Undergraduate TLO Awards Round 2

The intent is to offer students of Spanish the opportunity to study abroad for a summer term. From an academic point of view, and depending on their possibilities and interests, over a period of six weeks they will take three, six or nine credits. From a non-academic point of view, the program enhances their linguistic competency in Spanish and exposes them to the culture first-hand. In an experience of full immersion the learning process goes on after class, since students are lodged with local host families, with whom they have two meals daily, and use their Spanish for every day activities, such as meeting people, getting around with public transportation, visiting museums, etc.

While students get chances to meet as a UNF group, mainly during class related activities and excursions, they are largely independent, especially during weekends. Thus, they have to deal with many situations that require them to adapt both linguistically and culturally. I believe this is what makes this experience truly transformational, since once students learn to adapt to other cultures, their perspective on their own culture will be forever enriched and transformed.

I envision UNF becoming known as a University that provides students one of the best public policy programs in the nation. To do so, it must develop an active internship program along the lines described by Dr. Mary Borg in her TLO application which would give students the crucial practical experience in policy required for success in policy-oriented careers. It must also develop a practical policy oriented program which provides students with the academic and policy oriented background necessary to succeed in today's competitive environment. Therefore, I propose establishing a public policy program which would take the top UNF students interested in public policy each semester. They would take an intensive public policy course which would 1) choose a topic of interest to the group; 2) develop a policy position on the subject; 3) develop a public campaign aimed at policy officials in Congress, the White House, and international institutions (letters, op-eds, media interviews); and 4) include a trip to the relevant policy makers in DC and the UN (if relevant) to press officials to accept the policy position advocated by the class. Local travel in Jacksonville and possibly to Tallahassee is possible as well.

Such a class would not only inform students of the policy issue but it would also teach them about the policy process and how it works - or doesn't work. In the course of the class, the students would learn about public affairs as well, including how to write opeds, and how to deal with the media. It would also help them learn to work in a cooperative experience as the class as a whole would produce the products.

In many respects, our unit offers a plethora of opportunities for transformational learning on a daily basis, e.g., applied lessons, large and small ensemble experiences, touring, artists-in-residences, community outreach, and so on. The list is extensive, but not the least of these is the opportunity to travel and perform. As a teacher and performer, music has, and continues to provide me innumerable life altering experiences via performing for diverse cultures and academic environments. They changed my life and those of my students. After 32 years of teaching, a week does not go by that I don't hear from a former student, reminding me of an experience that was afforded them during their formative years.

With that in mind, we will be applying to perform at Carnegie Hall during the spring 2008 concert season. As you may be aware, the UNF Wind Ensemble was awarded such an opportunity this past April, but had to decline due to insufficient funding. The estimated time frame of five days includes travel to New York, two dress rehearsals and performance at Carnegie Hall, related recruiting performances and masterclasses at area high schools and attendance at metropolitan New York cultural events and institutions.

Securing a performance at Carnegie Hall and the accompanying activities endures as one of the true benchmark achievements in the career of any musical artist and by all definitions, has the potential to provide a life-altering transformational learning experience for our music students.

The purpose of Political Studies Abroad is to directly acquaint students with political culture and political institutions of other countries. This course will give students learning opportunities regarding the politics, public administration, and culture of Korea. Students will learn the politics and culture of this country through interactions with their peer groups and site visits. South Korea (Republic of Korea) has very unique history, culture, and political institutions due to its important geopolitical location in Far East Asia. Also, the division and reunification movement between South Korea and North Korea are very important and current important topics regarding this country.

Instead of a typical packaged tour, this study abroad course will have a place-based and inter-cultural course format. UNF students will meet Korean college students, and work on a research project together in addition to lectures, site visits, and tours. This study abroad course consists of campus meetings for administration and primary information about Korea and an actual field trip to South Korea. The trip includes Seoul, capital of South Korea, and Kyung Nam University at Masan City located in the southern part of South Korea. Masan has been a Sister City of Jacksonville for more than 20 years. Masan is located in the southeast coast of South Korea, and is 35 miles west of Pusan (second largest city), and 400 miles south of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Masan has about a half million population, and the Metro area has about 1.5 million. Kyung Nam University is the UNF sister university in South Korea. Kyung Nam University was founded in 1946, and today it has 6 colleges, 19 undergraduates, 10 departments, and 6 graduate schools. Kyung Nam University is one of the leading universities in Korea. The University is the partner of this study abroad class. This University will provide a special counterpart class of students for group research, as well as housing facilities during our stay on the campus, meals, and some institutional visits and tours.

Why China? Adjusted for purchasing power differentials, China is already the world's second largest economy. If current trends continue, China will surpass the U.S. to become the world's largest economy (in purchasing power parity terms) in two decades - possibly sooner. This forecast points to market and marketing developments of significant consequences to nations, business and other constituents/participants in the global economy. Due to a combination of factors not present at any other time in history, China's accelerating growth is unique and effectively dealing with China as a trading partner and a geo-political entity requires an understanding of the underlying growth factors and their implications for marketing in and out of China.

Strategy - the course provides the undergraduate students with an opportunity to understand the culture of doing business in China and a first hand experience with executives, companies, and the markets in which they operate. Company visits include selected U.S. multinationals operating in China to discuss their manufacturing/outsourcing, marketing, and related supply chain management activities. Shenzhen is the hub of international fashion brand outsourcers manufacturing operations under license and Guangzhou is the headquarters of the majority of multinationals' manufacturing and supply chain management operations in China.

This is a Study Abroad to Argentina, offered every Spring term since 2004. This study abroad course is an excellent opportunity to experience the business and academic issues in one of the most important countries of Latin America. The trip includes visits to businesses and to the Universidad Austral, a prestigious private institution with locations in Buenos Aires and Rosario. Students will interact with Argentine students, faculty and businessmen and attend lectures/presentations addressing current economic and social issues in Argentina. This course is aimed to students with interests in business with Latin America, economic development and international economics and business. Students will prepare for the trip by conducting research on key aspects of the country's history, culture, business practices and economy. Students will have the opportunity to experience the richness of its culture and history.

This Course comprises meetings before our return and after departure as well as numerous activities during the trip. Students are required to meet five times for two hours before departure and two times after the trip. During the trip there are several required business and cultural visits, which students have to attend and participate actively. The trip happens during Spring Break (Friday to Sunday).

The proposed study is designed to focus on the likelihood that green mussels will become a significant invasive specie with the potential for having harmful effects on native species in Florida and the rest of the United States or even considerable economic effects. One attribute that has often been shown to correlate to the invasive ability of a newly introduced species is the amount of genetic variation in the founding population. Genetic variation is positively correlated to invasive success in many species including several species of mussels (i.e.: zebra mussels, quagga mussels and brown mussels). High genetic variability can increase the chances that a new invader will be able to adapt to both the physical and biological differences of its new habitat. Therefore, a basis of the proposed study is to determine the overall genetic variation in introduced green mussel populations in Florida and compare it to that of the likely source populations in the Caribbean.

