Study Abroad
The approaching winter term will feature two study abroad courses directed by PSLA faculty and staff. Study trips to the Peruvian Amazon and Costa Rica provide our students with the opportunity to experience an amazing array of medicinal plants in their native environment or the opportunity to see the challenges required to balance a country's agricultural development while sustaining its tropical ecosystems. Such learning experiences were rare when I was an undergraduate, and I am proud of our Department's involvement in several study abroad courses during winter and summer terms. - Dr. William J. Kenworthy, Interim Chair
Medicinal Plants of the Amazon
Dates for WT2010: January 5 -22, 2010
PLSC 489X (3 credits)
Medicinal Plants of the Amazon and the Andes uses one of the most biologically diverse regions on the planet as a classroom setting to expose students to the incredible biochemistry of the flora of primary and secondary tropical rainforest. Students will learn about local medicinal plants and local Peruvian uses of plant properties to treat a wide range of ailments. Local healers will demonstrate preparation and use of specific plants. Toxic components of tropical plants will be examined and drugs that have been derived from rainforest biochemistry will be discussed. Sustainability issues will be introduced and examined from pharmaceutical, "food pharmacy" and global health perspectives.
Students will be expected to create a final project of their own choosing that will be presented to the group upon return to Maryland. Students will have two or three days upon return to prepare the presentation for the last day "presentation sessions and class party" on January 22rd.
Participants will spend one night in a hotel in downtown Lima (or Lima airport depending on arrival time) and two nights in a modest guest house in Iquitos. Iquitos is considered the gateway to the Amazon. From Iquitos on, all transportation will be by boat. Amazon lodges are rustic wood cabins built off the ground to protect from flooding. Single beds are covered with mosquito netting and outhouses are a short walk away. The camp generators provide electricity to recharge camera batteries and provide limited refrigeration. Night light is provided by kerosene lamps, so participants should bring a flashlight or headlamp for night reading or walking.
FACULTY DIRECTORS
Dr. Jim Duke is a retired USDA Medicinal Plants Researcher. He has authored over thirty books on medicinal plants, over a wide geographical range. The Peruvian rainforest remains his favorite flora and despite years of retirement from the USDA, he has been busy leading "Pharmacy of the Rainforest Classes" collaboratively with a number of organizations and universities that provide academic and continuing education credits to students, pharmacists, doctors and nurses.
Dr. Andrea Ottesen recently completed her PhD in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Maryland. Her thesis work examines the microbial metagenomics of agricultural practices and their impact on public health issues. She has also worked for the past ten years with Jim Duke studying a large selection of Amazonian medicinal and toxic plants. An author on Dr. Duke's most recent book, Latin American Medicinal Plants, CRC, she has also published several books of her own that focus on medicinal plants, toxins, botany and biochemistry of tropical fruits.
For questions about the application, registration and pre-departure logistics, please contact the Study Abroad Office.
Costa Rica: Sustainable Tropical Ecosystems
Dates for WT2010: January 9 - 23, 2010
PLSC 489C / HONR 379K (3 credits)
This two week course provides students the opportunity to comprehend the relationship between Costa Rica's agricultural development and the sustainability of its tropical ecosystems.
Visits to small and large agricultural production facilities will be interfaced with visits to Costa Rica's natural ecosystems, including the Arenal volcano and Monteverde tropical rainforests. The latter includes an option to view the rainforest from literally a birds eye view via a suspended zip line. Site visits will often be physically demanding.
Students will be required to submit a detailed journal of their experiences and a PowerPoint presentation before faculty and students from the University of Costa Rica. A bus will transport the students throughout the itinerary, picking them up in the morning and bringing them back to their evening lodging.
Why Costa Rica?
Despite its small size, Costa Rica possesses 5 percent of the world's total biodiversity, in part due to its position as a transition zone between South and North America, and a complex terracing of microclimates created by differences in altitude. With one of the most enlightened and dedicated approaches to conservation in the world, the country has made an impressive effort to preserve its natural resources. About 25 percent of the land is protected from further development. Costa Rica has become one of the prime eco-tourism destinations in the world, offering among other things, tropical rainforests, active volcanoes, rare and unique flora and fauna. The latter is vital to the economic sustainability of ecotourism.
Accomodations
Lodging includes a hotel in San Jose and lodges along the travel route. One evening may be spent at the home of a Costa Rican farming family.
Faculty and Staff
Dr. Maile Neel, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at UM, has an extensive background in biological conservation. She is also responsible for creating UM's first campus plant walking guide. Please contact Dr. Neel for information about course content and itinerary.
Dr. Amy Wong and Dr. Julio Marias from the University of Costa Rica are responsible for coordinating the itinerary and accommodations. Dr. Wong is a plant pathologist and Dr. Marias is an entomologist.
For questions about the application, registration and pre-departure logistics, please contact the Study Abroad Office at 301-314-7473.
Applications should be made through the Study Abroad Office, www.umd.edu/studyabroad.
Other Study Abroad offered by Landscape & Archtecture programs:
- Sustainable Futures - Monteverde, Costa Rica, Summer 2009
- Study Abroad - Italy, 2009
