ED41E-01
Internationalizing Graduate Education in Marine Sciences at the University of Connecticut
Graduate education in oceanography at the University of Connecticut includes training in the cross-disciplinary
analysis of patterns and processes in the coastal ocean, as well as global studies of biodiversity and
geochemistry in the context of climate change. In order to internationalize graduate education and research
training across disciplines, the Department of Marine Sciences has created both formal and informal
international partnerships. A Training, Internships, Education and Scholarship Partnership (TIES) grant with the
Universidad Autonoma de Baja California (Mexico) has sponsored graduate student exchanges;
partnership with the Universidad de Los Lagos (Chile) has focused on integrating research with environmental
management needs; cooperation with Shanghai Fisheries University (China) has allowed faculty and student
exchanges. Recently, the Program of the Americas supported graduate research at UConn and an international
graduate course on zooplankton and global change. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation supports an international
Census of Marine Life project at UConn, and provides funds for graduate student exchanges and training
courses. Funding from NSF International Programs is supporting expanded UConn ties and student exchanges
with South African institutions. In sum, these programs help ensure that our graduate students develop an
international perspective and global understanding of issues and research efforts in marine sciences.
http:www.marinesciences.uconn.edu
ED41E-02
Earth Hazards Consortium: a Novel Approach to Student Education in Geoscience
The Earth Hazards (Ehaz) consortium consists of six research-based universities in the United States (Michigan
Technological University, University of New York at Buffalo), Canada (McGill University, Simon Fraser University)
and Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Universidad de Colima) funded by the U.S.
Department of Education, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, and the Secretaría de
Educación Pública of Mexico, as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The objective of the
consortium is to expose students to a wide variety of scientific and cultural perspectives in the mitigation of
geological natural hazards in North America. This four-year program is multi-faceted, including student
exchanges, graduate level, web-based courses in volcanology, and intensive group field trips. In 2005 to 2006, a
total of 27 students were mobilized among the three countries. In this first year, the videoconferencing course
focused on caldera "Supervolcanoes" with weekly discussion leaders from various fields of volcanology. At the
end of the course the students participated in a field trip to Long Valley and Yellowstone calderas. Also during the
first year of the program, Mexico hosted an International Course on Volcanic Hazards Map Construction. The
course was attended by graduate students from Mexico and the United States, included lectures from noted guest
speakers, and involved a field trip to Popocatépetl volcano. The multi-university course focus for 2007 is
Volcanic Edifice Failure with a field trip planned in August 2007 to the Cascades and Western Canada. A student
survey from 2006 demonstrated that (1) during the videoconferencing the students benefited by the weekly
interaction with well-known volcanologists at the top of their field, (2) the field trip provided an outstanding
opportunity for participants to link the theoretical concepts covered during the course with the field aspects of
supervolcano systems, as well as the opportunity to network amongst their peers, and (3) students who went
abroad indicate that the program provided support for internship opportunities contributing to their professional
development, in addition to gaining a unique cultural experience. Changes for 2007, based on student feedback,
include an hour of class time dedicated to student-student interaction in which the class participants discuss the
science together as a group before meeting with the speaker, and the addition of student moderators who
stimulate discussion and handle questions for the guest speakers. The course and field trip focus for 2008 is
Convergent Plate Boundary Volcanism/Mexican Volcanic Belt. The consortium welcomes participation in the EHaz
program from interested discussion leaders, students, and education specialists in teaching and learning
http:www.geo.mtu.edu/EHaz/index.htm