It is hoped that the results of this study can be used to support future grant proposals to organizations such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), Florida SeaGrant, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The green mussel has the potential to provide a long term local study system for me and potentially others in the UNF biology department. From the perspective of the involved students, the project will provide them with valuable research experience in the fields of ecological genetics and invasive species biology. It will also provide them with contacts at both universities and state agencies that may be helpful in obtaining jobs or graduate positions upon completion of their degree at UNF. Each student will also have the opportunity to travel to a conference where they will present their data and will be able to interact with other scientists providing them with a significant networking opportunity.

During summer 2006, partially funded by a UNF International Faculty Travel Grant, I traveled to Europe to prepare the study abroad course “Culture and Psychology in Europe” which will be offered for undergraduate psychology students in Summer 2007. The applicant together with Dr. Tuason, another Assistant professor in the UNF Psychology department, will travel with 20 UNF students to Germany and Austria for a period of 11 days, from June 25 to July 5.

The goal of this course is to study the historical and cultural roots of psychology in Europe and the influence of culture on peoples' thinking and behavior. The focus of this course is on project-based and experiential learning. The first part of this course will be at UNF, the second part will be a visit of historical and cultural sites in Europe (especially those related to the discipline of Psychology) with many opportunities to meet people there.

• Part 1: The first part of the course at UNF introduces essential concepts in the field of Cross-cultural and Cultural Psychology. The concept of culture will be defined and different approaches and findings in the study of culture and psychology will be highlighted. During this part we will also prepare for the trip.
• Part 2: The second part of this course will take place in Europe. We will meet with students and faculty members at various locations in Europe, i.e., Vienna, Munich, Bamberg. In Leipzig we will visit two Max Planck Institutes. The UNF students will experience cultural similarities and differences in the various locations and meetings and learn about the culture and history of Europe during these 11 days.

The UNF Environmental Center is sponsoring a Multidisciplinary Transformational Learning Opportunity focused on the economic, political, sociological, cultural, anthropological, historical, scientific, hydrologic, and engineering aspects of the St. Johns River. A key part of our spring 2007 MTLO is a week long immersion experience in which the students will travel about 200 miles of the river, by airboat and houseboat. Our logistical leader is Captain David Girardin, a UNF graduate, who recently retired from 29 years of service to the St. Johns River Water Management District. Mr. Girardin is a trained naturalist and for 10 years or so, managed field operations for the SJRWMD. We will schedule guest speakers and guest river experts to give presentations onboard and at significant sites along the river and its tributaries (see tentative itinerary below). Students will be responsible for projects related to the river in the context of their major disciplines

The St. Johns MTLO will be integrated into five existing courses scheduled for spring 2007 by professors Nancy Winterbauer (Medical/Cultural Anthropology), Nick Hudyma (Geo-Engineering/Soil Science), Ray Bowman (Environmental Chemistry*), Jace Hargis (Science Education) and a faculty member in Sociology. Dr. Hargis, the MTLO Project Manager, has real-world experience as an environmental engineer and has recently conducted several student trips by rail across the U.S. and Europe. In each of the five participating MTLO courses, all students enrolled will engage in disciplinary discussions and assignments related to the St. Johns River. A cross-section of “qualified” students will be selected through an application process to participate in the field event, a week long trip on the St. Johns River. During the trip, students will be fully involved with activities on the water including guest speakers; water sampling and analysis, discussion groups, tours guided by local professionals (park rangers, naturalists, historians, anthropologists, etc.) and completion of projects assigned by their professor. A Project Team approach will be used as each student will have unique expertise which they will be able to employ from the perspective of their major discipline and to share with the other students on the field event.

Geotechnical engineering, a subset of civil engineering, can be broadly described as the design, construction, and monitoring of structures on or beneath the ground surface; the characterization of geological materials for construction; and the influence of geology on the built environment. In engineering practice, geotechnical engineers focus on three areas: field investigations, laboratory investigations, and geotechnical design. This Transformational Learning Opportunity (TLO) proposes to expand the traditionally under emphasized geotechnical field investigation educational experience by having students conduct an actual site investigation using state-of-practice and state-of-the-art site characterization tools.

Students will conduct an actual field investigation using both state-of-practice and state-of-the-art geotechnical engineering field characterization tools. Once all of the field data has been collected, students will analyze all of the data and produce a site characterization report, which will include an oral presentation.

This course examines and discusses business ethics in the context of global corporate accountability. It incorporates the effects of codes of professional conduct and global organizations on US business and policy.

To accomplish the goals outlined above, several references are included. While some of the readings are religious-based, they provide an opportunity to not only focus on the pros and cons of any particular religion, but to also consider interpretations related to business ethics in the contexts of other religions.

Widely regarded as a humanitarian city, Geneva is a perfect geographical location for studying business ethics. Geneva is home to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the World Economic Forum's Global Corporate Citizenship Initiative (GCCI); and the nearby city of Celigny is home to the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Institute. Earlier this year, fourteen of the world's largest investment companies launched a report for the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI). The report, entitled "Show Me the Money", confirms the growing importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns to the global investment industry. UNEP FI is a unique public-private partnership between UNEP and more than 160 banks, insurers, and asset managers. (see HYPERLINK "http://www.csrwire.com/synd/business-ethics/article.cgi/5957.html" http://www.csrwire.com/synd/business-ethics/article.cgi/5957.html) Similarly, GCCI's initiatives include corporate accountability and social responsibility. In summary, Geneva provides an excellent location for the study of business ethics.

This course provides a unique opportunity to study business ethics in an appropriate geographical setting for any interested undergraduate student. Recent events in corporate America have demonstrated the destructive effects that occur when the leadership of a company does not behave ethically. Cases in point are Enron, WorldCom, and Arthur Andersen.

Stones & Crosses: Reading Ritual and Symbolic Landscapes from Ancient Britain.

Students and the professors will travel to Ireland and Scotland Spring Break 2008 for the research component of a Common Boundary experience linking ANT 4241 Anthropology of Religion with LIT 4931: Culture Studies: Celtic Spirituality. Students will have researched a passage tomb or Celtic Cross utilizing textual sources on campus; during the trip, they will encounter and experience the text in its specific ritual landscape. The paper and presentation for the classes will evaluate the process of coming to understand the complexity of the text first from documents and then in context.

The International Cross-Cultural Awareness course (EDG 4990 and/or EDG 2701) will be a total three-week cross-cultural exchange for our native UNF students to gain an understanding and appreciation of students from the Central American Country of Belize. UNF has had a long, successful working relationship with all levels of education in Belize including primary, secondary, tertiary, and beyond. Belize is an English speaking nation in Central America that has a majority of its people who would be considered minority in the United States. Although the official language is English, other commonly spoken languages include English Creole, Spanish, Garifuna, and Mayan Ketchi.

Fifteen (15) UNF students will be recruited and selected to participate in this Transformational Learning Experience. Preference will be given to education majors and minors but others will be accepted on a space available basis. During the Study Abroad Fair conducted on September 26, 2006, more than 30 UNF students signed an interest log indicating that they would be interested in participating in the Belize Study Abroad experience if offered during the 2007 school year. The majority of these students were either education majors or minors. Since the Study Abroad Fair, we have received additional email inquiries from other students expressing their interest in participating in this study abroad opportunity.

