Student Explore the Amazon and Beyond

Professors Lorri Krebs and Marcos Luna led a group of 24 through a variety of ecosystems to explore sustainability, tourism development and environmental justice issues. The hands-on classrooms of deserts, rainforest, ocean islands and spiritual meccas were platforms for the rigorous 13-day itinerary. 

All returned to campus relatively unscathed with only a few bug bites, but a plethora of experiences beyond compare. We were fortunate to have wonderful guides lead us through the jungle to identify birds, plants and insects. We learned traditional fishing techniques and a few students even caught local species such as piranha, which were cooked up and shared. We were shown how the local people use all parts of fish, from earrings made of scales to utilizing teeth for sharpening blow darts. We visited traditional villages in Iquitos, Amazon, an Oasis in the desert of Huacachina, Paracas and the wonders of the Nazca Lines and other geoglyphs, the cultural centers of Cusco and Lima, and the spiritual retreat of the Sacred Valley.

Students also participated in Andean Rituals, explored Machu Picchu, flew in small planes over archaeological wonders, and in boats through the ocean to experience the marine biodiversity of the Ballestas Islands. We even got a glimpse of pink dolphins, sea wolves, a three-toed sloth, monkeys, macaws and penguins in the wild!

Please look for how these experiences impacted our students and their learning at Undergraduate Research Day on May 2nd where they will present posters and explain how they could see the theories they studied, in practice.