Centers

Have you ever wanted to live in a cabin surrounded by lush tropical rainforests, fall asleep to the chirping of crickets, and awaken to the morning songs of birds?

Are you ready to walk beneath a canopy of giant tropical conifers and towering fig trees, sample exotic tropical fruits right off the tree, wade in upland waterfalls, and snorkel with sea turtles on the world-famous Great Barrier Reef?

Whether you’re an experienced traveler or looking for your first trip to another country, studying abroad is an important component of your college career. Living abroad gives you the opportunity to explore new places and learn about different cultures, gaining important global perspectives, discovering new things about yourself, and building lifelong friendships.

Our programs in Australia take place in the country’s ancient rainforests, with excursions to the edge of the Outback and the Great Barrier Reef. Courses and fieldwork focus on key environmental issues faced here such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, and land use change. Research at our Australia Center focuses on the environmental threats that have caused rainforest fragmentation, species loss, and reef die-off, and we work with the Mandingalbay Yidinji Indigenous people and Tablelands communities on restoration and management projects to help Australia thrive in a time of ecological uncertainty.

Have you ever wanted to spend time in the Himalayan mountains, hike through rhododendron forests dotted with brightly colored prayer flags, or observe graceful black-necked cranes and elusive mountain-dwelling takins?

Whether you’re an experienced traveler or looking for your first trip to another country, studying abroad is an important component of your college career. Living abroad gives you the opportunity to explore new places and learn about different cultures, gaining important global perspectives, discovering new things about yourself, and building lifelong friendships.

Our programs in Bhutan take place in the country’s mountains, valleys, rivers, forests, protected areas, and cultural sites. Courses and fieldwork focus on key environmental issues faced here such as natural resource and water management, climate change, and sustainable livelihoods. As the country begins to urbanize, and with the looming threat of a rapidly changing climate, Bhutan is at a crossroads. In keeping with the tenets of Gross National Happiness, the people of Bhutan must balance preserving biodiversity with securing their economic futures. SFS works in partnership with the Bhutanese government and the Bhutan Ecological Society to provide much-needed data that informs sustainable conservation and development policies and climate adaptation strategies.

Have you ever wanted to explore towering ancient temples, take a tuk-tuk through a bustling market town, meet with a group of Buddhist monks, listen for the hauntingly beautiful call of a pileated gibbon, or observe endangered Asian elephants?

Whether you’re an experienced traveler or looking for your first trip to another country, studying abroad is an important component of your college career. Living abroad gives you the opportunity to explore new places and learn about different cultures, gaining important global perspectives, discovering new things about yourself, and building lifelong friendships.

Our programs in Cambodia take place in the country’s freshwater ecosystems, dense forests, highlands, and temples. Courses and fieldwork focus on key environmental issues faced here such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, and environmental policy, ethics, and justice. With severe climate change impacts already visible, Cambodia is a case study in resilience. Adaptation and collaborative conservation efforts are necessary for the people of Cambodia to ensure food security and limit biodiversity loss in a time of rapid development. Our research here examines these efforts on the ground and provides data to support a path toward a more sustainable future for Cambodia.

Have you ever wanted to live on a small tropical farm, walk among the waterfalls and wildlife of tropical cloud forests, wake to the sound of tropical birds, or taste Costa Rican coffee straight from a local coffee plantation?

Whether you’re an experienced traveler or looking for your first trip to another country, studying abroad is an important component of your college career. Living abroad gives you the opportunity to explore new places and learn about different cultures, gaining important global perspectives, discovering new things about yourself, and building lifelong friendships.

Our programs in Costa Rica take place across the country’s diverse patchwork of rugged rainforests, cloud forests, sandy beaches, and agricultural landscapes. Courses and fieldwork focus on key environmental issues faced here such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, tourism impacts, pollution, waste management, and the struggle between economic growth and the maintenance of the functionality of fragile ecosystems. Efforts to preserve the wild beauty of Costa Rica are recognized worldwide, but climate change and increased urban development bring new and unforeseen challenges impacting biodiversity and food security. Conservation leaders, farmers, land managers, and policymakers must work together using regenerative strategies to build ecological resilience and minimize climate change impacts. Our research in Costa Rica contributes vital data to innovative efforts that balance conservation and development.

Have you ever wanted to go on safari and observe African wildlife in their natural habitats, learn about the centuries-old traditions of the Maasai people, or live in the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro?

Whether you’re an experienced traveler or looking for your first trip to another country, studying abroad is an important component of your college career. Living abroad gives you the opportunity to explore new places and learn about different cultures, gaining important global perspectives, discovering new things about yourself, and building lifelong friendships.

Our programs in Kenya take place in world-famous national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas, and Maasai communities. Courses and fieldwork focus on key wildlife conservation and human dimensions of conservation, biodiversity conservation, wildlife and natural resource management, tourism impacts and the arching impacts of climate change in resource dependent rural communities. There is a strong interconnectivity between wildlife, human communities, community livelihoods, and natural resource availability in Kenya, and competition for the region’s finite natural resources is intensified by climate change, drought, poverty, ecosystem fragmentation, and human development. Our research here focuses on approaches to wildlife and natural resource conservation and promotes successful coexistence between humans and the country’s incredible wildlife.

Have you ever wanted to wake up to the sound of tropical birds greeting the day, or see the sunrise over the warm waves of the Caribbean? Are you ready to snorkel among coral reefs and mangrove forests, hike through lush green rainforests, and catch a glimpse of a lounging sloth?

Whether you’re an experienced traveler or looking for your first trip to another country, studying abroad is an important component of your college career. Living abroad gives you the opportunity to explore new places and learn about different cultures, gaining important global perspectives, discovering new things about yourself, and building lifelong friendships.

Our programs in Panama take place in the diverse environments of the Bocas del Toro archipelago – coral reefs, mangrove islands, inland rainforests, and sandy palm beaches. Courses and fieldwork focus on key environmental issues faced here such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, tourism impacts, and ecosystem health. Climate change and increased tourism on the islands have led to ecosystem and natural resource degradation while also threatening islanders’ traditional livelihoods. Our research on the environmental impacts of tourism and development on the natural ecosystems in Bocas provides the community with data necessary to support more sustainable policies and protect the beautiful islands so many call home.

Have you ever wanted to live in the Amazon rainforest, take a riverboat expedition to survey rare wildlife like pink dolphins, or visit the Andean highlands and the ancient city of Cusco?

Whether you’re an experienced traveler or looking for your first trip to another country, studying abroad is an important component of your college career. Living abroad gives you the opportunity to explore new places and learn about different cultures, gaining important global perspectives, discovering new things about yourself, and building lifelong friendships.

Our program in Peru takes place in the rich ecosystems of the Amazon, with excursions to the highlands of the Andes, visits with Indigenous communities, and meetings with diverse agricultural organizations. Courses and fieldwork focus on key environmental issues faced here such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, environmental ethics and justice, and sustainable livelihoods. The forests of the Peruvian Amazon are increasingly under threat from climate change, rapid development, and extractive activities like logging and mining. From the terra firme and flooded forests of the lowlands to the glacial lakes and tropical montane forests of the Andes, Peru’s landscapes need comprehensive and inclusive strategies for conservation. Our research here provides important insights into the fate of the Amazon and all the life that depends on it.