USU to Offer Study Abroad Opportunities in Environmental Science

Beginning in summer 2011, Utah State University will offer undergraduates at USU and beyond opportunities to pursue study and earn USU academic credit in environmental science, while building language skills and experiencing new cultures at varied European universities.

 

“Cultural immersion programs similar to this abound in the area of humanities and language but few opportunities like this exist in environment science,” says Stephen Bialkowski, coordinator of the new program. “This is a unique opportunity for American students to learn about environmental science, policy and conservation from a European perspective.”

 

With funding from USU’s Vice Provost’s Office for International Education, Bialkowski, professor of analytical and environmental chemistry in USU’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is organizing a pilot program to Slovenia’s University of Nova Gorica in June 2011. In addition to Slovenia, programs in France are planned for 2012.

 

European Union countries apply the precautionary principle to major environmental problems, says Bialkowski, who developed an environmental chemistry emphasis for USU’s American Chemical Society-certified chemistry undergraduate degree program.

 

“If a product, action or policy is suspected of being a risk to public health, the burden of proof that it’s safe is up to those advocating it before it’s introduced,” Bialkowski says. “That’s in contrast to the United States, where products and practices are often introduced with limited regulations and seldom questioned until a problem arises — case in point: offshore drilling.”

 

Bialkowski established contacts with faculty members in the University of Nova Gorica’s School of Environmental Sciences as a Fulbright Research Scholar to the Balkan state in 2006.

 

“I was impressed with the rigor of their programs and the friendliness of the campus and community,” he says.

 

He notes that several factors make the Slovenian university an ideal site for a summer credit program. For one, the school conducts instruction in four-week cycles that feature intensive classroom instruction for two weeks followed by hands-on research for two weeks.

 

“This format will enable us to offer academic credit in a time span that complements an affordable, month-long international trip and will allow some time for recreation and sightseeing,” Bialkowski says.

 

Students will stay in college dormitory-type accommodations and have access to a university cafeteria. Bialkowski plans side trips to Venice, in nearby Italy; Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, and the famous Skocjan Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Slovenia’s Classical Karst region.

 

Further programs are planned at France’s University of Savoie Chambéry and Le Bourget campuses, the latter of which has science programs specializing in alpine ecology and environmental sciences.

 

“These campuses are located in the first range of the Alps overlooking the Rhone Valley,” Bialkowski says. “This is a region specializing in natural product development, manufacture and quality control.”

 

Students participating in this program will have the option of attending lectures and touring facilities of the nearby Savoie Technolac Science and Technology Park.

 

“This is an opportunity for students to observe the applied side of environmental science and establish professional, international contacts,” Bialkowski says.

 

He says the new programs would be beneficial to students pursuing a variety of disciplines, including science, engineering, business, public health and political science.

 

For more information, contact Bialkowski at 435-797-1907 or stephen.bialkowski@usu.edu.

 

 

Contact: Stephen Bialkowski, 435-797-1907, stephen.bialkowski@usu.edu

Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517, maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu