| Research Abstract |
1. Purpose of the project
The purpose of this research is development of interdisciplinary, practical and problem-solving approaches as supplemental enrichment environmental education for Japanese environmental studies students at universities to conserve biological diversity in regional and global scale. The interdisciplinary, practical and problem -solving nature of conservation biology has applied to environmental internship and study abroad program.
2. Survey on internship in the U.S.universities.
Since there is a strong tradition of practical education to "learn by doing" in the U.S.universities, and internship is the one of the successful and effective way to obtain practical education. In this research on environmental internship, 1) its definition, 2) diversity of the program, 3) partnership between students, university and organization, 4) role of these three sectors, 5) educational significance of environmental internship were investigated in details in Boston area, especially a
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t Department of Biology, Energy and Environmental Studies of Boston University.
3. Practice of environmental internship at a Japanese university.
By incorporating successful and essential elements of internship program in the U.S.universities, pilot environmental internship program was conducted for undergraduate students of the Musashi Institute of Technology, Faculty of Environmental and Information Studies. The educational significance of the program was discussed.
4. Field study programs in the U.S.
Field study programs especially study abroad programs are increasing popularity with environmental studies students in the U.S.universities. The advantages of field study program for students, faculty, and university were investigated. One of the most successful study abroad programs in environmental studies is the School for Field Studies (SFS), based in Boston. The program of Baja California, Mexico on tropical coastal ecology was investigated by staying at the filed campus of the SFS in Baja California and the elements of the program were investigated.
5. Practice of field program for Japanese university students.
Two of the field based interdisciplinary programs for the Japanese university students have developed and their pilot programs were practiced. One is a university forests conservation activity, which was linked with ISO14001, environmental management system at the university. The other is study abroad program of restoration of tropical rainforest in Australia. The program was developed with the help of the SFS, the Center for Rainforest Studies in Cairns. The advantage of these field programs was discussed. Less
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