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2008 - Florida International University (FIU)
students take on the Amazon! Students in the Amazon program
at FIU's
Honors College will spend July 2008 at Project Amazonas field sites in
the Amazon, working on independently developed projects with a service
learning component. The Amazon Program offered through the
Universities Honors College is an innovative new program designed to
give undergraduate students real-life research experience in the
natural and social sciences. The 6-credit interdisciplinary program
fulfills a full year of FIU Honors College requirements, and is an
integral part of the Universities push to strengthen ties between the
Miami-based university (part of the State of Florida university
system) and Latin America. Professors Devon Graham (Project Amazonas &
The FIU Honors College) and James Riach (Environmental Studies and The
FIU Honors College) are thrilled with the opportunities the course
presents.
Says professor Riach,
"This is the sort of opportunity that I wish I'd had as an
undergraduate, it would have completely changed my worldview at the
time". Professor Graham, who also serves as an officer for Project
Amazonas agrees, and notes that this type of cooperation between FIU
and Project Amazonas helps to distinguish both institutions as
innovative ground-breakers. During Fall 2007, students in the program
studied Amazon history, culture, climate and ecology, and also
developed project ideas. In Spring 2008 semester, they are refining
project ideas and are working on fund-raising. The course syllabus and
additional information and resources can be found on the course
website:
http://hon.fiu.edu/~peru/4course.htm
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Projects: A quick
overview of the variety of projects being developed is provided
below. Projects are grouped by theme.
Health, sanitation, diet,
and medicinal plants: David Bush (engineering) and
Tiara Thanawastien (environmental studies) are developing a
water filtration system that can be built and maintained
locally, and that will provide clean drinking water to clinics
and schools in the region. Giselle Carrasco (accounting) will
study the diet and food preferences and practices of the local
people and will introduce new sanitary methods of food
preparation and create nutritious recipes made with local
ingredients. Desiree Hurtado (health science) will document the
cultivation, preparation, and use of medicinal plants.
Animals
and health: Tina Free (environmental studies) will test
for and treat internal and external parasites in domestic
animals. Nature photographer and environmental studies student
Chris Gillette will document injuries from hazardous animals and
their impacts to the health and livelihood of local people.
Marika de los Reyes (chemistry) will collect information about
how people respond to these injuries and record what remedies
people find useful in the treatment of such injuries. Jennifer
Meyer will collect local lore about the health risks and
benefits of animals of symbolic prominence in traditional
medical systems.
Development of economic opportunities: Carla Ferris
(international business), Karina Rodriguez (education) and Ryan
Vogel will help develop sustainable entrepreneurial ventures for
local resources and the international marketing of local arts
and crafts. Carla Rosales (vocal performance) is interested in
the potential of marketing artwork involving the use of animals,
particularly fish.
Revitalization of cultural traditions and history:
Music education major Lauren Elbaum will record sounds and
soundscapes of the forest with the prospect of uncovering
relationships between the types of plants and animals found in
the environment and musical patterns created by local residents.
Carla Cao (biology) will collect oral histories to document the
beliefs about people’s relationship to their surroundings and
about the history of their lives.
Education: All the information uncovered by the student
research activities will be returned to the members of the
community using techniques that combine traditional oral and
graphic systems of communication and education. To help do this,
Catalina Medina (business administration) will identify
traditional cultural symbols significant in local communication
and will help others in implementing these symbols in
educational strategies. |
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Support a Favorite Project! Make
a difference by supporting your favorite project or by making an
unrestricted donation to support student participation in FIU's
Amazon Program. The students are working hard at fund-raising
activities, but any additional funds coming in (no matter the
amount) will be a big boost, and are also tax-deductible if
directed through Project Amazonas (US donations only).
Alternatively, buy a student-designed and produced t-shirt, or
inquire about the purchase of Amazonian handicrafts - both the
handicraft artisans and the students will benefit! If you are in
the South Florida area, you can also participate in upcoming
benefit programs. The total cost per student for the program
(including airfare to Peru) is about $3,400.
At right: Several of the
students in the 2007-2008 Amazon Program at FIU. |
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For more information on educational opportunities and
activities at Project
Amazonas visit our Education page
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