Unique (and Low-Cost) Opportunity for Ten Undergraduates
2012 Ecological Genetics Field Study Abroad in China

*Learn Chinese and Ecological Genetics at the University of Georgia*

With funding from NSF's Partnerships for International Research and 
Education (PIRE) program, we
are offering 10 undergraduates (U.S. citizens or permanent residents 
only) the opportunity to
participate in a unique research abroad opportunity in China during 
the spring and summer of
2012. This is the 4th year of the program and students have found it 
to be enormously rewarding.
This is likely to be the penultimate offering of this course.

The research focus of our PIRE grant is a forensic biogeographic 
study of species that are native to
China and invasive in the southeastern U.S. as well as a growing 
number of species native to the
southeastern U.S. and invasive in China.

Each summer, we run a 6 week field course where we visit biological 
communities throughout
China. After the field course, students continue in short-term 
(3-4-week) research
internships in our partner labs in China.

Students will need to be prepared to take full advantage of this 
experience. Therefore, during the
spring semester, students must enroll at the University of Georgia 
(UGA) and take 3 courses; two
in intensive elementary Mandarin Chinese and a laboratory course in 
genetics. No prior experience
with Chinese language is required, although students should have had 
at least a course in
introductory biology and preferably courses in ecology and 
evolutionary biology.

After 1 semester of Chinese, most of our students can operate quite 
well in China.

The cost to the student of the summer program is minimal:  the grant 
covers travel to and within
China, lodging and most meals. The student is responsible for health 
insurance, visa costs and
personal expenses. Students are also responsible for the costs of 
enrolling at the University of
Georgia for all required courses (12 credit hours) (all students are 
charged at the in-state tuition
rate of ~$300 per credit hour plus fees).

The deadline for applications is April 29, 2011. Applications for 
the 2012 program are available
on our website: http://www.genetics.uga.edu/pire/undergrad.html. We 
encourage any interested
students to contact Dr. Mauricio for more information ([log in to unmask]).

Rodney Mauricio
Program Director, UGA-China PIRE
[log in to unmask]