Summer students can travel to South America
Course will focus on ecology, economics in context of jaguars
By: John Covington
Issue date: 2/8/10 Section: News
Jungles, exotic countries, conservation and jaguars are among the main reasons why 14 students will travel to Argentina and Brazil in August.
The Summer II class titled Jaguars in South America: Ecological and Economic Aspects of a Conservation Problem will make the trip to "learn about ecological characteristics of subtropical forests, conservation policies, how conservation copes with the expansion of agriculture and the forest industry" in the South American countries.
When Dr. Daniel Scognamillo, assistant professor of forestry, visited Argentina and Brazil in August of 2009, the idea of the course was already forming in his head. With Scognamillo's specialty being wildlife, he chose to team up with Dr. Gary Konrad, assistant professor of forestry, to put together the course.
"Dr. Scognamillo is the wildlife part, I'm the economist," Konrad said. "With people moving into the ecosystem for economic development, agriculture and forestry there is an impact on the habitat. We want to do research that allows for economic development and for wildlife habitat for the flagship species: the jaguars."
The professors visited the cities which the course will include, along with the dean of forestry, in November. While in El Dorado, Argentina, they signed a memorandum with the University's School of Forestry to allow for academic and research collaboration and the exchange of students and information on certain projects.
"The forestry school in Argentina was very interested," Konrad said. "They want to build up forestry and agriculture segments. They are interested in timber production and want to see how we do it here."
When the pair returned, they set out to get students interested in the course and soon found interests from a wide variety of areas.
"Some [students] were undergraduates, some graduates. Students from forestry, wildlife, recreation, biology and spatial sciences all showed interest," Scognamillo said.
The Summer II class titled Jaguars in South America: Ecological and Economic Aspects of a Conservation Problem will make the trip to "learn about ecological characteristics of subtropical forests, conservation policies, how conservation copes with the expansion of agriculture and the forest industry" in the South American countries.
When Dr. Daniel Scognamillo, assistant professor of forestry, visited Argentina and Brazil in August of 2009, the idea of the course was already forming in his head. With Scognamillo's specialty being wildlife, he chose to team up with Dr. Gary Konrad, assistant professor of forestry, to put together the course.
"Dr. Scognamillo is the wildlife part, I'm the economist," Konrad said. "With people moving into the ecosystem for economic development, agriculture and forestry there is an impact on the habitat. We want to do research that allows for economic development and for wildlife habitat for the flagship species: the jaguars."
The professors visited the cities which the course will include, along with the dean of forestry, in November. While in El Dorado, Argentina, they signed a memorandum with the University's School of Forestry to allow for academic and research collaboration and the exchange of students and information on certain projects.
"The forestry school in Argentina was very interested," Konrad said. "They want to build up forestry and agriculture segments. They are interested in timber production and want to see how we do it here."
When the pair returned, they set out to get students interested in the course and soon found interests from a wide variety of areas.
"Some [students] were undergraduates, some graduates. Students from forestry, wildlife, recreation, biology and spatial sciences all showed interest," Scognamillo said.
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