The Future of CHANCE
As CHANCE continues in its quest to educate students and teachers in conservation biology and global sustainability through its international field courses, the following is a list of goals set for the 2022-23 academic year:
Continue to offer a unique, short-term study abroad program, Global Conservation: Environmental Challenges Facing the Danube River, in Romania. Students throughout the Penn State system who will be sophomores, juniors, and seniors in spring of 2023 and eager to carry out undergraduate research are eligible to apply.
Ten qualified candidates will be selected to participate in this prominent binational two-part program scheduled for seven weeks, online (April and May), in spring, 2023 and three weeks, in-person, in summer (July), 2023. Selected participants will be awarded a fully funded trip to Romania, including domestic transportation, housing, meals, research facilities and materials, and entrances for planned cultural excursions and activities. International airfare and summer tuition is not included, but scholarships are available as well as guidance on the scholarship application process. This program will focus on interdisciplinary water issues confronting the sustainability of Danube Delta. Students will make a significant contribution to the scientific research that is seeking to preserve the ecosystems of this vital waterway.
Both online and in the field, students will engage in interdisciplinary research mentored by some of Romania’s top researchers from the University of Bucharest. Dedicated Penn State faculty mentors will also work closely with students, and through focused professional development activities binational student groups will design independent experiments; collect, record, and interpret data; and present their research findings at an international symposium. This binational program will build each participant’s network, research skills, workforce “soft” skills, global competency, while also building their resume and preparing them for the next steps in their academic and professional career.
Continue to implement Course-based Undergraduate Research (I-CURE)s in our field programs that address real-world issues in the ecosystems explored.
Continue to assess, evaluate, and improve all CHANCE educational elements through detailed data collection, analysis, and peer-reviewed publications.
Obtain additional funding from public and private funding sources to help reduce the overall cost for the international field-course component of our yearly program. Field-course funds are also used to provide honoraria to our field scientists and conservationists who devote endless hours carrying out authentic research and service-learning projects with our participants.
