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Committed to academic excellence
4
vision
mission
S
tudents at Bluefield College are learning
about the Amazon Forest and other
tropical ecosystems, but not from
textbooks or through lectures. Instead, BC
biology majors are exploring the Amazon
firsthand through the school’s Global Education
Program and partnerships for study abroad.
Most recently, the Global Education Program
took Bluefield College biology majors Rutger
Allen and Jarrett Garland to Brazil for a two-week
study abroad project in the Amazon Forest and
other environmental wonders along the Brazilian
coast in Belem, the capital of Pará and a port city
and gateway to Brazil’s lower Amazon region.
This particular study abroad project occurred
as a result of Bluefield College’s partnership
with the Federal University of Pará (UFPA)
in Belem — an agreement that calls for
collaborative study between the two schools
for the purpose of helping students from both
organizations better understand one another’s
people, places and cultures.
“The Federal University of Pará sits at the mouth
of the Amazon River and provides a wonderful
laboratory for our students and faculty,” said
President David Olive. “We’re excited about
the opportunities that await our students and
professors through this partnership with UFPA.”
Taking advantage of the opportunities first:
Allen and Garland, who signed up for a special
topics course at BC, called Tropical Ecosystems,
to qualify for the biology study trip. They spent
two weeks at UFPA, fulfilling the lab portion of
the Tropical Ecosystems class. And, after added
Students Study Biology in the
Amazon Forest
Bluefield College biology
professor Dr. Martin Offield
(left) and BC students
Rutger Allen (second from
left) and Jarrett Garland
(right) take part in a
biology study trip in Brazil.