The activity for which financial support is requested is a new study abroad tour that brings students to visit two growing economies in Asian - Taiwan and China. This course will provide students with the unique opportunity to understand the complicated mix of historical, political, and economic issues between the two countries.

The Republic of China, established in 1911 following the overthrown of Qing (Manchu) dynasty, went through a civil war in 1949 that split the country into two political regimes - China (People's Republic of China, or PROC) and Taiwan (Republic of China, or ROC). In the three decades that followed, China went through its worst years of economic reform. The unsuccessful “Culture Revolution” and “Great Leap Forward” misallocated resources and created economic stagnation, keeping China a lowly-developed country. During the same period, Taiwan (Republic of China) experienced transition toward full democracy and an astonishingly rapid economic growth that surprised the world. The high growth rate and industrialization elevated the Taiwanese economy to join the rank of Hong-Kong, Singapore, and South Korea, collectively known as Asia's Four Little Dragon.

Near the end of the 20th century, China started to push for a socialist market reform and open up to the outside world. In the next two decades, China successfully transformed its economy by attracting enormous foreign investment with its low wage rate and massive labor force, and becoming the world's factory. The expanding economy in China created both opportunities and challenges to the neighboring Taiwan. On the one hand, the low wage rates in China allow Taiwan manufactures in China to lower production cost. Sharing the common language, culture background, and short distance across the Taiwan strait not only facilitate the process but also make the China market even more accessible to Taiwan businesses than to other foreign competitors. One the other hand, worry arises that the migration of manufacturers and outflow of investment to Mainland China may throw Taiwan's domestic economy into recession. And Taiwan's increasing dependence on China's input and output markets posed a potential threat to the national security and is regarded as politically undesirable for Taiwan.

This application requests funding to support an international student internship experience for students in the College of Education and Human Services. The funding will cover three semesters, Spring 2007/Summer 2007 and Spring 2008. The budgets will be presented separately to reflect the two academic calendar years funding is needed. It is anticipated that funding will serve as seed and transition monies as other sources of funding will be explored including COEHS allocation of funds. Students in the College of Education and Human Services will have an opportunity to participate in a three week teaching internship in elementary, special education and physical education classes in schools in Plymouth, England as part of their semester long internship experience. In addition, students in the Sports Management major will be able to participate in a field/internship experience in a sport or health maintenance related facility.

All experiences will require students to spend four full days a week in schools or placements and one day a week on the campus attending seminars and using the resources provided to them by their mentors at the host university. The students will be living on the campus of the College of St. Mark and St. John (Marjon) and will receive seminars and supervision from Marjon faculty and faculty from UNF. Marjon has a distinguished 150 year history and has been affiliated with the University of Exeter which accredits it to run undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degree awards since 1991. It is ranked as the #1 best teacher preparation program in South West England. Marjon is located near the city of Plymouth and the Moors, in Southwest England. It offers students' many scenic and historical opportunities in a multicultural community. Plymouth is a center for first and second generation immigrants from African and East and West Asian countries. For example, students have the opportunity to visit The Mayflower steps where the Pilgrims sailed for America in 1620 as well as to tour the Moors viewing historical battlefields and unfamiliar topography. There are frequent rail services to London Paddington station in the heart one of the world's most vibrant and diverse cities, as well as linkages to other cities in England and Wales. Participants will be able to visit London during their stay, and participate in its culture and diversity.

The study tour to Italy offered by the Department of Art and Design lasts approximately two weeks. The dates of the 2007 program are June 11-25. Paul Ladnier will offer the fine arts component by supervising painting, drawing and photography on site. Debra Murphy leads the art history lectures and walking tours to museums, archeological sites and architectural monuments. The courses are scheduled for the summer C semester. Students are required to meet regularly before departure. They learn not only about the course content but they also receive orientation to the culture of Italy. Topics of discussion include patronage, city planning, materials and techniques, restoration, archeology, the history of Italy, geography and topography. Students meet after the tour for class discussions about the impact of the tour, to share their art work and journals and to complete the final exam.

The goals of the experience are for the students to “be able to identify major works in the cities visited and discuss them according to characteristics of period and artist's style; be able to locate major works on a map of the city and know which of the major museums, galleries or churches hold significant works of art; understand the history of the important institutions (church and state) of each of the sites visited.”

Various studies conducted across the globe envisage India to be a major economic power in the 21st century. According to experts, the GDP of India is expected to rise from 6 per cent to 11 per cent by 2025, thereby making it the third cornerstone in the global economy after United States and China. The main driver of foreign interest in India has been its large consumer base and manufacturing sector, where low resource and labor costs has given it its competitive advantage. For one, the offshore outsourcing of information systems has grown vertiginously in recent years. On the other hand, the number of manufacturing firms moving their production facilities into India has also increased. In summary, the influx of diverse sectors, service as well as manufacturing, into India is growing rapidly. But, the notable thing about India's rise is that its path has been unique. Rather than adopting the classic Asian strategy - exporting labor-intensive, low-priced manufactured goods to the West - India has relied on its domestic market more than exports, consumption more than investment, services more than industry, and high-tech more than low-skilled manufacturing. This unique strategy means that the Indian economy will continue to be (1) sustainable for decades and (2) insulated from global downturns, depicting a degree of stability that will be as impressive as its expansion. Subsequently, many American as well as European companies are contemplating on moving crucial parts of their businesses to India.

The renewed economic stature of India has forced American companies to understand the cultural as well as business practices in this nation. For our students, this recognition presents a unique opportunity to equip themselves with experiences that could give them a competitive advantage over others, making them more marketable in the global arena. The goal of this study abroad program is to address this unique opportunity and equip our students with indispensable and a much needed experience. More specifically, through exposure to diverse cultural and business practices of this fast developing nation, this study abroad program is expected to be a life enriching as well as transformational experience for our UNF students.

This will be a 20 day study abroad and service learning experience that will allow students to experience firsthand the ecological diversity of South America while obtaining a greater understanding of the peoples and cultures of Ecuador. Students will be immersed in culture and environment through experiential and service-learning activities that demand their interaction with the local communities. All student participants will enroll in a 3-credit hour spring semester course on Global Ecology and Development; the summer trip itself will incorporate a 1-credit science field course and a 1 -credit service learning course.

The study abroad trip will take place May 27 - June 16,2008. Honors is working with Ecuador Nature Expeditions and Robby Delgado, a naturalist guide who has worked with National Geographic, to coordinate this trip. Robby Delgado has served as the primary guide for the last two Honors service learning trips to Ecuador and understands well the Honors educational goals and experiential pedagogy. The trip will allow the students to engage the country and its people in each of its four main regions, the Amazon, the Andes mountains, the coastal region, and the Galapagos islands. In each region students will get a unique perspective about how the environment shapes every aspect of the culture of this country. The trip will begin in the historic capital of Quito, which will serve as a base for exploration of the Andes, including the market at Otovalo. The class will then proceed to the Pacific coast for seven days of living and working in the fishing village of Cojirnies. This is the hometown of our local contact, Robby Delgado. Here students will investigate the ecology of mangroves, estuaries, coastal rainforest, and the ocean. Students will work alongside local fisherman to understand how the economy of this small village works. Additionally, students will carry out a service learning project, working with the Escuela Manual Maria Sanchez elementary school.

