Dear Forest list members: Again we are offering a course in international forestry and forest products. Next year's program is scheduled for Nicaragua should be of interest to you or your colleagues. As you can see we have an exciting educational experience planned. I will forward to you an application and other materials next week. There is the option now of making your own arrangements for air travel which would lower total cost to only US$1,800. Please feel free to share this information with other electronic lists. Please contact me directly should you have questions. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Tom Hammett ************************************************* Issues in World Forestry and Forest Products: A Summer Study Program in Nicaragua May 24 through June 22, 1998 Apoyo, Nicaragua Purpose: Knowledge of global forest resources, products, and issues related to their use and management is a major requirement for those working in the natural resource sector. This program is designed to expose participants to a broad array of interdependent and international influences on the management of the worldıs forests and the extraction and use of forest products. This course will enhance understanding of the role forest enterprises play in world society, and on the environment and economy. It will feature current issues important in our daily lives such as green certification, deforestation, and international trade of forest products. Format: The course will be conducted during Virginia Techıs first summer session in 1998 at the Laguna de Apoyo Field Station in the Laguna de Apoyo Protected Area, a one hour drive south from Managua, Nicaragua. The field station is used for ecological research, conservation activities, and environmental education programs, and is convenient to several appropriate field trip sites in Southwest Nicaragua. The facilities of the University of Central America in Managua, and the University of Mobileıs Latin America Campus in San Marcos will also be utilized during the course. During the first two weeks the course will consist of intensive study and team exercises based at Apoyo. This period will include lecture and discussion in the mornings lead by the instructors and guest speakers including experts from Nicaraguaıs Department of Natural Resources, the US Forest Service, and several donor and non-government development organizations. The afternoon sessions will consist of team learning activities and short field trips to sites in the area. Evening sessions will feature opportunities to have in depth discussions with visiting guest speakers, and to learn more about the needs of local forest users. Participants will be lodged at the field station during this phase. After the initial two-week period, the concepts and issues presented during the first phase will be further illuminated through several longer field trips to visit parks and reserves, forest-based enterprises, and important forest-based development sites in other regions of the country. These trips will allow for participants to meet experts in the field and discuss with them important issues related to sustainable management and use of the worldıs forests and forest products. Briefings by specialists of regional and global agencies such as the World Bank, FAO, and USAID will also enable interested participants to learn first-hand about international career opportunities. Participants will stay in local hotels and field station facilities during the field trips. Course Credit: All participants who successfully complete this course will be eligible to receive six hours of college level credit from Virginia Tech: 3 credits in Wood/Forestry 3784, and 3 credits for Wood/Forestry 4974, Independent study. Graduate level credit can be arranged. Eligibility: The course is open to 20 persons with strong interest in issues related to international forestry and forest products. Applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis, and we welcome a diverse perspective to the program. Participation is not limited those studying in natural resource-based programs. Students at a sophomore level or above in agriculture and other science related fields should also consider this program. Students from other universities, or persons enrolling as special students in Virginia Techıs summer school, may receive transfer credit. Cost: The estimated total cost of this course is $2,400, plus reduced Virginia Tech summer school tuition for those wishing university credit for their participation. This fee covers lodging, board and field trip expenses in Nicaragua during the program, and round-trip airfare between Managua and Washington DC. Application deadline is January 15, 1998. All interested persons are encouraged to apply and may reserve a place in this program by submitting a completed application and a $500 deposit. This deposit is non-refundable, except if the course is not held. Since extensive arrangements need to be made in advance, full payment for the course is due on or before March 15, 1998. Instructors: Dr. A. L. Hammett will teach and serve as coordinator for the three person team leading this yearıs course. He teaches Virginia Techıs courses in world forestry, forest-based enterprise management, and introductory natural resources, and serves as coordinator of the Collegeıs international programs. His twenty five years of diverse international experience includes establishing a training program for appropriate forest-based enterprises in the Dominican Republic. In 1996 and 1997, he led two groups of faculty to Nicaragua to establish collaborative research and educational programs. Two new teachers with extensive experience in Nicaragua and the region strengthen greatly this unique educational opportunity. Mr. Gerald Bauer, a Natural Resources Specialist with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Nicaragua, will also instruct in the program. Mr. Bauerıs long career in the region includes managing forestry projects in Honduras and supervising part of the US Forest Serviceıs National Forest in Puerto Rico. Dr. Jeffrey McCrary will help with local arrangements, and direct the field trips. He is on the faculty of the University of Mobileıs Latin America Campus in Nicaragua, and will conduct several other training programs at Apoyo in 1998 and 1999. For further information and application details, please contact: Dr. A.L. Hammett, Coordinator of International Programs, College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0323, USA, Phone: 540-231-2716, FAX: 540-231-8176, or E-mail: himal@vt.edu ___________________________________________________________________ A. L. Hammett, Ph.D. Associate Professor Forest Products Marketing and Coordinator of International Programs for the College Department of Wood Science and Forest Products 210 Cheatham Hall Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0323 Phone number: 540-231-2716 FAX number: 540-231-8176
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