Students learn about biodiversity and sustainability in Ecuador

August 07, 2024

A group of Arizona State University students journeyed to the Amazon basin and the Galapagos Islands to gain a better understanding of the delicate ecosystems unique to this part of the world. They visited the jungle to witness the dynamic interplay between plants and animals, went on a canoe trip with members of Indigenous communities and met the region’s famous giant tortoises.

The study abroad program in Ecuador, in a region that encompasses one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, was offered through ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College in conjunction with ASU’s Global Education Office. It was designed to engage undergraduate students from a wide range of majors to better understand biodiverse ecosystems and the connection between education and sustainability.

Many of the students, such as Emma Shoup, an ASU Online student (BA, Spanish, ’25) are pursuing their degrees from locations around the United States.

“Going on these trips is a great way to connect with the school,” she said.“I was able to swim in the Amazon with pink river dolphins, I was able to visit a local tribe and learn about their lifestyle and how they live, and try a bunch of yummy fruits and vegetables — and learn about sustainability,”

MLFTC offers study abroad experiences in countries such as Germany, England and Costa Rica, part of ASU’s more than 300 global education offerings. The trip to Ecuador reflects the college’s growing role in advancing sustainability education through its collaborations with global networks of sustainability-focused educators and researchers and its academic program offerings.

“Teaching and learning about environmental education has a much greater impact when you are doing it outside…when you see the monkeys and birds right in front of you, that’s different than just reading about them,” said Tyler Grossgold (BA, educational studies, ’25), who was among the students participating in the Ecuador trip.

Preparing for Ecuador

The instructive team from ASU was led by MLFTC Clinical Professor Molina Walters. Jamie Valderrama, an associate teaching professor with the School of Social Work, and Cyna Schuster, an instructor in MLFTC.

A collaboration between ASU and Universidad Internacional del Ecuador made the experience possible. UIDE is in the ASU Cintana Network, which is the largest international university network in the world. During the two-week journey in May, Cecilia Puertas, a professor with UIDE’s environmental management program, joined the group and facilitated learning opportunities that connected students with biologists, educators and conservationists to expand students’ knowledge of bio-conservation practices.

“This study abroad experience was a meaningful way for our students to experience a new environment and to consider how their studies and careers connect with sustainability,” said Walters. “As students enter the workforce, they are also being asked to think beyond their formal training, and an educators’ mindset is an asset. They have to collaborate, teach and work with others across disciplines, which is what these students did as they investigated a new environment and learned from each other.”

Before leaving for Ecuador, the students took two courses, SCN 309, a one-credit class about birds and SCN 310, a four-credit biodiversity class, designed to prepare them for what they would see on the trip. These courses are part of the undergraduate environmental education certificate program, available through MLFTC. Graduate students now also have the option to learn through a new online graduate environmental education certificate.

Visiting the Amazon and Galapagos Islands

The group started their travels in Quito where they toured UIDE, took a dip in the Papallacta hot springs and then went on to visit the remote Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve in the Amazon forest where they learned about the intricate ecosystem balance that sustains wildlife and flora. Afterwards, they spent four days in the Galapagos Islands where they visited the Charles Darwin Research Center and saw endangered sea turtles.

Students were encouraged to keep journals of what they saw and sensed as they navigated the dense jungles and the terrain of the Galapagos Islands, a technique led by Schuster and reinforced by Valderrama.

“When you go to a new place and see it, touch it, taste it, smell it – being immersed in that can change your perspective,” said Valderrama, who is known for her research work in mindfulness. “Practicing mindfulness helps make those experiences even more vivid in deepening an appreciation for biodiversity and sustainability.”

As part of the sustainability focus, the students learned about food-harvesting techniques and had the chance to taste many local foods from fresh cacao to papaya. They harvested yuca (cassava), and their guides showed them how to turn it into flour. They then helped use that flour to make bread that they ate with ceviche.

Students reported that they left Ecuador with a stronger awareness of how the earth’s resources are intricately connected locally and globally and how sustainable approaches can support global futures.

“It’s definitely more memorable to experience things than to only read about them,” said Grossgold. “This experience provided me with a stronger global awareness and understanding of the direction I see myself going professionally.”

Interested in other study abroad opportunities through MLFTC and ASU? The following MLFTC-led programs have application deadlines of Jan. 31, 2025:

Story by contributor Adriana Maestas