Directed Research in Bhutan’s Paro Valley
As SFS Bhutan students finish their final exams, the mornings grow crisp with frost and fallen aspen and maple leaves line the mountain trails, signaling a change of season in the Paro Valley. It’s time to change gears as well for our students as they embark on their Directed Research projects.
Twenty-four students, five faculty and staff mentors, and three weeks to collect, analyze, interpret and communicate their findings on topics as varied as the Himalayan landscapes. From biophysical studies on “Mountain Mammal Communities – Ridgelines to Valleys” or “River Invertebrate Community Responses to Human Impacts” or “Forest Succession along an Elevational Gradient” to social and political ecology studies on “Sustainability and Climate Change Knowledge in the Paro Valley” and “Demographic Shifts and Consumption along a Rural-Urban Gradient”, this group of students along with their faculty mentors has set ambitious research goals.
The SFS Center in Paro is ideally situated for students interested in biophysical and social science studies. Whether climbing the nearby mountains to set camera trap grids to detect mammals, or walking to nearby communities to conduct interviews, the SFS Bhutan Center allows students to explore a wide array of pertinent topics, largely unexplored in the Paro Valley.
It’s an exhilarating season in Bhutan for hands-on research projects. Stay tuned!
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