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Dear Undergraduates, There are many ways to get foreign field experience. I was asked to distribute information about the Operation Wallacea program, but I think I should give you some context. I'm copying this to department faculty who may have other insight to offer. The information about Operation Wallacea summer programs is below. But first, the context. Some opportunities to obtain foreign field experience are cost neutral (such as helping a faculty member who has a grant project and needs help at a foreign location). A few opportunties actually pay you while you get the foreign experience -- the best example of that would be an NSF REU project, such as the Texas A&M Project in Costa Rica in which undergraduate major Sarah Bleakney participated in summer 2013 (and with which our own Dr. Robert Washington-Allen is involved). These options above are really golden opportunities, that you should investigate and try for by all means. At the same time, you might want to investigate other opportunities, most of which have a cost to you to participate. Some programs are run by university faculty, working through universities, such as the program to visit China that our own Dr. Shih-Lung Shaw ran several years ago. Other programs are run through University consortia, such as the Organization for Tropical Studies. Still others are run through other types of groups. An example of the latter is Operation Wallacea. They offer a few grants for students, but the program will still cost you several thousand dollars. However, if you are looking for something like this, I recommend attending their presentation on Friday on the AG campus (unless you are in my class, in which case I recommend you being in class to take the midterm). Sincerely, Sally Horn Sally P. Horn, Professor Department of Geography 304 Burchfiel Geography Building 1000 Phillip Fulmer Way The University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN 37996-0925 U.S.A. phone: (865) 974-6030 fax: (865) 974-6025 e-mail: [log in to unmask] http://geography.utk.edu/about-us/faculty/dr-sally-horn/ Initiative for Quaternary Paleoclimate Research http://web.utk.edu/~cqpr/ ________________________________ From: Caitlin Marsteller [[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2014 11:49 AM To: Horn, Sally P Subject: Biodiversity Research Presentation at UTK Good afternoon Dr. Horn, There will be a presentations on Friday, September 26th at 12:15 PM in the Ellington Plant Science Building, Room 128 about the Operation Wallacea biodiversity research methodology and conservation management strategies, and I am writing to see if you and/or your students would be able to attend. With a team of academics from across Europe and North America, Operation Wallacea (www.opwall.com<http://www.opwall.com>) supports long term biodiversity monitoring projects as well as specialized research investigations at 24 sites in 11 countries. Students can join the research expeditions during the summer months to gain experience with field research and data collection: · Research Assistants<http://opwall.com/undergrad-research-assistants/research-assistant-overview/> – volunteers gain experience performing various survey methods and taking field ecology training courses; serves as a volunteer-based internship and some credit options are available. · Thesis Students<http://opwall.com/senior-thesis-dissertations/options-for-dissertations-and-senior-theses/> – Operation Wallacea provides support for students to collect data for a thesis project at the undergraduate or Master’s level. · Expedition Medicine Course<http://opwall.com/undergrad-research-assistants/medical-courses/> – a chance for Pre-Med students to experience field medicine with expedition teams working in remote areas. There are funding opportunities<http://opwall.com/about-us/alfred-russel-wallace-grants/> available from within our organization, and we also provide fundraising advice to volunteers in a follow up meeting that will take place at the university. I have attached a PDF to this e-mail that I’m hoping you might be able to include at the end of your lectures to promote this presentation to your students. If e-mail is a preferred means of communication, I have also attached a brief summary of the organization and the opportunities for students. If you are interested in discussing possible research collaborations or using the Operation Wallacea field sites for independent class trips, please e-mail Operation Wallacea’s Project Director and Founder, Dr. Tim Coles at [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. Thanks so much for your time. Kindest regards, Caitlin Caitlin Marsteller Research and Expedition Advisor | Operation Wallacea USA Address: PO Box 3068 Staunton, VA 24401 Office Phone: (973) 920-0487 Website: https://www.opwall.com<https://www.opwall.com/> | email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> [cid:[log in to unmask]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To review the archives of CLUBGGY or Join/Leave the list go to: http://listserv.utk.edu/archives/clubggy.html