Institute of the Environment: Thailand

Sustainable Ecosystems, June 23 - July 27, 2009

Participate this summer in a community-based, integrated, social and natural science field research program. You'll engage in sustainability research, intercultural activities, and fieldwork. The academic portion of the program focuses on social and ecological theories, research methods, and analysis along with international policy and practice. And you'll use that knowledge as you join Thai villagers and organizations in community service.

The first week is spent in Bangkok meeting USAID, IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials, green social entrepreneurs, and nonprofit organizations. Afterwards, the group will travel to the North Andaman Region, just north of Phuket Island. You'll learn from local community and conservation leaders, and, in particular, Thai villagers striving to create sustainable communities by restoring tsunami-damaged ecosystems, enhancing biodiversity, and building resilience to climate change. Your capstone activity is a mentored community-based research project analyzing social and ecological dimensions of a local sustainability issue.

Directed by Michael Silverman, UCLA Institute of the Environment, and Rebecca Shipe, UCLA Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Institute of the Environment.

Financial aid is available to qualified UCLA students. All other students should inquire about financial aid at their home institution.More detailed information about  the Global Studies Summer Travel program, including online registration, syllabi, dates, fees, and financial aid, is available on the UCLA Summer Travel Study website,

For more info please contact:
UCLA Travel Study Programs
(310) 825-4995
ieo@international.ucla.edu

Published: Thursday, February 12, 2009

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