Study abroad showcases New Zealand

 

Spectators around the world were introduced to the breathtaking scenery of New Zealand through The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. This year, thanks to a new study-abroad program sponsored by the College of Marine Studies through the University’s Center for International Studies, 11 UD undergraduates were able to travel to New Zealand to experience firsthand the natural beauty of the island country while learning about marine environments ranging from fjords to tidal pools. 

Guided by Craig Cary, professor of marine biology–biochemistry and director of the Center for Marine Environmental Genomics; Dave Hutchins, professor of oceanography; and Doug Miller, associate professor of oceanography, the students earned six credits in five weeks, learning the fundamentals of oceanography and marine habitats as they traveled. Each day brought a new adventure—hiking on a glacier or up a dormant volcano, seeing the millions of glowworms that inhabit limestone caves and singing underwater to dolphins.

“I learned that the Earth is way more beautiful than I ever could have imagined,” biochemistry major Stacy Spencer, AS ’07 says. “New Zealand has to be the best place in the world to study the ocean’s connection to the land and how they are in constant balance with each other.”

The students’ backgrounds were as diverse as the environment, including such majors as animal science, psychology and computer science. They praise the program and the professors, saying that the experience has both enriched their personal lives and opened their eyes to new career possibilities.

“I have never met a group of people as cohesive, adventurous, fun loving, easygoing and happily spirited as the students and professors who were on this journey,” art history major Kristine Andrews, AS ’06, says.

“Before I went on this trip, I thought my career was something I needed to do to make money to support myself,” Martha Depta, AG ’06, whose major is natural resources management, says. “Now, I think it is more important than that. I felt like a different person there, a better person. I felt like I could do anything.”