Two projects have been identified through discussions with Principal Cevallos of the school. First the class will build school desks for the children of this under-funded school. The school currently serves 500 children in first - seventh grade but does not have enough seating for them all. The UNF students will work with local carpenters the elementary school students themselves to paint the finished products. The second project will be environmental education at the school. Our class will work with the Principal and faculty to adapt an environmental curriculum to be taught in the school. Dr. Paulson and Ms. Burk will coach the teachers on pedagogical methods. Each of the lesson plans will have a local service project attached to it. One of these lessons will be about beach trash and marine life, which will be carried out during the time that the UNF group is there. The class will plan and implement out a massive coastal clean-up around the beach and town with all of the elementary school children working in groups with the UNF students and faculty. The participants will then return to the school and work with the teachers and students to debrief and reflect on the impact of the project.

The Finance and Investment Society (FIS), a student group consisting primarily of finance majors, seeks to take 10 students on a finance trip to Chicago from March 27-31. The trip would involve:

• Financial Management Association Leadership conference
• Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board of Trade tours
• Morningstar tour

Choral Tour to Portugal May 10-19, 2007 performing and collaborating with Portuguese choral groups and composers. Preparing during the 2006-7 school year (two terms) through the study of Portuguese repertoire, language, and culture.

The leader is a global citizen as well as a guest artist (conductor and singer) to Portugal on several occasions in the past four years. The leader has experience working as a group leader with The Experiment in International Living, leading American students on summer cultural immersions within Europe. The leader has proficiency in the language and several connections with Portuguese universities and cultural centers that need to be developed in this way, as soon as possible, for UNF to build on in the future.

A group of 15 students will be taken to Japan (Tokyo and Toyota City) and China (Beijing) on a study abroad tour during the period May 5 - 13, 2007. There will be an intense campus component prior to departure, and follow up class after the trip. The tour includes an integral mix of business, educational, and cultural visits to expose students to the integration of these concepts in American, Capitalist Asian, and Communist Asian businesses.

The tentative schedule includes business visits to KPMG, Medtronic, Toyota, Johnson & Johnson, JP Morgan, and Tai Mak International. A university visit to our sister school of Beijing International Studies University (BISU) is planned, where students will interact with Chinese accounting students (1) before the trip through email and instant messenger, (2) during the trip where BISU students will actually stay with us in the hotel and we will visit their campus and classes, and (3) after the trip through follow up communications. Cultural visits include Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall of China.

I envision UNF becoming known as a University that provides students one of the best public policy programs in the nation. To do so, it must develop an active internship program along the lines described by Dr. Mary Borg in her TLO application which would give students the crucial practical experience in policy required for success in policy-oriented careers. It must also develop a practical policy oriented program which provides students with the academic and policy oriented background necessary to succeed in today's competitive environment. Therefore, I propose establishing a public policy program which would take the top UNF students interested in public policy each semester. They would take an intensive public policy course which would 1) choose a topic of interest to the group; 2) develop a policy position on the subject; 3) develop a public campaign aimed at policy officials in Congress, the White House, and international institutions (letters, op-eds, media interviews); and 4) include a trip to the relevant policy makers in DC and the UN (if relevant) to press officials to accept the policy position advocated by the class. Local travel in Jacksonville and possibly to Tallahassee is possible as well.

Such a class would not only inform students of the policy issue but it would also teach them about the policy process and how it works - or doesn't work. In the course of the class, the students would learn about public affairs as well, including how to write opeds, and how to deal with the media. It would also help them learn to work in a cooperative experience as the class as a whole would produce the products.

In many respects, our unit offers a plethora of opportunities for transformational learning on a daily basis, e.g., applied lessons, large and small ensemble experiences, touring, artists-in-residences, community outreach, and so on. The list is extensive, but not the least of these is the opportunity to travel and perform. As a teacher and performer, music has, and continues to provide me innumerable life altering experiences via performing for diverse cultures and academic environments. They changed my life and those of my students. After 32 years of teaching, a week does not go by that I don't hear from a former student, reminding me of an experience that was afforded them during their formative years.

With that in mind, we will be applying to perform at Carnegie Hall during the spring 2008 concert season. As you may be aware, the UNF Wind Ensemble was awarded such an opportunity this past April, but had to decline due to insufficient funding. The estimated time frame of five days includes travel to New York, two dress rehearsals and performance at Carnegie Hall, related recruiting performances and masterclasses at area high schools and attendance at metropolitan New York cultural events and institutions.

Securing a performance at Carnegie Hall and the accompanying activities endures as one of the true benchmark achievements in the career of any musical artist and by all definitions, has the potential to provide a life-altering transformational learning experience for our music students.

The UNF Environmental Center is sponsoring a Multidisciplinary Transformational Learning Opportunity focused on the economic, political, sociological, cultural, anthropological, historical, scientific, hydrologic, and engineering aspects of the St. Johns River. A key part of our spring 2007 MTLO is a week long immersion experience in which the students will travel about 200 miles of the river, by airboat and houseboat. Our logistical leader is Captain David Girardin, a UNF graduate, who recently retired from 29 years of service to the St. Johns River Water Management District. Mr. Girardin is a trained naturalist and for 10 years or so, managed field operations for the SJRWMD. We will schedule guest speakers and guest river experts to give presentations onboard and at significant sites along the river and its tributaries (see tentative itinerary below). Students will be responsible for projects related to the river in the context of their major disciplines

The St. Johns MTLO will be integrated into five existing courses scheduled for spring 2007 by professors Nancy Winterbauer (Medical/Cultural Anthropology), Nick Hudyma (Geo-Engineering/Soil Science), Ray Bowman (Environmental Chemistry*), Jace Hargis (Science Education) and a faculty member in Sociology. Dr. Hargis, the MTLO Project Manager, has real-world experience as an environmental engineer and has recently conducted several student trips by rail across the U.S. and Europe. In each of the five participating MTLO courses, all students enrolled will engage in disciplinary discussions and assignments related to the St. Johns River. A cross-section of “qualified” students will be selected through an application process to participate in the field event, a week long trip on the St. Johns River. During the trip, students will be fully involved with activities on the water including guest speakers; water sampling and analysis, discussion groups, tours guided by local professionals (park rangers, naturalists, historians, anthropologists, etc.) and completion of projects assigned by their professor. A Project Team approach will be used as each student will have unique expertise which they will be able to employ from the perspective of their major discipline and to share with the other students on the field event.

This application requests funding to support an international student internship experience for students in the College of Education and Human Services. The funding will cover three semesters, Spring 2007/Summer 2007 and Spring 2008. The budgets will be presented separately to reflect the two academic calendar years funding is needed. It is anticipated that funding will serve as seed and transition monies as other sources of funding will be explored including COEHS allocation of funds. Students in the College of Education and Human Services will have an opportunity to participate in a three week teaching internship in elementary, special education and physical education classes in schools in Plymouth, England as part of their semester long internship experience. In addition, students in the Sports Management major will be able to participate in a field/internship experience in a sport or health maintenance related facility.

All experiences will require students to spend four full days a week in schools or placements and one day a week on the campus attending seminars and using the resources provided to them by their mentors at the host university. The students will be living on the campus of the College of St. Mark and St. John (Marjon) and will receive seminars and supervision from Marjon faculty and faculty from UNF. Marjon has a distinguished 150 year history and has been affiliated with the University of Exeter which accredits it to run undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degree awards since 1991. It is ranked as the #1 best teacher preparation program in South West England. Marjon is located near the city of Plymouth and the Moors, in Southwest England. It offers students' many scenic and historical opportunities in a multicultural community. Plymouth is a center for first and second generation immigrants from African and East and West Asian countries. For example, students have the opportunity to visit The Mayflower steps where the Pilgrims sailed for America in 1620 as well as to tour the Moors viewing historical battlefields and unfamiliar topography. There are frequent rail services to London Paddington station in the heart one of the world's most vibrant and diverse cities, as well as linkages to other cities in England and Wales. Participants will be able to visit London during their stay, and participate in its culture and diversity.

This will be a 20 day study abroad and service learning experience that will allow students to experience firsthand the ecological diversity of South America while obtaining a greater understanding of the peoples and cultures of Ecuador. Students will be immersed in culture and environment through experiential and service-learning activities that demand their interaction with the local communities. All student participants will enroll in a 3-credit hour spring semester course on Global Ecology and Development; the summer trip itself will incorporate a 1-credit science field course and a 1 -credit service learning course.

The study abroad trip will take place May 27 - June 16,2008. Honors is working with Ecuador Nature Expeditions and Robby Delgado, a naturalist guide who has worked with National Geographic, to coordinate this trip. Robby Delgado has served as the primary guide for the last two Honors service learning trips to Ecuador and understands well the Honors educational goals and experiential pedagogy. The trip will allow the students to engage the country and its people in each of its four main regions, the Amazon, the Andes mountains, the coastal region, and the Galapagos islands. In each region students will get a unique perspective about how the environment shapes every aspect of the culture of this country. The trip will begin in the historic capital of Quito, which will serve as a base for exploration of the Andes, including the market at Otovalo. The class will then proceed to the Pacific coast for seven days of living and working in the fishing village of Cojirnies. This is the hometown of our local contact, Robby Delgado. Here students will investigate the ecology of mangroves, estuaries, coastal rainforest, and the ocean. Students will work alongside local fisherman to understand how the economy of this small village works. Additionally, students will carry out a service learning project, working with the Escuela Manual Maria Sanchez elementary school.

Two projects have been identified through discussions with Principal Cevallos of the school. First the class will build school desks for the children of this under-funded school. The school currently serves 500 children in first - seventh grade but does not have enough seating for them all. The UNF students will work with local carpenters the elementary school students themselves to paint the finished products. The second project will be environmental education at the school. Our class will work with the Principal and faculty to adapt an environmental curriculum to be taught in the school. Dr. Paulson and Ms. Burk will coach the teachers on pedagogical methods. Each of the lesson plans will have a local service project attached to it. One of these lessons will be about beach trash and marine life, which will be carried out during the time that the UNF group is there. The class will plan and implement out a massive coastal clean-up around the beach and town with all of the elementary school children working in groups with the UNF students and faculty. The participants will then return to the school and work with the teachers and students to debrief and reflect on the impact of the project.

The Finance and Investment Society (FIS), a student group consisting primarily of finance majors, seeks to take 10 students on a finance trip to Chicago from March 27-31. The trip would involve:

• Financial Management Association Leadership conference
• Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board of Trade tours
• Morningstar tour

Choral Tour to Portugal May 10-19, 2007 performing and collaborating with Portuguese choral groups and composers. Preparing during the 2006-7 school year (two terms) through the study of Portuguese repertoire, language, and culture.

The leader is a global citizen as well as a guest artist (conductor and singer) to Portugal on several occasions in the past four years. The leader has experience working as a group leader with The Experiment in International Living, leading American students on summer cultural immersions within Europe. The leader has proficiency in the language and several connections with Portuguese universities and cultural centers that need to be developed in this way, as soon as possible, for UNF to build on in the future.

The intent is to offer students of Spanish the opportunity to study abroad for a summer term. From an academic point of view, and depending on their possibilities and interests, over a period of six weeks they will take three, six or nine credits. From a non-academic point of view, the program enhances their linguistic competency in Spanish and exposes them to the culture first-hand. In an experience of full immersion the learning process goes on after class, since students are lodged with local host families, with whom they have two meals daily, and use their Spanish for every day activities, such as meeting people, getting around with public transportation, visiting museums, etc.

While students get chances to meet as a UNF group, mainly during class related activities and excursions, they are largely independent, especially during weekends. Thus, they have to deal with many situations that require them to adapt both linguistically and culturally. I believe this is what makes this experience truly transformational, since once students learn to adapt to other cultures, their perspective on their own culture will be forever enriched and transformed.

The purpose of Political Studies Abroad is to directly acquaint students with political culture and political institutions of other countries. This course will give students learning opportunities regarding the politics, public administration, and culture of Korea. Students will learn the politics and culture of this country through interactions with their peer groups and site visits. South Korea (Republic of Korea) has very unique history, culture, and political institutions due to its important geopolitical location in Far East Asia. Also, the division and reunification movement between South Korea and North Korea are very important and current important topics regarding this country.

Instead of a typical packaged tour, this study abroad course will have a place-based and inter-cultural course format. UNF students will meet Korean college students, and work on a research project together in addition to lectures, site visits, and tours. This study abroad course consists of campus meetings for administration and primary information about Korea and an actual field trip to South Korea. The trip includes Seoul, capital of South Korea, and Kyung Nam University at Masan City located in the southern part of South Korea. Masan has been a Sister City of Jacksonville for more than 20 years. Masan is located in the southeast coast of South Korea, and is 35 miles west of Pusan (second largest city), and 400 miles south of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Masan has about a half million population, and the Metro area has about 1.5 million. Kyung Nam University is the UNF sister university in South Korea. Kyung Nam University was founded in 1946, and today it has 6 colleges, 19 undergraduates, 10 departments, and 6 graduate schools. Kyung Nam University is one of the leading universities in Korea. The University is the partner of this study abroad class. This University will provide a special counterpart class of students for group research, as well as housing facilities during our stay on the campus, meals, and some institutional visits and tours.

Why China? Adjusted for purchasing power differentials, China is already the world's second largest economy. If current trends continue, China will surpass the U.S. to become the world's largest economy (in purchasing power parity terms) in two decades - possibly sooner. This forecast points to market and marketing developments of significant consequences to nations, business and other constituents/participants in the global economy. Due to a combination of factors not present at any other time in history, China's accelerating growth is unique and effectively dealing with China as a trading partner and a geo-political entity requires an understanding of the underlying growth factors and their implications for marketing in and out of China.

Strategy - the course provides the undergraduate students with an opportunity to understand the culture of doing business in China and a first hand experience with executives, companies, and the markets in which they operate. Company visits include selected U.S. multinationals operating in China to discuss their manufacturing/outsourcing, marketing, and related supply chain management activities. Shenzhen is the hub of international fashion brand outsourcers manufacturing operations under license and Guangzhou is the headquarters of the majority of multinationals' manufacturing and supply chain management operations in China.

This is a Study Abroad to Argentina, offered every Spring term since 2004. This study abroad course is an excellent opportunity to experience the business and academic issues in one of the most important countries of Latin America. The trip includes visits to businesses and to the Universidad Austral, a prestigious private institution with locations in Buenos Aires and Rosario. Students will interact with Argentine students, faculty and businessmen and attend lectures/presentations addressing current economic and social issues in Argentina. This course is aimed to students with interests in business with Latin America, economic development and international economics and business. Students will prepare for the trip by conducting research on key aspects of the country's history, culture, business practices and economy. Students will have the opportunity to experience the richness of its culture and history.

This Course comprises meetings before our return and after departure as well as numerous activities during the trip. Students are required to meet five times for two hours before departure and two times after the trip. During the trip there are several required business and cultural visits, which students have to attend and participate actively. The trip happens during Spring Break (Friday to Sunday).

During summer 2006, partially funded by a UNF International Faculty Travel Grant, I traveled to Europe to prepare the study abroad course “Culture and Psychology in Europe” which will be offered for undergraduate psychology students in Summer 2007. The applicant together with Dr. Tuason, another Assistant professor in the UNF Psychology department, will travel with 20 UNF students to Germany and Austria for a period of 11 days, from June 25 to July 5.

The goal of this course is to study the historical and cultural roots of psychology in Europe and the influence of culture on peoples' thinking and behavior. The focus of this course is on project-based and experiential learning. The first part of this course will be at UNF, the second part will be a visit of historical and cultural sites in Europe (especially those related to the discipline of Psychology) with many opportunities to meet people there.

• Part 1: The first part of the course at UNF introduces essential concepts in the field of Cross-cultural and Cultural Psychology. The concept of culture will be defined and different approaches and findings in the study of culture and psychology will be highlighted. During this part we will also prepare for the trip.
• Part 2: The second part of this course will take place in Europe. We will meet with students and faculty members at various locations in Europe, i.e., Vienna, Munich, Bamberg. In Leipzig we will visit two Max Planck Institutes. The UNF students will experience cultural similarities and differences in the various locations and meetings and learn about the culture and history of Europe during these 11 days.

This course examines and discusses business ethics in the context of global corporate accountability. It incorporates the effects of codes of professional conduct and global organizations on US business and policy.

To accomplish the goals outlined above, several references are included. While some of the readings are religious-based, they provide an opportunity to not only focus on the pros and cons of any particular religion, but to also consider interpretations related to business ethics in the contexts of other religions.

Widely regarded as a humanitarian city, Geneva is a perfect geographical location for studying business ethics. Geneva is home to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the World Economic Forum's Global Corporate Citizenship Initiative (GCCI); and the nearby city of Celigny is home to the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Institute. Earlier this year, fourteen of the world's largest investment companies launched a report for the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI). The report, entitled "Show Me the Money", confirms the growing importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns to the global investment industry. UNEP FI is a unique public-private partnership between UNEP and more than 160 banks, insurers, and asset managers. (see HYPERLINK "http://www.csrwire.com/synd/business-ethics/article.cgi/5957.html" http://www.csrwire.com/synd/business-ethics/article.cgi/5957.html) Similarly, GCCI's initiatives include corporate accountability and social responsibility. In summary, Geneva provides an excellent location for the study of business ethics.

This course provides a unique opportunity to study business ethics in an appropriate geographical setting for any interested undergraduate student. Recent events in corporate America have demonstrated the destructive effects that occur when the leadership of a company does not behave ethically. Cases in point are Enron, WorldCom, and Arthur Andersen.

Stones & Crosses: Reading Ritual and Symbolic Landscapes from Ancient Britain.

Students and the professors will travel to Ireland and Scotland Spring Break 2008 for the research component of a Common Boundary experience linking ANT 4241 Anthropology of Religion with LIT 4931: Culture Studies: Celtic Spirituality. Students will have researched a passage tomb or Celtic Cross utilizing textual sources on campus; during the trip, they will encounter and experience the text in its specific ritual landscape. The paper and presentation for the classes will evaluate the process of coming to understand the complexity of the text first from documents and then in context.

The International Cross-Cultural Awareness course (EDG 4990 and/or EDG 2701) will be a total three-week cross-cultural exchange for our native UNF students to gain an understanding and appreciation of students from the Central American Country of Belize. UNF has had a long, successful working relationship with all levels of education in Belize including primary, secondary, tertiary, and beyond. Belize is an English speaking nation in Central America that has a majority of its people who would be considered minority in the United States. Although the official language is English, other commonly spoken languages include English Creole, Spanish, Garifuna, and Mayan Ketchi.

Fifteen (15) UNF students will be recruited and selected to participate in this Transformational Learning Experience. Preference will be given to education majors and minors but others will be accepted on a space available basis. During the Study Abroad Fair conducted on September 26, 2006, more than 30 UNF students signed an interest log indicating that they would be interested in participating in the Belize Study Abroad experience if offered during the 2007 school year. The majority of these students were either education majors or minors. Since the Study Abroad Fair, we have received additional email inquiries from other students expressing their interest in participating in this study abroad opportunity.

The activity for which financial support is requested is a new study abroad tour that brings students to visit two growing economies in Asian - Taiwan and China. This course will provide students with the unique opportunity to understand the complicated mix of historical, political, and economic issues between the two countries.

The Republic of China, established in 1911 following the overthrown of Qing (Manchu) dynasty, went through a civil war in 1949 that split the country into two political regimes - China (People's Republic of China, or PROC) and Taiwan (Republic of China, or ROC). In the three decades that followed, China went through its worst years of economic reform. The unsuccessful “Culture Revolution” and “Great Leap Forward” misallocated resources and created economic stagnation, keeping China a lowly-developed country. During the same period, Taiwan (Republic of China) experienced transition toward full democracy and an astonishingly rapid economic growth that surprised the world. The high growth rate and industrialization elevated the Taiwanese economy to join the rank of Hong-Kong, Singapore, and South Korea, collectively known as Asia's Four Little Dragon.

Near the end of the 20th century, China started to push for a socialist market reform and open up to the outside world. In the next two decades, China successfully transformed its economy by attracting enormous foreign investment with its low wage rate and massive labor force, and becoming the world's factory. The expanding economy in China created both opportunities and challenges to the neighboring Taiwan. On the one hand, the low wage rates in China allow Taiwan manufactures in China to lower production cost. Sharing the common language, culture background, and short distance across the Taiwan strait not only facilitate the process but also make the China market even more accessible to Taiwan businesses than to other foreign competitors. One the other hand, worry arises that the migration of manufacturers and outflow of investment to Mainland China may throw Taiwan's domestic economy into recession. And Taiwan's increasing dependence on China's input and output markets posed a potential threat to the national security and is regarded as politically undesirable for Taiwan.

This application requests funding to support an international student internship experience for students in the College of Education and Human Services. The funding will cover three semesters, Spring 2007/Summer 2007 and Spring 2008. The budgets will be presented separately to reflect the two academic calendar years funding is needed. It is anticipated that funding will serve as seed and transition monies as other sources of funding will be explored including COEHS allocation of funds. Students in the College of Education and Human Services will have an opportunity to participate in a three week teaching internship in elementary, special education and physical education classes in schools in Plymouth, England as part of their semester long internship experience. In addition, students in the Sports Management major will be able to participate in a field/internship experience in a sport or health maintenance related facility.

