{"id":79051,"date":"2019-04-23T17:26:04","date_gmt":"2019-04-23T22:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=79051"},"modified":"2019-04-23T17:26:49","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T22:26:49","slug":"conservation-culture-community-the-school-for-field-studies-in-cambodia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/conservation-culture-community-the-school-for-field-studies-in-cambodia\/","title":{"rendered":"Conservation, Culture, Community: The School for Field Studies in Cambodia"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Karyn Simpson<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

SIEM REAP, Cambodia \u2013 If you turn left off the main road going west out of Siem Reap, Cambodia, you\u2019ll find yourself on a sandy path not quite wide enough for two tuk-tuks.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll bounce along the uneven road as the rush of city traffic abruptly gives way to the gentle hubbub of everyday community life. Take a right, then a left on unmarked dirt roads, past the dog with the orange fur and the second family selling clothing \u2013 everything from jeans to formal dresses \u2013 and you\u2019ll find a tall metal gate, green paint chipping in the hot sun. This is the entrance to the School for Field Studies, an international study abroad program that not only immerses students into Cambodian culture, but also gives them first-hand experience in performing community-relevant research.<\/p>\n

\"SchoolThe School for Field Studies has 10 locations across the globe, each open to undergraduate students studying science- or environment-related degrees. The programs each focus on a different aspect of environmental research, from wildlife management to rain forest studies to conservation and development, the Cambodia center\u2019s specialty.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe here are in an environment of rapid development, and we explore some of the nuances between enabling effective conservation in a cultural context of rapid development and rapid change,\u201d said Cambodia Center Director Georgina Lloyd Rivera, Ph.D. \u201cAnd also exploring how this relates to a post-conflict society as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"School<\/p>\n

Each of the School for Field Studies (SFS) centers are highly invested in the local communities, Lloyd Rivera said, and in teaching each semester\u2019s students the importance of performing informed research that can produce tangible results in the communities in which the research is based.<\/p>\n

\"SchoolAbove, Center Director Georgina Lloyd Rivera talks with 12 students at SFS Cambodia this semester. They attend classes six days a week and travel frequently as a group, exploring environmental issues across the country and learning how to apply the concepts they are taught in the classroom. The students come from universities across the United States – from The University of Iowa to Brown University and beyond.<\/p>\n

\"SchoolThe semester culminates in a month-long \u201cdirected research\u201d project where students tackle environmental research topics based on past research and current community needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe partner with existing organizations that are already doing work in Cambodia that have needs for research,\u201d said SFS intern Ella Dorval Hall. \u201cAnd so, School for Field Studies is able to fill those needs by partnering with those organizations and providing research in those areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

The students\u2019 work is facilitated by the center faculty. This semester, their projects range from looking at how dogs are perceived in community culture to studying how noise pollution from Khmer New Year affects the local bat populations.<\/p>\n

\"School\u201cOne of the pillars of SFS is community, the way that we work with community,\u201d Lloyd Rivera said.<\/p>\n

She defines community as the sum of all the stakeholders \u2013 groups such as the Cambodian government, the Ministry of the Environment, non-governmental organizations, private sector organizations and more \u2013 relationships that the SFS Cambodia faculty have carefully cultivated since the center\u2019s opening in 2014. The research done by students at the end of the program is then given back to the relevant Cambodian organizations or community leaders in order to inform and effect future change.<\/p>\n

\"School\u201cWe do ensure that we have some meaningful collaborations in the research that we do,\u201d Lloyd Rivera said. \u201cIt\u2019s not research for research\u2019s sake. It\u2019s research that can support our partners\u2019 work to improve conservation outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"School<\/p>\n

SFS doesn\u2019t just support conservation and sustainability in Cambodia through their research, though. The center on the red sand road weaves environmental sustainability into every aspect of their students\u2019 daily lives. Paper towels are nowhere to be found at SFS Cambodia, food waste is composted and all laundry is line-dried over the garden.<\/p>\n

\"School<\/p>\n

Some of the vegetables that make up each meal come from that garden, and the bamboo and lemongrass that grow around the property are used in various recipes.<\/p>\n

\"School<\/p>\n

The center\u2019s mango trees also provide some of the fruit with each meal \u2014 though not the tree outside her office window, Lloyd Rivera made sure to note.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mango trees on that side are delicious!\u201d Lloyd Rivera said, laughing and gesturing to the other side of the property. \u201cThis mango tree is a bit of a dud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"School<\/p>\n

The center\u2019s chickens provide some of the eggs students eat for breakfast. Students also spend time at the beginning of each semester developing their own sustainability goals, which can range from taking shorter showers to using the air conditioning less \u2013 a feat that takes a conscious effort in the sweltering Cambodia heat.<\/p>\n

\"School<\/p>\n

In addition, Dorval Hall, the center\u2019s resident intern, is working on developing a solar energy proposal for the center, which would help reduce the center\u2019s environmental footprint.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are hoping to have a solar ray installed here that will work off the grid, so it will not tie into the grid, and the energy that is produced will be consumed directly on site,\u201d Dorval Hall said. \u201cOne of the cornerstones of the School for Field Studies is it\u2019s an environmental research program, and part of that is stewardship of the earth. Reducing our environmental impact aligns with our missions in the environmental field.\u201d<\/p>\n

These solar panels are something that SFS is hoping to add to all its locations in order to contribute to its mission of environmental stewardship and sustainability.<\/p>\n

\"School<\/p>\n

Solar panels could also help in the citywide power outages that hit Siem Reap on occasion. Power outages mean no Wi-Fi and a break from schoolwork until the power returns, but these outages also mean no air conditioning. During these times, the students either flock to cafes that have generators or congregate in the pool or on the lawn to play games. A solar panel system could help keep the air conditioning \u2013 and the Wi-Fi \u2013 on in these scenarios.<\/p>\n

\"School<\/p>\n

SFS does its best to fully immerse students in environmental research and Cambodian culture for the semester they are here. Students learn Cambodian words and customs, such as taking off their shoes before entering any building. During the semester, they travel across Cambodia, exploring everything from natural resource conservation in rural societies to waste management in their home community in Siem Reap. What they learn in lectures is manifested in what they see and do every day, said John Dzurec (pictured), a junior from Miami University studying supply chain management and sustainability.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just another college in another country,\u201d Dzurec said. \u201cEvery day you\u2019re getting to see what the community is doing, what is going on around Siem Reap and in Cambodia, which I think is really important for this part of education.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo portfolio by Karyn Simpson\/Medill. Photo at top: The road outside the School for Field Studies winds through one of the many local neighborhoods. (Karyn Simpson\/MEDILL)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Karyn Simpson Medill Reports SIEM REAP, Cambodia \u2013 If you turn left off the main road going west out of Siem Reap, Cambodia, you\u2019ll find yourself on a sandy path not quite wide enough for two tuk-tuks. You\u2019ll bounce along the uneven road as the rush of city traffic abruptly gives way to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"featured_media":79057,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,29,2951,675,4741],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest","category-health-and-science","category-politicsnational-security","category-social-justice","category-spring-2019"],"yoast_head":"\nConservation, Culture, Community: The School for Field Studies in Cambodia - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/conservation-culture-community-the-school-for-field-studies-in-cambodia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Conservation, Culture, Community: The School for Field Studies in Cambodia - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Karyn Simpson Medill Reports SIEM REAP, Cambodia \u2013 If you turn left off the main road going west out of Siem Reap, Cambodia, you\u2019ll find yourself on a sandy path not quite wide enough for two tuk-tuks. 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