Minimester in Tasmania

Photos courtesy of Daniel Wubah and Anthony Lee

"It was one of those lifetime experiences I'll always remember," sophomore Katherine Skiff recalled of her recent minimester abroad in Tasmania, the small island off the southeast coast of Australia. "When do you get the chance to feed a kangaroo or chase a wombat through the forest?"

Skiff, along with three other JMU students, had the opportunity to answer these questions when they participated in one of JMU's newest study abroad programs in Tasmania. The two-week field studies program took place from Jan. 3 to 15 and left the students with what Skiff describes as "unique and amazing memories."

The launching of this program was a two-year process, according to program head and professor of biology, Daniel Wubah.

"My goal was to establish a program for undergraduate students to go to Tasmania," Wubah said. "I wanted students to be exposed to organisms in their natural environment. You can bring an organism to a lab and study it, or you can go the organism's natural habitat and study it there," he said, favoring the advantages of the latter.

Beginning in September 2000, Wubah corresponded with Andrew Osborn, professor at the University of Tasmania. The correspondence consisted of five visits from representatives of the Australian university to JMU. In March 2001, the decision to start a program was reached. The original plan called for a semester-long program but was then reduced to a minimester, acting as a trial run.
"This was a step towards developing larger ties with the University of Tasmania," Wubah said. "Initially we had 10 students interested in the program, but after Sept. 11, I saw a sudden decrease in the number of students that wanted to go outside the United States."

The decrease in student interest became a hurdle in planning the program, but Wubah, along with Osborn, worked to salvage the trip. Finally, in November, four students committed to the trip, and the plans were settled.

Skiff chose to be part of the minimester because it related directly to her career goals. She wants to be a primatologist — one who studies apes, monkeys and other primates. The minimester gave her the opportunity to study animals in their natural environment. In addition, Tasmania is known as the Noah's Arc of Australia because of the unique wildlife that is limited to the island. Thus, Skiff got to observe the animals out in the field, seeing things as they really are. "There was such a plethora of animals," Skiff said, recalling her experiences of playing with kangaroos, wombats and wallabies.

Similarly, senior Matt Chirdon recalled choosing to participate in the program because it was the chance to study the ecosystem of Tasmania and identify the plants and animals. "It is the only island in the Southern Hemisphere with a temperate rainforest," Chirdon said.

Junior Anthony Lee remembered a specific part of the island, Narawntapu National Park. Lee described the park as an uninhabited area where one can look for 100 miles and not see anyone. "It's a good place to get lost," Lee said.

Both Chirdon and Skiff also have fond memories of Narawntapu. Chirdon described the park as an open grassland with a lot of brush with a very close resemblance to Africa. He described the chance to see all of the wildlife in their natural habitat as "an amazing experience."

A typical day during the minimester began at 7:30 a.m. Each day of the trip was spent on a different part of the island that the students traveled to by bus. "On the way to the sites, we would stop and look at other sites along the way," Wubah said. "It integrated a cultural experience."

One particular stop that interested Wubah was the "Post Office Tree." Located in a part of the island that was previously wilderness, the Post Office Tree consisted of a large tree with holes in it for mail drop-offs and pick-ups. The tree served as a central connection between the postman and those living in the undeveloped area.

Once the group reached the site, it held a lecture on what it would be studying that day. Both Wubah and the students recall the advantages of an outside classroom. "The students wanted to lecture outside," Wubah said. "It was a combination of sunbathing and learning."

But not too much sunbathing. According to Wubah, radiation from the sun is much higher at 42 degrees latitude.

Following the lecture, the students had the opportunity to go into the rainforests and wilderness and study the organisms they had just learned about. The days concluded with a return to the dorms or a hotel and a discussion of the day's material.

The first minimester in Tasmania was a success. However, the future of the program is still uncertain.
Wubah is optimistic about continuing it next year. "I'm very interested in giving students this interesting exposure," Wubah said. "I want to make sure each student's experience is unique; that is my goal."

Each student that traveled to Tasmania came away with experiences that will not soon be forgotten. "These are some sites you'll never be able to see anywhere else," Lee said. "The entire island is unique."

The minimester in Tasmania is open to students of all majors. The cost of the trip is $2,800 and is worth two credit hours. Next year's minimester is tentativley planned from Dec. 28, 2002 to Jan. 11, 2003. Interested students can contact Daniel Wubah at wubahda.