All experiences will require students to spend four full days a week in schools or placements and one day a week on the campus attending seminars and using the resources provided to them by their mentors at the host university. The students will be living on the campus of the College of St. Mark and St. John (Marjon) and will receive seminars and supervision from Marjon faculty and faculty from UNF. Marjon has a distinguished 150 year history and has been affiliated with the University of Exeter which accredits it to run undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degree awards since 1991. It is ranked as the #1 best teacher preparation program in South West England. Marjon is located near the city of Plymouth and the Moors, in Southwest England. It offers students' many scenic and historical opportunities in a multicultural community. Plymouth is a center for first and second generation immigrants from African and East and West Asian countries. For example, students have the opportunity to visit The Mayflower steps where the Pilgrims sailed for America in 1620 as well as to tour the Moors viewing historical battlefields and unfamiliar topography. There are frequent rail services to London Paddington station in the heart one of the world's most vibrant and diverse cities, as well as linkages to other cities in England and Wales. Participants will be able to visit London during their stay, and participate in its culture and diversity.

The study tour to Italy offered by the Department of Art and Design lasts approximately two weeks. The dates of the 2007 program are June 11-25. Paul Ladnier will offer the fine arts component by supervising painting, drawing and photography on site. Debra Murphy leads the art history lectures and walking tours to museums, archeological sites and architectural monuments. The courses are scheduled for the summer C semester. Students are required to meet regularly before departure. They learn not only about the course content but they also receive orientation to the culture of Italy. Topics of discussion include patronage, city planning, materials and techniques, restoration, archeology, the history of Italy, geography and topography. Students meet after the tour for class discussions about the impact of the tour, to share their art work and journals and to complete the final exam.

The goals of the experience are for the students to “be able to identify major works in the cities visited and discuss them according to characteristics of period and artist's style; be able to locate major works on a map of the city and know which of the major museums, galleries or churches hold significant works of art; understand the history of the important institutions (church and state) of each of the sites visited.”

Various studies conducted across the globe envisage India to be a major economic power in the 21st century. According to experts, the GDP of India is expected to rise from 6 per cent to 11 per cent by 2025, thereby making it the third cornerstone in the global economy after United States and China. The main driver of foreign interest in India has been its large consumer base and manufacturing sector, where low resource and labor costs has given it its competitive advantage. For one, the offshore outsourcing of information systems has grown vertiginously in recent years. On the other hand, the number of manufacturing firms moving their production facilities into India has also increased. In summary, the influx of diverse sectors, service as well as manufacturing, into India is growing rapidly. But, the notable thing about India's rise is that its path has been unique. Rather than adopting the classic Asian strategy - exporting labor-intensive, low-priced manufactured goods to the West - India has relied on its domestic market more than exports, consumption more than investment, services more than industry, and high-tech more than low-skilled manufacturing. This unique strategy means that the Indian economy will continue to be (1) sustainable for decades and (2) insulated from global downturns, depicting a degree of stability that will be as impressive as its expansion. Subsequently, many American as well as European companies are contemplating on moving crucial parts of their businesses to India.

The renewed economic stature of India has forced American companies to understand the cultural as well as business practices in this nation. For our students, this recognition presents a unique opportunity to equip themselves with experiences that could give them a competitive advantage over others, making them more marketable in the global arena. The goal of this study abroad program is to address this unique opportunity and equip our students with indispensable and a much needed experience. More specifically, through exposure to diverse cultural and business practices of this fast developing nation, this study abroad program is expected to be a life enriching as well as transformational experience for our UNF students.

This will be a 20 day study abroad and service learning experience that will allow students to experience firsthand the ecological diversity of South America while obtaining a greater understanding of the peoples and cultures of Ecuador. Students will be immersed in culture and environment through experiential and service-learning activities that demand their interaction with the local communities. All student participants will enroll in a 3-credit hour spring semester course on Global Ecology and Development; the summer trip itself will incorporate a 1-credit science field course and a 1 -credit service learning course.

The study abroad trip will take place May 27 - June 16,2008. Honors is working with Ecuador Nature Expeditions and Robby Delgado, a naturalist guide who has worked with National Geographic, to coordinate this trip. Robby Delgado has served as the primary guide for the last two Honors service learning trips to Ecuador and understands well the Honors educational goals and experiential pedagogy. The trip will allow the students to engage the country and its people in each of its four main regions, the Amazon, the Andes mountains, the coastal region, and the Galapagos islands. In each region students will get a unique perspective about how the environment shapes every aspect of the culture of this country. The trip will begin in the historic capital of Quito, which will serve as a base for exploration of the Andes, including the market at Otovalo. The class will then proceed to the Pacific coast for seven days of living and working in the fishing village of Cojirnies. This is the hometown of our local contact, Robby Delgado. Here students will investigate the ecology of mangroves, estuaries, coastal rainforest, and the ocean. Students will work alongside local fisherman to understand how the economy of this small village works. Additionally, students will carry out a service learning project, working with the Escuela Manual Maria Sanchez elementary school.

Two projects have been identified through discussions with Principal Cevallos of the school. First the class will build school desks for the children of this under-funded school. The school currently serves 500 children in first - seventh grade but does not have enough seating for them all. The UNF students will work with local carpenters the elementary school students themselves to paint the finished products. The second project will be environmental education at the school. Our class will work with the Principal and faculty to adapt an environmental curriculum to be taught in the school. Dr. Paulson and Ms. Burk will coach the teachers on pedagogical methods. Each of the lesson plans will have a local service project attached to it. One of these lessons will be about beach trash and marine life, which will be carried out during the time that the UNF group is there. The class will plan and implement out a massive coastal clean-up around the beach and town with all of the elementary school children working in groups with the UNF students and faculty. The participants will then return to the school and work with the teachers and students to debrief and reflect on the impact of the project.

Choral Tour to Portugal May 10-19, 2007 performing and collaborating with Portuguese choral groups and composers. Preparing during the 2006-7 school year (two terms) through the study of Portuguese repertoire, language, and culture.

The leader is a global citizen as well as a guest artist (conductor and singer) to Portugal on several occasions in the past four years. The leader has experience working as a group leader with The Experiment in International Living, leading American students on summer cultural immersions within Europe. The leader has proficiency in the language and several connections with Portuguese universities and cultural centers that need to be developed in this way, as soon as possible, for UNF to build on in the future.

A group of 15 students will be taken to Japan (Tokyo and Toyota City) and China (Beijing) on a study abroad tour during the period May 5 - 13, 2007. There will be an intense campus component prior to departure, and follow up class after the trip. The tour includes an integral mix of business, educational, and cultural visits to expose students to the integration of these concepts in American, Capitalist Asian, and Communist Asian businesses.

The tentative schedule includes business visits to KPMG, Medtronic, Toyota, Johnson & Johnson, JP Morgan, and Tai Mak International. A university visit to our sister school of Beijing International Studies University (BISU) is planned, where students will interact with Chinese accounting students (1) before the trip through email and instant messenger, (2) during the trip where BISU students will actually stay with us in the hotel and we will visit their campus and classes, and (3) after the trip through follow up communications. Cultural visits include Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall of China.

This will be a 20 day study abroad and service learning experience that will allow students to experience firsthand the ecological diversity of South America while obtaining a greater understanding of the peoples and cultures of Ecuador. Students will be immersed in culture and environment through experiential and service-learning activities that demand their interaction with the local communities. All student participants will enroll in a 3-credit hour spring semester course on Global Ecology and Development; the summer trip itself will incorporate a 1-credit science field course and a 1 -credit service learning course.

The study abroad trip will take place May 27 - June 16,2008. Honors is working with Ecuador Nature Expeditions and Robby Delgado, a naturalist guide who has worked with National Geographic, to coordinate this trip. Robby Delgado has served as the primary guide for the last two Honors service learning trips to Ecuador and understands well the Honors educational goals and experiential pedagogy. The trip will allow the students to engage the country and its people in each of its four main regions, the Amazon, the Andes mountains, the coastal region, and the Galapagos islands. In each region students will get a unique perspective about how the environment shapes every aspect of the culture of this country. The trip will begin in the historic capital of Quito, which will serve as a base for exploration of the Andes, including the market at Otovalo. The class will then proceed to the Pacific coast for seven days of living and working in the fishing village of Cojirnies. This is the hometown of our local contact, Robby Delgado. Here students will investigate the ecology of mangroves, estuaries, coastal rainforest, and the ocean. Students will work alongside local fisherman to understand how the economy of this small village works. Additionally, students will carry out a service learning project, working with the Escuela Manual Maria Sanchez elementary school.

Two projects have been identified through discussions with Principal Cevallos of the school. First the class will build school desks for the children of this under-funded school. The school currently serves 500 children in first - seventh grade but does not have enough seating for them all. The UNF students will work with local carpenters the elementary school students themselves to paint the finished products. The second project will be environmental education at the school. Our class will work with the Principal and faculty to adapt an environmental curriculum to be taught in the school. Dr. Paulson and Ms. Burk will coach the teachers on pedagogical methods. Each of the lesson plans will have a local service project attached to it. One of these lessons will be about beach trash and marine life, which will be carried out during the time that the UNF group is there. The class will plan and implement out a massive coastal clean-up around the beach and town with all of the elementary school children working in groups with the UNF students and faculty. The participants will then return to the school and work with the teachers and students to debrief and reflect on the impact of the project.

I envision UNF becoming known as a University that provides students one of the best public policy programs in the nation. To do so, it must develop an active internship program along the lines described by Dr. Mary Borg in her TLO application which would give students the crucial practical experience in policy required for success in policy-oriented careers. It must also develop a practical policy oriented program which provides students with the academic and policy oriented background necessary to succeed in today's competitive environment. Therefore, I propose establishing a public policy program which would take the top UNF students interested in public policy each semester. They would take an intensive public policy course which would 1) choose a topic of interest to the group; 2) develop a policy position on the subject; 3) develop a public campaign aimed at policy officials in Congress, the White House, and international institutions (letters, op-eds, media interviews); and 4) include a trip to the relevant policy makers in DC and the UN (if relevant) to press officials to accept the policy position advocated by the class. Local travel in Jacksonville and possibly to Tallahassee is possible as well.

Such a class would not only inform students of the policy issue but it would also teach them about the policy process and how it works - or doesn't work. In the course of the class, the students would learn about public affairs as well, including how to write opeds, and how to deal with the media. It would also help them learn to work in a cooperative experience as the class as a whole would produce the products.

The proposed study is designed to focus on the likelihood that green mussels will become a significant invasive specie with the potential for having harmful effects on native species in Florida and the rest of the United States or even considerable economic effects. One attribute that has often been shown to correlate to the invasive ability of a newly introduced species is the amount of genetic variation in the founding population. Genetic variation is positively correlated to invasive success in many species including several species of mussels (i.e.: zebra mussels, quagga mussels and brown mussels). High genetic variability can increase the chances that a new invader will be able to adapt to both the physical and biological differences of its new habitat. Therefore, a basis of the proposed study is to determine the overall genetic variation in introduced green mussel populations in Florida and compare it to that of the likely source populations in the Caribbean.

It is hoped that the results of this study can be used to support future grant proposals to organizations such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), Florida SeaGrant, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The green mussel has the potential to provide a long term local study system for me and potentially others in the UNF biology department. From the perspective of the involved students, the project will provide them with valuable research experience in the fields of ecological genetics and invasive species biology. It will also provide them with contacts at both universities and state agencies that may be helpful in obtaining jobs or graduate positions upon completion of their degree at UNF. Each student will also have the opportunity to travel to a conference where they will present their data and will be able to interact with other scientists providing them with a significant networking opportunity.

Geotechnical engineering, a subset of civil engineering, can be broadly described as the design, construction, and monitoring of structures on or beneath the ground surface; the characterization of geological materials for construction; and the influence of geology on the built environment. In engineering practice, geotechnical engineers focus on three areas: field investigations, laboratory investigations, and geotechnical design. This Transformational Learning Opportunity (TLO) proposes to expand the traditionally under emphasized geotechnical field investigation educational experience by having students conduct an actual site investigation using state-of-practice and state-of-the-art site characterization tools.

Students will conduct an actual field investigation using both state-of-practice and state-of-the-art geotechnical engineering field characterization tools. Once all of the field data has been collected, students will analyze all of the data and produce a site characterization report, which will include an oral presentation.

The activity for which financial support is requested is a new study abroad tour that brings students to visit two growing economies in Asian - Taiwan and China. This course will provide students with the unique opportunity to understand the complicated mix of historical, political, and economic issues between the two countries.

The Republic of China, established in 1911 following the overthrown of Qing (Manchu) dynasty, went through a civil war in 1949 that split the country into two political regimes - China (People's Republic of China, or PROC) and Taiwan (Republic of China, or ROC). In the three decades that followed, China went through its worst years of economic reform. The unsuccessful “Culture Revolution” and “Great Leap Forward” misallocated resources and created economic stagnation, keeping China a lowly-developed country. During the same period, Taiwan (Republic of China) experienced transition toward full democracy and an astonishingly rapid economic growth that surprised the world. The high growth rate and industrialization elevated the Taiwanese economy to join the rank of Hong-Kong, Singapore, and South Korea, collectively known as Asia's Four Little Dragon.

Near the end of the 20th century, China started to push for a socialist market reform and open up to the outside world. In the next two decades, China successfully transformed its economy by attracting enormous foreign investment with its low wage rate and massive labor force, and becoming the world's factory. The expanding economy in China created both opportunities and challenges to the neighboring Taiwan. On the one hand, the low wage rates in China allow Taiwan manufactures in China to lower production cost. Sharing the common language, culture background, and short distance across the Taiwan strait not only facilitate the process but also make the China market even more accessible to Taiwan businesses than to other foreign competitors. One the other hand, worry arises that the migration of manufacturers and outflow of investment to Mainland China may throw Taiwan's domestic economy into recession. And Taiwan's increasing dependence on China's input and output markets posed a potential threat to the national security and is regarded as politically undesirable for Taiwan.