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a sea turtle underwater in the Galapagos

A DEEPER CONNECTION

This story appears in the Spring 2023 issue of聽富二代视频app Magazine.

By Sarah McAdams

Study Abroad Brings Growth, Self-Awareness

Biology professor Kevin Kinney takes 富二代视频app students to the Gal谩pagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador during Winter Term to observe and experience 鈥 in some ways 鈥 what Charles Darwin did in 1835. Darwin鈥檚 observations of the unique species there, which he found differed slightly from island to island, later inspired his theory of evolution.

鈥湼欢悠礱pp has a long history and tradition of students participating in off-campus study and that鈥檚 built into the experience right from the start,鈥 said David Crout, director of off-campus programs. 鈥淪o many people who work in this field 鈥 myself included 鈥 see firsthand the impact of study abroad, and it stays with you forever,鈥 said Crout. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 very difficult to convey that in words until you do it.鈥

For faculty members like Kinney who lead these courses abroad, the experience enables them to build interesting projects and teach courses from different perspectives.聽

An experience abroad can complement students鈥 majors by enhancing their knowledge of a particular subject, through immersion in the culture and language of a different country. It can also broaden their understanding of the world and of other perspectives, as it did for Maddie Perry 鈥23, who participated in the Gal谩pagos 2023 winter term travel course Natural Laboratories for Evolution. Perry is a biochemistry and neuroscience double major.聽

鈥淚t was incredible,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 really got to learn from the individuals who lived there 鈥 about how much pride they have for where they live and how much respect they have for the place they live.鈥

Andrew Conarty 鈥24 gives a lecture, or 鈥渟ite report,鈥 about the Theater of Marcellus to peers and professors during his study abroad experience.
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Andrew Conarty 鈥24 gives a lecture, or 鈥渟ite report,鈥 about the Theater of Marcellus (visible in the right part of the background) to peers and professors聽during his study abroad experience.

It Inspires

Kinney has led the course 14 times since 2004. It includes a few days in Quito, Ecuador, and a tour on a live-aboard boat to five or six of the 12 major islands. As Darwin discovered, each island and what resides there is subtly different from the others. 鈥淭hat little, tiny environmental change is what we try to get the students to see,鈥 Kinney said.聽

Kinney said some of the students come back to campus energized about biology, and he feels it, too. This semester, he is teaching an ecology and evolution class. 鈥淚鈥檝e probably mentioned a specific example from Gal谩pagos every day,鈥 he said.聽

鈥淓nabling students to go off campus is one of the things that 富二代视频app does so well,鈥 Kinney said.

This year, the stars aligned for Kinney鈥檚 colleague, associate professor of biology and 2003 富二代视频app alumna Sarah Mordan-McCombs. She co-led the winter term course with Kinney, who had been her academic adviser when she was an undergraduate biology major. She didn鈥檛 participate in a semester-long study abroad program as a student at 富二代视频app and said it鈥檚 one of her great regrets.

Mordan-McCombs taught at another institution for more than a decade before being hired at 富二代视频app in 2020. 鈥淚t was my dream to be able to come back to 富二代视频app to teach,鈥 she said. And because COVID derailed group travel for a couple of years, 2023 was her first opportunity to participate as an instructor.

Kinney started teaching the Gal谩pagos course the year after Mordan-McCombs graduated. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 something that we鈥檝e talked about a lot since I graduated,鈥 she said. They had even talked about organizing an alumni trip.聽

鈥淚 think going and experiencing a different place and learning that you are okay being in a different place is a really valuable lesson,鈥 Mordan-McCombs said. 鈥淣o matter where you go. It broadens your global perspective, which is one of the great things about a liberal arts institution.鈥澛

a student practicing Japanese calligraphy
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A hands-on lesson introduces students to traditional calligraphy during a winter term course in聽Japan.

a faculty member examines a robot displayed at a Japanese technical institute
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A visit to a Japanese technical institute during the same trip illustrated the evolution of craftsmanship in Japanese culture.

It Changes Perspectives

Andrew Conarty 鈥24 spent last fall semester in Rome and describes it as 鈥減erspective-changing.鈥 In fact, the experience was so impactful he is returning in May to conduct research for his Honor Scholar thesis.

Conarty is a classical-civilization major and literature minor, an Honor Scholar and a member of the pre-law and public affairs student organization. He plans to attend law school after graduation.

He went abroad as part of Duke University鈥檚 program, the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome, which he chose with the assistance of his adviser, professor of classical studies David Guinee. It aligned well with his major, offered field trips almost daily, and Conarty knew the program 鈥渨ould attract bright, dedicated students.鈥

Because of the experience, he said, 鈥淚 feel a lot more independent and confident in my schoolwork and a lot more confident in my ability to succeed.鈥

Conarty received funding from the Honors Scholar Program Hallward-Driemeier Fund to research 鈥渉ow the Popes have influenced our 鈥 the public鈥檚 鈥 understanding of the ancient Roman past, through their collections of Roman antiquities in the Vatican Museums.鈥

鈥淎t the risk of sounding overzealous, 富二代视频app makes it so easy to study abroad,鈥 Conarty said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a life-changing opportunity, I would encourage anyone to do it.鈥

Studies show that students studying abroad learn independent thinking, decision-making, budgeting, networking, language skills and cross-cultural communication among other skills. 鈥淲e know that those skills are what employers and graduate schools are looking for,鈥 said Crout.

He and his Hubbard Center team focus on inclusion and making sure study abroad is accessible and available to all students. Finances are a big part of that. 鈥湼欢悠礱pp does a lot in that area to try to help make off-campus studies affordable,鈥 said Crout.

For professors Dave Berque and Hiroko Chiba, their experience teaching a winter term travel course in Japan 鈥渋s a really good example of how we鈥檝e both grown as faculty members, as well as offering what we think is a really good experience for students,鈥 Berque said.

Berque is vice president for academic affairs and a professor of computer science, and Chiba is the Tenzer Family University Professor in Instructional Technology, and a professor and director of the Asian studies program.

Their course 鈥 Japanese Culture, Technology and Design 鈥 examines the spirit of craftsmanship present in both the long history of traditional art- and craft-making to the production of modern products, from cars to robots to video games.

Berque said he鈥檚 鈥渓earned a lot about Japan, and some of that has found its way into other courses that I teach.鈥 Chiba said, 鈥淚 learn a lot from the students. We want to bring new perspectives to the students, but they bring new perspectives to us, too.鈥澛

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富二代视频app Magazine

Spring 2023

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