, and staff to encounter and work alongside diverse communities that are dedicated to creating a more just world. Program website: https://www.stthomas.edu/center-for-common-good/vision-program/index.html

2. St. Thomas Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs
Southern Spain: Earth, Environment, and Society (J-Term 2022)
Environmental Science, Environmental Studies and Environmental Geology focus on the current and past earth processes that affect humans and the pressing issues facing society. Southern Spain is a fabulous location to study the intersection of human history and earth history. With its spectacular mountains, dramatic coastline and enchanting agricultural valleys that have been shaped by the collision between Africa and Europe, southern Spain has a range of landscapes where we can examine geological and environmental features and processes. This includes the study of seismic hazards, landslide and slope stability, rivers, impacts of climate change, sustainable agriculture, water use, and transportation. We will visit three different sites to examine regenerative agriculture: an olive farm research site, hydroponic vegetable greenhouses, and an organic vineyard.  Another unique aspect of this region is role of Islamic influence during the Middle Ages on architecture, medicine, and science. We will examine this history to explore how science has advanced through different cultures.

Tropical Plants, Food, and Medicine in Costa Rica (J-Term 2022)
Explore plant biology in a tropical setting with a focus on plant structure-function relationships, plant adaptations and biodiversity. Explore issues of sustainability in agriculture and medicine, the role of plants in these issues, as well as cultural differences regarding how plants are used in these contexts. Practice reading, critiquing, and incorporating primary literature and other writings into research and learning in the context of tropical plant biology. 

Neuroecology of The Bahamas (J-Term 2023)
Neuroecology is a broad field that studies adaptive variation in behavior and the brain, with an emphasis on the interdependence between the nervous system and the environment. As an interdisciplinary course, NSCI 430 explores issues that intertwine the nervous system, the environment, climate change, land use, biodiversity, and health; as a study abroad course, it highlights differences and commonalities in challenges that span cultures, fostering communication about the connections that all humans share. Students will participate in classroom, lab, and field activities, including sampling and measuring environmental parameters, identifying habitats and organisms, and conducting experiments involving neural systems.

Animal Behavior in Ecuador- (J-Term 2023)
Explore animal behavior with an immersive natural and cultural experience in one of the most diverse countries in the world. The core biological content of the course focuses on the physiological, ecological, and evolutionary processes that explain the diversity of animal behavior. Students will complete small-scale animal behavior research projects and learn from partners in rural and urban communities.

Geology 260: Regional Geology and Field Methods (J-Term 2023)
Discover the unique geologic history of the southwestern United States while you learn to conduct field-based research in spectacular landscapes and stunning canyons.

School of Engineering Senior Design Clinic in Peru (In partnership with AASD) (J-Term 2023)
As part of the Engineering Global Senior Design program, St. Thomas will send a team of senior design engineering students to Calca, Peru during January 2024 to work with local organizations and develop engineering solutions that meet community needs. Students will enroll in a 2-credit ENGR elective course that will be connected with the Engineering Senior Design course sequence. Drawing on the tenants of changemaking, and in partnership with Andean Alliance for Sustainable Development (AASD), this program will explore current issues in Peru and encourage students work across cultures to address real-world problems through innovative, project-based coursework. Over the three-week program, students will continue work on their fall semester ENGR480 project, in partnership with AASD and under the guidance of a St. Thomas faculty member who will connect virtually with students on a regular basis. Students will continue to work with AASD upon their return in the spring as they complete the second semester of Senior Design (ENGR 481). While in Peru, students will live with homestay families, participate on regular site visits and attend lectures by local experts. St. Thomas faculty will not be on-site in Peru, but the St. Thomas team will be in regular communication with a St. Thomas design coordinator throughout the program as they develop their project.

4. Study abroad programs available to St. Thomas students through Other Approved Study Abroad Providers
SFS:
Australia – Rainforest to Reef
Australia – Rainforests of New Zealand and Australia
Australia – Watersheds of the Wet Tropics
Bhutan – Himalayan Environment and Society in Transition
Bhutan – Forests in the Land of the Thunder Dragon
Bhutan – Cats of the Himalayas: Tracking and Conservation
Cambodia – Climate Change, Ethics, and Conservation
Cambodia – Freshwater Ecology and Conservation
Cambodia – Elephants of the Cambodian Highlands
Chile – Wild Patagonia: Fire and Ice
Chile – Foundations of Patagonian Ecology
Costa Rica – Sustainable Development Studies
Costa Rica – Foundations of Sustainable Food Systems
Costa Rica – Biodiversity and Sustainable Food Systems
Kenya – Wildlife, Water, and Climate Resilience
Kenya – Foundations of Wildlife Management and Conservation
Kenya – Fundamentals of Wildlife Management
Kenya – Primates of the African Savanna
Panama – Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies
Panama – Tropical Island Ecosystems: The Human Impact
Peru – Biodiversity and Development in the Amazon
Tanzania – Wildlife Management Studies
Tanzania – Carnivores f the African Plains
Turks & Caicos Islands – Marine Resource Studies
Turks & Caicos Islands – Foundations of Tropical Marine Ecosystems
Turks & Caicos Islands – Fundamentals of Marine Conservation
Turks & Caicos Islands – Marine Megafauna

University of Minnesota:
Minnesota Studies in International Development – Ecuador
Minnesota Studies in International Development - Senegal
Minnesota Studies in International Development – Thailand

IES:
Freiburg – Environmental Studies & Sustainability
Nice – Business, Sustainability, and Immigration

IAU:
Environmental Security & Sustainability of the Mediterranean Basin

DIS:
Sustainability, Environmental Science in the Arctic

CIEE:
Costa Rica – Sustainability and the Environment

SIT:
Argentina – People, Environment & Climate Change in Patagonia & Antarctica
Australia – Rainforest, Reef & Cultural Ecology
Australia – Sustainability & Environmental Action
Ecuador – Virtual Internship in Environment, Conservation & Ecosystems
Ecuador – Comparative Ecology & Conservation
Iceland – Climate Change & the Arctic
Iceland – Renenwable Energy, Technology, and Resource Economics
International Honors Program – The Politics of Land, Water & Energy Justice
International Honors Program – Agriculture, Sustainability & Justice
India – Virtual Internship in Environment, Development & Sustainability
India – Sustainable Development & Social Change
India – Traditional Medicine and Healthcare Practices
Indonesia – Biodiversity and Conservation in Bali and Borneo
Jordan – Virtual Internship in Community Empowerment & Sustainable Environments
Jordan – Community Empowerment & Climate Change Internship
Madagascar – Biodiversity & Natural Resource Management
Malawi – Agroecology & Regenerative Design
Mongolia & Siberia – Nomadism, Geopolitics & the Environment
Nepal – Geoscience in the Himalaya
Panama – Tropical Ecology, Marine Ecosystems & Biodiversity Conservation
Portugal – Sustainability & Environmental Justice
Samoa – Social and Environmental Change in Oceania
Spain – Sustainable Urban Development & Social Justice
Tanzania – Wildlife Conservation & Political Ecology
Tanzania – Anzibar Coastal Ecology & Natural Resource Management
Tanzania – Climate Change and Sustainability, Mount Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar