Food, Forests and Resilience: Systems of Socio-Ecological Sustainability in Oaxaca, Mexico
The Systems of Socio-Ecological Sustainability program in Oaxaca, Mexico will explore human-nature relationships around food and forestry in Mexico and Minnesota. The program will emphasize an interdisciplinary approach to “knowing our neighbors” both locally and globally to compare and contrast approaches to building socio-ecological resilience in the Global North and Global South. Program Directors Constanza Ocampo-Raeder (SOAN, ENTS) and Daniel Hernández (BIOL, ENTS) note, “students will visit farms and forestry projects in rural Minnesota and Oaxaca and apply anthropological and ecological approaches to understanding these systems to appreciate the relationships between culture and conservation.”
Climate Change and Human Health in Ethiopia: from Science to Practice
In the Climate Change and Human Health in Ethiopia: from Science to Practice OCS Seminar, students will learn the fundamental science that underlies human-induced climate change and extend their knowledge to include the impacts of this change on human populations. Professors Deborah Gross and Tsegaye Nega say that “work during the winter break trip in Ethiopia will give students the opportunity to contribute to an ongoing collaborative research project that addresses intertwined climate and human health issues. Students will work with families as they transition to cleaner cooking options, gathering and analyzing data about their cooking choices, climate impacts, and health outcomes. We will spend time in Addis Ababa and at a rural university, and explore how people’s daily tasks relate to these critical issues.”