Cultural, Economic and Ecological Roles of Church Forests

Tue, 17 Jan 2017 13:09:31 -0500

Title: Undergraduate Research into the Cultural, Economic and Ecological Roles of Church Forests in South Gondar, Ethiopia

Church forests are patches of Afromontane forest surrounding Ethiopian Orthodox churches. Preserved for centuries by church leaders and communities as religious sanctuaries, church forests are, in many parts of Ethiopia, the only indigenous forests left.

Under this eight-week summer REU program students receive training at Colby College in social survey research, spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), ecological field methods, and written and oral communication. They then work with mentors from Colby College, the California Academy of Sciences, and Ethiopian academic and government institutions to conduct research into the cultural, economic and ecological values of church forests.

In addition to conducting social surveys on church forest uses and management, our student researchers work with Ethiopian priests, farmers, and students to collect an array of ecological data on indigenous plants, insects, and aquatic life. REU Site students work as fully funded research collaborators, developing research designs, conducting social surveys and ecological experiments and analyzing findings side by side with experienced environmental studies and biology professors.

Though church forests are usually off-limits to "outsiders", Co-PI Dr. Meg Lowman has established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church granting us access to the church forests and surrounding communities.

The program dates are estimated to be June 12 - August 9, 2017

The deadline to apply is FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Benefits:

Students selected to participate in the program will receive airfare, lodging, meals and a $4,000 stipend for the 8-week program.

While on campus at Colby College (3 weeks) lodging will include a shared dormitory room (with 1 REU team member) and a College meal plan.

While in Ethiopia (4 weeks) lodging will include shared hotel rooms (with 1-2 REU team members) and restaurant meals.

Finally, upon returning to the U.S., all Summer participants will be invited to return to Colby College for a long weekend in May 2018 to present the results of their work at the annual Colby Liberal Arts Symposium (CLAS) and to meet the new (2018) cohort of REU Site students. (All airfare, room, and board will be provided for this Spring reunion and research presentation).

Suggested Majors
This interdisciplinary program covers many fields, but some suggested fields are listed below.

***If your major is not listed, but you are interested, then please apply (see the website for a program description).

Ecology

Geography

Environmental Science

Biological Sciences

Mathematics and Statistics

Sociology and other social sciences