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Costa Rica- Sustainable Tropical Ecosystems
June 3-17, 2009
PLSC489C/HONR379K
Itinerary: Site visits will include agricultural research institutes, cooperative organic farms, commercial production facilities such as banana and pineapple plantations, botanical gardens, Arenal Volcano National Park, volcanic hot springs, Monteverde tropical rain forest, Punta Leone dry tropical rain forest, a biological research center, and a cheese factory.
A bus will transport the students throughout the itinerary, picking them up in the morning and bringing them to their evening lodging. We will stay in a hotel in San Jose and lodges along the travel route.
Faculty Directors:
Dr. Steven Cohan, the coordinator of the Landscape Management Program at the University of Maryland, has an extensive plant genetics and horticulture background. His research interest is in the monitoring and development of green roof installations. Two faculty members of the University of Costa Rica, Dr. Amy Wong, a plant pathologist, and Dr. Julio Marias, an entomologist, are responsible for coordinating the itinerary and the accommodations. 
Grading and Credit: Students will enroll in either PLSC489C: Special Topics in Plant Science: Sustainable Tropical Ecosystems, or HONR379K: Honors Independent Study (3 credits).
Students are required to attend the orientation session which will be held before the fall semester's final week. They will also be given website references to orient them to the culture and Costa Rica's ecosystems. Detailed daily journals documenting the day's lectures and the students' perspectives will be submitted prior to the return departure. In addition, students will offer PowerPoint presentations on assigned topics before the students and faculty of the University of Costa Rica. The final grade will be based upon the students' journal and PowerPoint presentation.
Scholarships: The Study Abroad Office offers scholarships for undergraduate UM students to attend Winter Term programs. They are awarded based on academic achievement and financial need. The last day to apply for scholarships is Thursday, September 18, 2008.
Program Cost: The program fee of $2,800 includes tuition, lodging, group excursions, and required class activities. Students are responsible for personal expenses, most meals, and their own international airfare.
The study abroad office will suggest a group flight itinerary that each student is responsible for purchasing independently. Although flight costs are not guaranteed and will vary, we estimate round-trip airfare for this program from the Washington DC area to San Jose, Costa Rica will be approximately $750. Once admitted, you should expect to purchase the flight for the program a few weeks later, usually in mid-October.
Eligibility: This program is open to all students who have an interest in the environment and tropical ecology. Knowledge of Spanish is helpful, but not essential. Students need to have an interest in studying the impact of agricultural development on the Costa Rican ecosystems. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for admittance to the course.
Admissions for the program are made on a rolling basis, and decisions will be given in a timely manner. However, please be aware that decisions will not be made on a daily basis, so you should expect a delay between when you submit an application and when you receive notification. Because admission to winter programs is competitive and space is limited, early application is advisable. All required materials will be considered during the admission process.
This two-week, three-credit course will provide students the opportunity to experience another culture and acquire a comphrehension of 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 rainforest. The latter includes an option to view the rainforest from literally a bird's eye view via a suspended zip line. Sit visits will often be physically demanding.
Despite its small size, Costa Rica possesses five percent of the world's total biodiversity, in part due to its position as a transition zone between North and South 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.
Study Abroad Office
1101 Holzapfel Hall
College Park, MD 20742
P: 301-314-7746
F: 301-314-9135
1) A completed application (available at www.umd.edu/studyabroad)
2) A sealed official copy of your transcript from each college or university from which you earned at least nine credits (Freshmen: please submit high school transcript)
3) 150-300 word personal statement about yourself and what attracted you to this course. Indicate how participation in this program contributes to your overall academic planning and goals.
4) The name, telephone number, and email address of a University Faculty member who may act as a reference.
5)Non-refundable application fee-- check or money order for $30 made payable to the University of Maryland.
NOTE: If accepted to the program, your student account will be charged a $270 non-refundable deposit applicable to the total amount of the program fee. The deposit will only be redunded if a program is cancelled.
Last Day to Apply: Thursday, October 2, 2008.
For more information, contact Dr. Steven M. Cohan
Last updated: 05/14/2008