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Dec 28 - Jan 15
Dec 27 - Jan 14
None
WINTER 2021 PROGRAM UPDATE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, SFS has suspended all Winter 2021 programs. Students interested in this program are welcome to apply now for Winter 2022 or consider a spring or summer program. Check out the Chile Center page to see other programs offered at this location.
Spend your winter break studying the biodiversity and fragile habitats of southern Chile. The trails of national parks like Torres del Paine and the expansive Patagonian steppe become your classroom as you explore the region from high-alpine forests to glaciers to the lower-elevation steppe. You’ll practice animal observation and census techniques on species like the guanaco, Andean condor, and elusive puma, and explore how nature adapts in extreme conditions.
SFS provides a comprehensive study abroad experience during a 6-day/week program schedule. SFS delivers the highest level of support and an unparalleled academic experience.
In addition to SFS program costs, students should plan for some additional expenses estimated
below:
Total Additional Expenses: $3,500
All students are welcome to apply for our need-based financial aid. Students who exhibit financial need for their program will be offered SFS financial aid. SFS aid is offered through a combination of scholarships, grants and loans.
Pell Grant Match
SFS matches Federal Pell Grant funding for students applying to an SFS semester program.
Many SFS students receive aid through their home institutions or other outside sources, so check with your financial aid office to see what aid may apply to an SFS program.
Learn More about Financial AidAmy was raised in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. She joined the SFS team after graduating in 2010 from Boston University with a degree in environmental analysis and policy. Her life-long passion for the environment and exploration was piqued by her own personal experience with SFS while participating in the Summer 2009 Session in Kenya, where she and her fellow classmates studied the national parks near Nairobi and Lake Nakuru and their relationship with the surrounding communities. Her study abroad experience enriched her passion and interest in the environment and society’s role in its conservation, and she is excited to help students benefit in the same way.
Itinerary varies from term to term and is subject to change. Program activities take place 6 days a week with one day free.
This academically rigorous program follows a six-day/week schedule. The interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to help students actively discover and understand the complexities of environmental, social, and economic issues in Chile.
Major academic themes include:
On the Foundations of Patagonian Ecology program, you will take one 3-credit course. This course is participatory in nature and is designed to foster inquiry and active learning combining lectures, field exercises, assignments, and tests. This course is taught in English.
Click on the course to view a description
SFS 3781 | Patagonian Ecology | 3 credits |
is an interdisciplinary, field-based course focused on the biodiversity and fragile habitats of Patagonia looking at a mix of coastal ecology, alpine ecology, and exposed terrestrial ecology. We will examine the ecology and evolution of faunal species such as guanaco, Magellenic and King penguins, and flightless Rhea, most of them endemic to the region. We will examine how invasive species, both aquatic and terrestrial, have become threats to endemic ones. Though flora is not particularly diverse here (save for the lichens and bryophytes) the floral structural complexity is fascinating. The course is constructed so the lens of climate shifts and perturbations will be central to discussions and observations.
You will gain practical skills in the field such as: terrestrial biodiversity assessments and survey techniques, species ID and population monitoring, landscape and soils analysis, tourism impact assessments, scientific writing and communication.
You will visit different ecosystems and communities which may include glaciers and ice fields, glacial lakes and rivers, sub-polar broadleaf evergreen forests, pampa grasslands, penguin colonies, popular national parks, and estancias and port cities.
Surrounded by the jagged peaks of Cerro Benítez and the deep blue waters of the Señoret Channel lies the port city of Puerto Natales – the gateway to the famous Torres del Paine National Park. Located in the heart of this bustling tourist hub is the Center for Climate Studies, your home base for expeditions throughout the region.