[International] Semester Abroad in Ecuador - Ecology and Conservation

[Jenna Graff <graff@uwosh.edu>]

Dear International Listserv Members:

For more information on the following opportunity, please contact the UW
Madison IAP directly.

Do you want to spend a semester in Ecuador, visit the Galapagos Islands,
explore the Amazon rainforest, and learn Spanish while earning 16 UW
credits?

Offered by the Ceiba Foundation, this new semester study abroad
program
in Ecuador is co-sponsored with International Academic Programs (IAP)
at
UW-Madison.   Don't miss this exciting opportunity for
educational
adventure travel abroad!

*TROPICAL CONSERVATION EXPERIENCE
GALAPAGOS, ANDES & AMAZON*

ECUADOR, SOUTH AMERICA
SPRING 2007

This semester program immerses students in some of the richest
ecosystems on earth!  After intensive lectures and Spanish training
in
Quito, where participants live with host families, we explore
pristine
examples of Ecuador's diverse tropical ecosystems.  You will
spend
three weeks in the remote Amazon rainforest, where you may see 10
species of monkeys, over 500 species of birds, and rare giants like
the
jaguar, puma and tapir.  The program then travels to cloud forests
and
alpine tundra high in the Andes before descending to investigate the
dry
deciduous forests, mangroves and beaches of the wild Pacific coast. 
Our
field excursions culminate in a two-week journey in the Galapagos
Islands that includes home stays with local families.  During the
final
month of the semester you will undertake an internship project with
an
Ecuadorian conservation or research organization, and put all your
knowledge into action.

The goal of the Tropical Conservation Experience is to provide
students
first-hand exposure to the diverse ecosystems, and conservation
problems, affecting the New World tropics.  The program is divided
into
five university-level courses:  Spanish and Latin American
Cultural
Immersion, Conservation Biology, Terrestrial Ecology, Marine
Ecology,
and Internships in Ecology and Conservation.  Throughout the
semester we
concentrate on providing hands-on training in standard field 
methods
used for studying tropical ecosystems.  

Detailed information including a full course description, syllabus,
and
trip itinerary is available online at: 
www.ceiba.org/TCEsemester.htm

CREDIT:  International Academic Programs at UW-Madison awards
16
credits for this semester program.  Details on program costs, UW
course
equivalents, and application materials will be available in July 2006.

ELIGIBILITY:  This IAP study abroad program is open to
UW-Madison
degree seeking students and Wisconsin residents. In addition,
applicants
must have at least sophomore standing (at least 24 credits), have a
2.5
cumulative GPA, have completed 5 credits of college biology or
ecology
and one semester of college-level Spanish by the start of the program.

FURTHER INFORMATION:   If you would like to receive further
details
from IAP, please email peeradvisor@bascom.wisc.edu.  The course is
operated by the Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation in partnership
with the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. To request an information
packet, contact: courses@ceiba.org  or visit their website at
http://www.ceiba.org/TCEsemester.htm





The UW Oshkosh Office of International Education supports students
who are looking for a study abroad program outside of UW Oshkosh by
offering a four-step series which helps you indentify a program which
fits your needs, complete steps at UW Oshkosh to transfer credit, apply
financial aid, remain a student here while you are gone, etc., and
prepare for travel.  Our agenda for each step is as
follows:

Step 1: Choosing a Program
Introduction to study abroad programs. Defining your expectations
of the study abroad experience and searching for a study abroad program
which fits your needs. Students can also look through print materials
available in the Office of International Education library.

Step 2: Paperwork; Money Matters
Applying to study abroad programs; credit transfer, academic
leave of absence, transcript requests, registering for UW Oshkosh courses
while abroad (for the semester after returning), requesting a room
assignment in a residence hall at UW Oshkosh (for the semester after
returning), program fees & budget estimates, financial
aid/grants/scholarships, scholarships announcements on the INTERNATIONAL
LISTSERV, bringing money abroad, consequences of program
withdrawal.

Step 3: Health & Safety; Travel
Arrangements; Destinations
Health insurance, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and
vaccinations, visiting your healthcare providers, personal medical kits,
English-speaking doctors, U.S. State Department travel warnings &
consular information sheets, emergency response plans, registering with
the U.S. Embassy, travel guides, passports, visas, airline tickets, U.S.
State Department travel publications, packing & luggage limits,
international flights, procedures at U.S. airports, customs declaration
forms, immigration, arrival in the host country/transportation to the
program site, jet lag, returning home, learning about the host country,
your address abroad, accommodations, meals, host families, communicating
with people back home, walking, driving, temperature, tourism, using
public transportation.

Step 4: Culture in the Classroom (by
appointment)
Discussion focusing on cultural differences in the classroom and
the university system abroad. 

Each step is offered multiple times throughout the semester.  Please
see
http://www.uwosh.edu/oie/support.html
for more details and a link to our calendar of events, which lists meeting times for each of the steps.

This message was sent to this listserv by:
Jenna Graff
Director
Office of International Education
Dempsey 146
--------
http://www.uwosh.edu/oie/oie.html
Phone: (920)424-0775
Fax: (920)424-0185

To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.uwosh.edu/mailman/listinfo/international.

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