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July Session: Tropical Forest Ecology Pitt in Ecuador Summer Application Deadline January 20, 2018 Apply
(For BYU July Session see: BYU Ecology and Sustainable Agriculture)
Academics
All students take 2 classes for (6 credits):
BIOSC 1220 Tropical Forest Ecology (3cr)
This 3-Credit course provides a solid foundation in tropical forest ecology. It is designed to prepare students to carry out research on the interaction of plant and animal communities and to engage the serious challenges facing neotropical forests. Students will learn to compare pristine to altered forests identifying key factors in forest decline and regeneration. Students will examine each of the diverse elevational zones that comprise the Amazonian watershed. The highlight will be a visit to Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park, an untouched area of the Amazon with the highest bio-diversity on earth.. Two Semesters of general biology required.
Topics:
Insect mimicry: Do any species mimic another species specifically?
Interspecies communicaitons- mixed flock fruit feeders
Animal experiences that are culture like.
Social spiders
Biological Research Course: 3 cr. research component tied to Tropical Forest Ecology. Students work in pairs out in the forest on a research project identified in conjunction with faculty.
Photographs of animals in the Yasuni
Communications For a Sustainable Amazon (3cr)
Skip Glenn • Assistant Professor – Marketing & Entrepreneurship
Until recently vast areas of the world were beyond the effective reach of the state and markets largely because they were beyond the reach of communications. In the last 5 years the rise of social media has changed this situation linking previously isolated populations to the state, education, markets, and jobs. Exemplary of this change is the Amazon Basin where social media where previously communities now post videos of products they have to offer, speeches by their leaders, or reports of illegal logging in real time. The impact of this change presents a new frontier both for the sustainability of the Amazon and for effective communications by businesses, NGOs, educators and state planners who can now service these areas from a distance. By examining the uses of social media in the Ecuadorian Amazon this course will prepare students to meet the distinctive challenges for the expansion of effective communication into these new markets.
Cost
Cost : In-State; $4,900; Out-of-State: $5,100 (Includes lodging, 3 meals per day 6 credits of tuition in country travel and excursions).
Itinerary
Saturday July 30
11:30 PM Arrive in Quito Shuttle to Real Audiencia
Sunday, July 1
8:00 AM Breakfast
9:00 AM Tour colonial Quito (founded 1535)
12:00 Lunch At Hotel Real Audiencia
1:PM Hike in the high altitude páramo polylepus forest.
6:30 PM Arrive at Yanayacu Cloud forest Station
7:00 PM Dinner
Monday July 2
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Hike in the cloud forest with lecture on cloud forest environment.
1:00 Lunch
2-4 Hike in the cloud forest
Communications students write short high impact piece on cloud forest environment.
7:00 Dinner at Iyarina
Tuesday, July 3
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class
Introduction to the Ecuadorian Amazon. Swanson
1:00 Lunch
2-5
Introduction to Communications in the Developing Amazon
Introduction to Tropical Ecology
7:00 Diner
Thursday, July 5
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class
Amazonian Culture and Environment
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class
Communications in the Developing Amazon
The use of social media by the government of Napo to get out its message.
Tropical Ecology
7:00
Friday, July 6
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Work on Communications and Tropical Ecology Projects
1:00 Lunch
Afternoon: Hike up the Canoa Yaku
7:00 Dinner
Saturday July 7 Free Day. No Class.
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class
7:00 Diner
Sunday July 8 Free Day. No Class.
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class
7:00 Dinner
Monday, July 9
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class Amazonian Culture and Environment
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class Tropical Ecology. Learn to recognize major plant families.
Communications for a Sustainable Amazon
Tuesday, July 10
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class Amazonian Culture and Environment
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class Tropical Ecology. Learn to recognize major plant families.
Communications for a Sustainable Amazon
Wednesday, July 11
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class Amazonian Culture and Environment
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class Tropical Ecology
Communications for a Sustainable Amazon
Thursday July 12
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class Amazonian Culture and Environment
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class Tropical Ecology
Communications for a Sustainable Amazon
Friday, July 13
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Work on Communications and Tropical Ecology Projects
1:00 Lunch
Afternoon: Free for travel or study
7:00 Dinner
Saturday July 14 Free Day. No Class.
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class
7:00 Diner
Sunday July 15 Free Day. No Class.
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class
7:00 Dinner
Monday, July 16 Yasuní National Park
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class
7:00 Diner
Tuesday, July 17 Yasuni National Park
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Study the communications battle over uncontacted people. Compare tothe reality as understood by the Waorani relatives of uncontacted groups.
7:00 Diner
Wednesday, July 18 Yasuni National Park
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class Meet with the manager of the Yasuni Scientific Station, Carlos Padilla to study the communications strategy of the Station.
7:00 Diner
Thursday, July 19 Return to Iyarina. View African Palm plantations and Oil Fields. Contrast the reality to the Social media image these industries present.
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class Amazonian Culture and Environment
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class Tropical Ecology
Communications for a Sustainable Amazon
7:00 Diner
Friday, July 20
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Work on Communications and Tropical Ecology Projects
1:00 Lunch
Afternoon: Free for travel or study
7:00 Dinner
Saturday, July 21 Free Day. No Class.
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class
7:00 Diner
Sunday, July 22 Free Day. No Class.
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class
7:00 Diner
Monday, July 23
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class Amazonian Culture and Environment
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class Tropical Ecology
Communications for a Sustainable Amazon
Tuesday, July 24
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class Amazonian Culture and Environment
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class Tropical Ecology
Communications for a Sustainable Amazon
Wednesday, July 25
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class Amazonian Culture and Environment
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class Tropical Ecology
Communications for a Sustainable Amazon
Thursday, July 26
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Class Amazonian Culture and Environment
1:00 Lunch
2-5 Class Tropical Ecology
Communications for a Sustainable Amazon
Friday, July 27
8:00 Breakfast
9-12 Work on Communications and Tropical Ecology Projects
1:00 Lunch
Afternoon: Free for travel or study
7:00 Dinner
Saturday July 28 Travel to the airport