Wonders of the world

Since 1997, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has sponsored study- abroad programs to three continents and six countries, in addition to programs that travel within the United States. This year the College breaks new ground in Antarctica.

From the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador to New Zealand and Costa Rica, from Morocco across Africa to Tanzania, the programs rest on a foundation of learning, practical experience, a sense of wonder and a knowledge that we all live in a global society. Courses have covered such topics as animal behavior, wildlife photography, food systems, insects, animal production and survival in the wild.

Sharing a passion for travel and nature

Before 1996, Jon Cox, AG '97, never had been farther from his Unionville, Pa., home than Maine to the north and Florida to the south. But, as a junior at the University, Cox jumped at the chance to go to Africa on a study-abroad trip--the first of its kind sponsored by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Realizing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the entomology and plant pathology major says, he scraped together the necessary funds.

Every penny spent was well worth it, he says today. The money became an investment in his future career, changing the course of his life. In Tanzania, Cox says, he was transformed by all that he saw and experienced, from dancing around a fire with Masai warriors to seeing thousands of wildebeest and zebras on the Serengeti Plains.

"I learned so much about native cultures, as well as the plants and insects I had set out to study," Cox says. He also had the opportunity to take many photographs and discovered how much he enjoyed capturing what he saw through a camera lens. Bitten by the travel bug as well, Cox traveled across the United States the following summer with a camera around his neck throughout the trip.

After graduation, he worked as an integrated pest management specialist for a tree-care company, but he took a leave from that job to spend a month in South Africa studying lions and taking photographs. Soon after, when he had a chance to return to the College as a part-time photographer, he didn't hesitate.

Once on staff, Cox pursued opportunities to lead study trips, sharing his knowledge of the outdoors and his passion for photography with undergraduates from every college and major. He's taken students to Tanzania to study animal behavior and wildlife photography. He also leads domestic study trips, to the western United States in the summer and to the Everglades during Winter Session, in which students spend 21 days camping in the wilderness and taking photographs.

Next up for an adventuresome group of students is a journey to Antarctica and Argentina in Winter Session 2003. Cox will teach wildlife photography, and Ralph Begleiter, the Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Communication and Distinguished Journalist in the College of Arts and Science, will teach courses in political science and English.

"Through my UD travel, I've gained a global perspective on life," Cox says. "I don't take things for granted anymore. I understand that I'm a citizen of the world."

--Margo McDonough, AS '86, '95M

Photographer and former study-abroad student
Jon Cox, who now leads travel programs, says his first trip to Africa gave him a new view of the world.

Sunrise over the Serengeti

"From the Amazon jungle to the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, study abroad has given me insight into cultures outside the walls of UD and an opportunity to build lifelong relationships with faculty and other students, in countries that are now a part of me. With three study-abroad trips already under my belt, I am looking forward to the fourth in Winter Session 2003, doing research in Uganda. These experiences have opened up my eyes far beyond what I expected and have paved the way to graduate school and a successful career in the study of forest fragmentation.

"Yes, you get credits for your coursework, but more than that, you return home with a million memories that summon a smile every time you recall those times. Imagine waking up to a sunrise over the Serengeti Plains, with the Southern Cross in the skies above. Or, consider what it would be like to draw in the fragrance of freshly baked bread and fruit on the streets of Quito, Ecuador. Study abroad gives these images real life and then some. The classroom is magical when you study abroad."

--Ray Iglay, AG 2003
Iglay is majoring in wildlife conservation.

Gaining global perspective

"Study-abroad programs are extremely important in light of our global economy and in thinking globally. By traveling in another country, students get a perspective on the similarities and differences. I took a group of students to New Zealand for a "Food for Thought" course, in which they compared the U.S. food system, from production to consumption, with New Zealand's. The trip gave students concrete ways to think about different points of view on food systems as well as related issues, such as biotechnology and food irradiation. The students returned home with a broader perspective on the world."

--Sue Snider, professor of animal and food sciences

 

New outlooks on life

"Study abroad gives students the chance to live among people who have different customs, world views and life expectations. It provides students with the opportunity to stand back and, hopefully, think about themselves and their lives with a new perspective. I would hope that most students return home with a deeper appreciation for what they have and why it is important to work hard for what they want. Ideally, a study-abroad experience leaves students with a renewed vigor and eagerness to do their best in school and in life."

--Sherry Kitto, professor of plant and soil sciences

Kitto spent Winter Session 2000 in a study-abroad program in Costa Rica, co-teaching classes in plants and plant ecology with Tom Evans, associate professor of plant and soil sciences.

 

View through a different lens

"Choosing to study abroad was not only the best decision I have made during my college career at UD but the best decision I ever made in my life. The study trips gave me knowledge, untold experiences and priceless memories. I returned from both of my trips more well-rounded, confident as a photographer, enlightened and fully content. The experience and the professors who led me there gave me a view of the world for which I can never thank them enough."

--Danielle Quigley, AS 2003

Quigley, a fine arts major, plans to complete her college career by participating in a study-abroad program in Argentina and Antarctica during Winter Session 2003.