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Student: Nate Hough-Snee

Where did you study? Northland Region, Taranoui Bay, New Zealand

photo credit: Nate Hough-Snee

What did you study? Riparian Restoration

I began my visit to New Zealand in the least glamorous of ways—a four-hour car ride…in the dark.  It’s winter down here, and I arrived on the eve of the shortest day of the year, roughly nine and a half hours of daylight in total.  Dr. Zuben Weeds picked me up from Auckland International Airport around six pm and it was already dark out.  I’d been through New Zealand once before, on a study abroad trip that was, in part, guided and taught by Zuben.  This time we were headed to a new part of the country: the Far North District of the Northland Region—Taranoui Bay, near Kerkeri.  The narrow country roads were sparsely filled with motorists and a full moon illuminated a clearing sky.  Click here to read more.

Student: Madhu Narayanan

Where did you study? Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu, India

photo credit: Madhu Narayanan

What did you study? Water rights and rural development in Tamil Nadu, in India

On an early September afternoon, Mr. Dhanasekaran led me to the top of a small rocky hill from where miles of countryside could be seen. From that hill, the subtle forces that shape rural India briefly came into focus. At first glance there was nothing but acres of agricultural land, but Mr. Dhanasekaran pointed out the living changes: rice and groundnut fields were clearly separated, ancient tanks were being decaying; and distant factories interrupted the horizons. And these changes could all be explained by one thing: water. Click here to read more.

Student: AV Goodsell

Where did you study? Auckland, New Zealand and Australia

photo credit: AV Goodsell

What did you study? Urban Coastal Cities, sustainability and planning in the Comparative International Perspectives on Cities and the Environment course

I've been in Sydney for about a week already and I think I'm in love! With the
city, of course. Despite the random weather (one day overcast, the next
scorching), Sydney has kept me on my toes every single day. On a more quiet note, I have taken the opportunity to venture out on my own, to experience the city by people watching from public spaces and cafes. Click here to read more.

Student: Lisa Lurie

Where did you study? Coyagal, Ecuador


photo credit: Lisa Lurie

What did you study? Community participation in rural sustainable development

The cobbled road quickly deteriorated to a steep, winding, dirt path which worked its way through the high Andean forest of "El Bosque Cascungo." We emerged out of the forest and sped out along the ridge of La Loma, Coyagal, I on the back of the finicky motorcycle, as my coworker introduced me to the landscape in which I would spend the next three months working. The land fell away on either side of the road, covered in agriculture of corn and potatoes as well as cattle grazing fields, and dropped into steep crevasses. Click here to read more.

Student: Andrew Tarter

Where did you study? Kerala, India


photo credit: Andrew Tarter

What did you study? Sustainability and Community

This is Andrew, writing from Kerala, on the West coast of India. It is very green, and lush, but humid as well. Very mountainous! We've visited a Ghandian village, and today we are staying near a natural forested preserve. The preserve houses elephants, water buffalo, tigers, boars, otters and monkeys. Today we took a boat tour through the park, and saw some elephants in the distance. Everyone seems to be having a pretty amazing experience, and most of us are getting ready to head back for Spring Quarter.

Student: Emily Augenstein

Where did you study? Vancouver, B.C., Canada

The conference was a great opportunity to see what people are doing to solve problems that cross political boundaries. The Georgia Basin is British Columbia’s “Puget Sound,” but the collective body of water is often referred to as the Salish Sea. Obviously, there are problems with management of this water, because policies are made in different countries. Click here to read more.

Student: Ian Fair

Where did you study? Cuernavaca, Mexico

What did you study? Sustainable design and building techniques

Mexico has been great so far. Although it’s only a few thousand miles from home, it feels much farther than that. The climate is hot and dry during this time of the year here, but due to our mile high elevation in Cuernavaca, nights are cool. The program has been a ton of work since we arrived in the beginning of January. The first few weeks initially involved theoretical ideas about the children's handicapped rehab center we are constructing. Click here to read more.

Student: Ing-Marie Putka

Where did you study? Sri Lanka

Greetings from Sri Lanka! I write to you after a delicious breakfast of egg roti and dal – in addition to some delicious Sri Lankan tea - all at the Muslim Hotel, where the people were gracious and smiling. Indeed, this country is full of smiles - perhaps it's the current peace talks after 20 years of war that spill joy out all over the streets. Click here to read more.

Student: Bryan Wilson

Where did you study? Rancho Mastatal, Costa Rica

What did you study? We’re conducting an assessment of the ecological resources in a new national park.

Costa Rica is still amazing. Today we took stream samples at two different spots in La Selva and then took a 4 hr boat tour down the San Viejo River. We saw many howler monkeys, a cayman, bats, iguanas, and numerous birds of which I could not remember the names. This program has been fantastic so far.