Program Highlights & News Students explore the Azuero Region. What an experience!
Program Highlights & News
Students explore the Azuero Region. What an experience!
Panama City, Panama. July 14, 2011 – The first weeks of the Study Abroad Program’s agenda have been full of exciting activities: research planning, research site visits, Spanish immersion, excursions, and even a salsa class at Las Huellas Dance Studio,
where the students danced to the “1,2,3” rhythm of salsa music and learned new moves that will surely impress anyone!
On July 6th, the students successfully completed the Seminar on Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Latin America. Throughout the course, the group was instructed by specialists such as Dr. Tom Sever, UAHuntsville professor, archaeologist and expert in remote sensing and GIS (Geographic Information System) technology, Professor Robert Griffin, UAHuntsville instructor and remote sensing and GIS specialist and several of CATHALAC’s senior scientists and climate change experts.
Some of the topics that were covered in class were “Human Impacts on Ancient and Modern-day Environments”, “Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing”, “The Science of Climate Change” and “Resilience and Vulnerability in Latin America”. The students also received hands-on experience on GIS and GPS utilization.
As for trips, we had the opportunity to visit the beautiful Azuero Peninsula, located to the southwest of Panama City. On our way to Azuero, we stopped and had a picnic at the Altos de Campana National Park, which was the first National Park in Panama, established in 1966. It is home to more than 175 different bird species, reptiles and monkeys. From the park’s lookout, we were able to see the mouth of the Chame River as well as part of the Pacific coast. “Although we didn't have much time to spend at Altos de Campana National Park, our short picnic was still impressive. I have never had a lunch with such a spectacular view of mountains! Our group had the chance to take pictures of the breath taking view before departing this natural wonder”, says Tara Martin, UAHuntsville student.
Once in Azuero, we visited the Sarigua National Park, a 20,000-acre protected area. Our guide, volunteer Senobio Vega, took us to the Mangrove sites as well as the semi-desert areas of the park. “The Sarigua National Park is located on the coast of the Gulf of Parita, in the province of Herrera, and is known as the semi-desert of Panama. On our adventure to the park, we experienced extreme landscapes including deserts, muddy marshes, and cacti filled forests. The group found many different types of rocks and pottery when we explored the oldest Pre-Colombian Indian Village in Panama, which dates to 7000BC, located within the park. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable regarding the parks' history and made our muddy trenching and 6AM wake-up call all worthwhile”, said Melanie Gates, UAHuntsville student.
On that very same day, we drove to the Pedasi, a charming town located in the southernmost province of the Peninsula. Our first stop in Pedasi was at the Azuero Earth Project, a young organization with the mission of preserving the ecosystem, protecting biodiversity and promoting healthy communities in the Azuero Peninsula. We were greeted by Ruth Metzel, program director, who provided us with an introduction to the project and an overview of the ongoing research.
Our day ended with a visit to Playa Venao, a well-known surf beach in Pedasi, where we watched the sunset and had dinner. On Sunday morning, we headed to Isla Iguana, a 130-acres protected park that is the habitat of many seabirds, reptiles and marine species. The park also houses a 40-acres coral reef, one of the largest in Panama.
Nathasha Wood, a senior at the University of British Columbia shares her experience at Azuero: "Staying at the Pedasito Hotel was a treat for the whole group. We had a chance to grow closer while also learning about issues faced by the Azuero region. Isla Iguana was nothing short of paradise, providing us with yet another example of why this planet needs saving."
On the day we returned to the city, three students from UAHuntsville arrived to Panama City, to undertake an intensive six-week program on “Special Topics Course for Environmental Research in the Central American Region”. These students participated last year on the 8-week program and are back this year to work on their independent research.
The students have already started working intensively on their research projects: They have formally presented their work plans and have already made their site revisits. Their diligent work will be formally presented in the last week of the program, were students will have the opportunity to share their projects and ideas with a very diverse group of experts, research contributors, and representatives from both CATHALAC and UAHuntsville.
