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"Fear of
knowing condemns us to ignorance, fear of doing reduces us to
impotence." -- Eduardo Galeano
A complete list of off-campus programs
can be found here. Programs of particular interest to biology
majors are described in more detail below.
ACM
Programs
The
Associated Colleges of the Midwest, a consortium of liberal arts colleges
including Monmouth, offers several off-campus study programs which may be
of interest to Biology majors. Monmouth students have participated in
all of the programs except the relatively recent Tanzania program.
Students may attend these programs without additional cost above their
standard Monmouth tuition and 16 hours of course credits transfer to MC.
ACM
Costa Rica - Tropical Field Research (spring semester)
In one of the more popular and established ACM programs, students begin by
spending a month in language and culture orientation in San
Jose. After selecting an adviser and research topic, they spend the
rest of the semester in the field doing research on a specific topic in
biology, ecology, or environmental science. For instance, a recent Monmouth
graduate studied the foraging behavior of tapirs in a lowland tropical rain
forest. Contact Ken Cramer at kenc@monm.edu.
ACM
Tanzania - Human Evolution and Ecology (fall semester)
This new program (established 1998) offers students the chance to do
research in paleoanthropology or ecology at such world-famous research
sites as the Olduvai gorge, Laetoli, and the Serengeti
plains. Ecological studies at the latter site are of particular
interest to environmental science and biology majors. Contact Ken Cramer at
kenc@monm.edu.
ACM/GLCA
Oak Ridge Science Semester (fall semester)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a leading center for energy-related
research, but the research programs cover a breadth of areas in biology and
environmental science. Students conduct intensive research in a
national lab and have the option to take a course from a resident ACM faculty
member. Research topics include cancer treatment and causation,
hazardous waste treatment and disposal, and radiation effects to name a
few. Dr. Cramer was a resident faculty in the program in Fall
2000. He taught a course in conservation biology and research on the
response of macro-invertebrate communities in the leaf litter to a
large-scale global warming experiment.
Contact Chris Fasano at cfasano@monm.edu.
Summer
Research Experiences (REUs) and Career Internships
In
addition to conducting independent research with Monmouth faculty, students
are encouraged to apply for independent summer research, typically REUs
(Research Experience for Undergraduates) at a variety of research
universities. Monmouth students have received competitive internships
at the University of Chicago, the University of Wisconsin, the University
of Illinois, Case Western Reserve University, the University of Iowa,
Oregon State University, and the University of California-San Diego to name
a few.
Students
have also pursued career experience internships for a variety of local
organizations and businesses as well as the government. Working internships
qualify a student to receive 1-3 hours of academic credit, depending on the
duration of the internship. Some organizations Monmouth students have
interned for in the past five years are: USDA, The Nature Conservancy,
Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources, Illinois State Police (forensics),
Monsanto, Monmouth Water Treatment plant, US Dept. of Interior, Illinois
Natural History Survey, Community Memorial Hospital, Cottage Hospital, and
Kirkwood Veterinary Clinic.
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