It is often said that higher education needs to get out of the ivory tower and deal more directly with the “real world.” We present two projects that harnessed student intellect and energy to address real problems, and further their education at the same time. One concerned a domestic issue, the other was international.
Results/Conclusions
Our domestic project concerned invasive species. We taught a year-long Environmental Studies course in 2002-03. We spent fall semester studying the problems of invasive species, with the goal of developing projects to address the problems during spring semester. The most ambitious of the projects was legislative: with assistance from local NGOs and a Legislator, we combined elements from the laws of other states into a comprehensive bill establishing the Virginia Invasive Species Council, and mandating the creation of a comprehensive plan for surveying and dealing with invasive species in Virginia. The students wrote Opinion pieces for most of the state’s local papers, explaining the problems caused by invasive species, and advocating our bill. The students (and faculty) visited the offices of all 140 legislators, and attended hearings when the bill was considered by committee. The bill was passed by the Virginia assembly and signed into law by then Governor Mark Warner. Our international project grew from the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) program in Afghanistan. WCS was assisting the government of Afghanistan in establishing its first ever list of legally protected species. The project involved researching published work on each candidate species, interviewing the relevant scientists when possible, and assessing the information using the IUCN’s criteria to recommend a classification for each species (e.g., vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered). In two successive semesters (spring and fall, 2009) we used this project as a key component in teaching undergraduates about conservation in developing countries. The students prepared a report for each candidate species, recommending a status of harvestable or protected. We then videoconferenced the students into an official meeting of Afghanistan’s species listing committee, where the students presented their reports and answered questions from Afghan officials. Most of the students’ recommendations were accepted. Both of these projects were very positive educational experiences for the students, and real contributions towards addressing environmental problems. While there are many challenges to using “real world” work as educational opportunities for students, we suggest that the biggest challenge may be imagination: we cannot seize such opportunities unless we can imagine them.