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Summer in Panama
LAS has combined forces with the College of Agriculture to offer
an extended international experience
Last summer's pilot international study program proved to be so successful
that the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Agriculture have decided
to take the next step.
That next step is a two-part program in Panama, Central America, from May
15 until July 10.
The first three weeks will consist of a three-hour credit course entitled
"Life and Culture in Panama." The course will be taught by professionals
from a number of disciplines and will examine a range of subjects from agricultural
production to zoological variations of life forms.
"We will combine classroom instruction with field trips, giving the
students opportunities to study Panama's history, geography, political system
and culture in an unparalleled fashion," said Mike Whiteford, professor
and chair of the anthropology department.
All students will be enrolled in Spanish conversation classes during the
first three weeks. Students do not need to be fluent in Spanish to participate
in the first part of the program.
"The first month is open to anyone that wants an international experience
that lasts more than a week," Whiteford said.
Whiteford is spearheading the program for LAS and will be on-site along
with Eduarda Becerra, program assistant in the College of Agriculture.
The second component of the program (June 7 to July 10) will be available
only to participants who have completed at least one year of college-level
Spanish with an average grade of B or better. Students will placed in internships
in Panama ranging from the study of sustainable cropping systems to involvement
with investigators at the Smithsonian Institute of Tropical Research.
Last summer, one of the seven participants Matthew Gleason, a political
science major and Naval ROTC student, combined his interests with an internship
at the Panama Maritime Authority.
"Internships are the things that make all the difference in the world
when a student starts applying for jobs," Whiteford said. "And
we want to make sure these internships are worthwhile."
The Panama participants will be based at La Ciudad del Saber (The City of
Knowledge). This recently-created educational and research facility is located
on a 250-acre campus on what used to be an U.S. military base at the Pacific
entrance to the Panama Canal. Students will be housed and given classroom
instruction on the campus.
"The program last summer was incredibly successful," Whiteford
said. "Panama is a wonderfully diverse country and there are some real
tantalizing aspects of the program that are possibilities at The City of
Knowledge."
Whiteford and Becerra are hoping to take at least 20 students this summer.
The cost for the three-week program is $1,700, while the entire seven-week
program is approximately $2,300. This includes airfare, lodging, instructional
fee, ground transportation and some meals.
"This program should be attractive for a fairly wide range of majors,"
Whiteford said. "There are a whole range of things that will make this
an interesting experience for our students."
Last year's pilot program included students with majors in political science,
biochemistry, environmental science and anthropology. 
Around LAS
February 5-11, 2001
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