HOLY CROSS SUMMER (Maymester) 2024                                                                  ST. GEORGE'S, BERMUDA

"Triangulating Bermuda:  Global Change, Sustainability and Nature of an Island Ecosystem"
 

FACULTY: Holy Cross professors Justin McAlister and Kelly Wolfe-Bellin

DATES: Depart the U.S. on Monday, May 27, 2024 with return to the U.S. on Sunday, June 16, 2024.

PLEASE NOTE:  Maymester activities, beginning as early as 8:00 AM and ending as late as 11:00 PM, are scheduled for every day between Monday, May 27, 2024 and Saturday, June 15, 2024, with the exception of free days on Saturday, June 1; Saturday, June 8; and Sunday, June 9.  Students are required to participate fully in every Maymester activity unless in the case of a medical or personal emergency.

INFORMATION SESSION: 
Please feel free to attend either session.  It is recommended that interested students attend one session. If you cannot attend either session, please feel free to contact either Prof. McAlister or Wolfe-Bellin.

• Monday, September 18, 2024, 5:00-6:00 PM in Swords 321

• Tuesday, September 19. 2024, 5:00-6:00 PM in Swords 321

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Island ecosystems provide a unique opportunity to learn about environmental issues and sustainability initiatives in a closed natural system, with these lessons then applicable to the world at large. In this Maymester, we will use the islands of Bermuda as a case study to learn about the environmental issues affecting the marine and terrestrial ecosystems of Bermuda, as well as the sustainability initiatives employed by the people on the islands. We will compare these environmental issues with those faced on the mainland, specifically in Massachusetts, as well as the sustainability initiatives utilized by the city of Worcester and Holy Cross campus.
 
We will spend three weeks in Bermuda where students will be introduced to the beautiful marine and terrestrial environments of this temperate island in the mid-Atlantic. Class work and field trips will include exploration of marine sites by boat, snorkeling coral reefs, and exploring mangroves, rocky intertidal and sandy beach habitats. On land, Bermuda has a unique temperate forest biome influenced strongly by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and high humidity of the maritime climate. We will study the native flora and fauna with visits to a botanic garden, zoo, and an island restoration project where the threatened cahow bird is being rehabilitated. We will study how these local environments are being affected by the major environmental issues of our time, including climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as threats specific to the marine environment such as ocean warming, ocean acidification, shifting currents, and plastics pollution, and threats to the terrestrial environment such as local extinctions, biodiversity loss, and invasive species. Further, we will emphasize and study the sustainability initiatives employed on the island for electrification of transportation, solar energy, water conservation and treatment, waste disposal and/or reuse, agricultural efforts, and plant and animal conservation. Finally, recognizing that humans are an important part of the environment, we will center the people of the island and their history in our discussions of the island environment. Important touchpoints in this conversation will be the original colonization of the previously uninhabited islands in 1609, early agricultural efforts, history of slavery, British naval presence, and extensive tourism industry, influences that are reflected in the people, culture, and natural landscapes of the island today.
 
Prior to departure and during spring semester, the course will begin with five evening class meetings and two weekend (half-day) field trips to explore the terrestrial environment surrounding Worcester, as well as the methods by which the residents of Worcester and the Holy Cross campus acquire energy, clean water, and food, while dealing with the solid waste generated. Through discussions, journaling, and a final project, students will compare the approaches taken in the U.S. mainland with those used in Bermuda, and reflect on how sustainability initiatives from the island may be employed here.
 
CREDIT: Students receive the equivalent of one Holy Cross credit that can be used to satisfy the common area requirement in Natural Sciences. For ENVS Majors and Minors, it counts as an ENVS natural science course. For Biology Majors, it counts as a cognate course toward the major. The course carries no prerequisites.
 
HOUSING: Students and faculty will be housed at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) located in St. George’s, Bermuda.
 
COSTS: The estimated cost of the 3-week program is approximately $8,000-$8,500. This includes tuition, housing, three meals per day at the BIOS dining hall (including weekends), transportation in Bermuda, admission/entrance fees for all field trips, and snorkel gear rental. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE the cost of round-trip airfare, food enroute to/from Bermuda, passport expenses, personal expenses, and meals at restaurants other than the dining hall. Very limited financial aid is available for this program.
 
OTHER LOGISTICS: Bermuda is an inherently safe country that is English speaking and has its own currency (the Bermuda dollar), pegged 1:1 in value to the U.S. dollar, which is accepted widely throughout the country. No currency exchange is necessary. All travelers will need a valid passport to enter/leave Bermuda.
 
APPLICATIONS: Open Friday, October 6, 2023 via the Study Abroad online application portal at sa.holycross.edu and close at midnight on Sunday, November 26,  2023.
 
FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Prof. McAlister at jmcalist@holycross.edu, Prof. Wolfe-Bellin at kwolfe@holycross.edu, Tammi Valeri at tvaleri@holycross.edu, email Study Abroad at studyabr@holycross.edu,call Study Abroad at 508-793-3082, or visit the Office of Study Abroad at Smith Hall 216.

 
DATES AND PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE