Location:
Sydney, Canberra, Townsville

Topic:
Ecosystem Resilience
and Sustainability

Program Length:
2 Weeks

Program Dates:
Dec 19 - Jan 2, 2009

Credits:
NRES 892 (3 Credits)

Cost:
An early estimated price is $3,500-$3,800 plus tuition & fees. (Tuition is $237.50 for 1 credit, resident, graduate).
6/09

Payment Schedule:
July 15 -- $250 deposit
September 4 -- $2000 due
December 1 -- Balance due

Application Deadlines:
July 15 - reservation deadline with deposit.

Contact:
International Affairs
420 University Terrace
Lincoln, NE 68588-0682
(402) 472-5358
E-mail: iaffairs@unl.edu
www.unl.edu/iaffairs

Craig R. Allen
HARH 423, UNL
email: allencr@unl.edu
(402) 472-0229

Kevin L. Pope
HARH 424, UNL
email: kpope2@unl.edu
(402) 472-7028

Download as PDF file:
NRES Australia Winterim pdf

Some of the hottest topics in both science and politics at the moment are environmental issues such as climate change, alternative fuels, invasive species, and water quantity and quality. These issues are driven by complex interacting factors - some biological, some physical, and some created by humans. We will learn from Australian scientists tackling such multifaceted problems with multidisciplinary approaches. We will investigate the relationships among social, economic and ecological factors affecting the resilience of complex systems of humans and nature.

The Australian National University is unique among its contemporaries as the only Australian university established by an Act of Federal Parliament, in 1946. It is also one of Australia's most research-intensive universities, with a high ratio of academic staff to students. The University campus has over 200 buildings and occupies 145 hectares adjacent to the city center of Canberra.

Canberra is the political hub of Australia, housing the Federal Parliament. It is the major city of the self-governing province, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Canberra is also the cultural heart of Australia, with the Australian War Memorial, the National Gallery of Australia, the High Court of Australia and the National Museum of Australia all a short distance from the city center.

Brassy, bold, stately and old, New South Wales hogs the lion's share of Australia's population, and it's where the country's modern society was birthed. It is Australia's most eclectic state and one of great contrasts: from the glitz of Sydney's uberstyle bars and heart-breaking harbour, to the lunar landscapes of Mungo National Park; from the slopes of the Snowy Mountains to the coasts of Byron Bay and Eden.

James Cook University is Australia's leading tropical research university. They take their name from the eighteenth-century British navigator and explorer Captain James Cook, whose epic voyages contributed to the world of science. The University was proclaimed in Townsville on 20 April 1970, two hundred years after Cook charted the eastern seaboard of Australia.

Tropical northern Queensland is uniquely different from the rest of Australia, and possibly the world. The UN's World Heritage Convention agrees; both the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics rainforests are included on the World Heritage List for their natural values. The coastal city of Townsville provides locals and visitors with modern sporting, cultural, entertainment and shopping facilities combined with a relaxed, laid-back lifestyle. Just west of Townsville lies the agriculturally rich Atherton Tableland and to the northwest the Gulf Savannah region with its fringing mountain ranges and wide open spaces.

Craig R. Allen Dr. Allen is the Leader of the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Professor in the School of Natural Resources. He grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, but spent three years in Southampton and Oxford, England, and Katwijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands. Dr. Allen is interested in understanding the links between landuse or landcover change, biological invasions and extinctions. He conducts both applied and theoretical research on the impacts and predictions of invasions using empirical, experimental and spatial tools. He is also interested in how invasions can affect the resilience of ecosystems and other complex systems. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Resilience Alliance.

Kevin L. Pope Dr. Pope is the Assistant Leader (fisheries) of the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Associate Professor in the School of Natural Resources. He grew up in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Pope is interested in understanding mechanisms that alter population dynamics of fishes and the subsequent responses in population structure. He conducts both applied and theoretical research on the impacts and predictions of anthropogenic disturbances to fish populations using empirical and experimental tools. He is also interested in how recreational angling can alter fish communities and affect the resilience of aquatic ecosystems.

NRES 892 -- 3 credits
During the two-week period, students will take one lecture/tutorial course focused on resilience and sustainability, with hands-on examples focusing on the interface of terrestrial and aquatic systems in temperate (Murray-Darling river system) and tropical (Great Barrier Reef) Australia. Field trips and cultural excursions will supplement the course lectures and tutorials.

Graduate credit is under the supervision of and therefore granted by the graduate faculty of the University of Nebraska. Graduate credit can be obtained only by previous arrangement with the Graduate College.

• Roundtrip airfare from Omaha
• Accommodations
• Transportation within Australia
• Selected entrance fees and site visits
• Travel insurance
  Estimated price is $3,500-$3,800 plus tuition and fees ($237.5 per credit, resident graduate). Additional costs for meals, passport and other personal expenses are NOT included. Costs are subject to change and based on a minimum of 8 participants. (6/09) Tuition and fees for NRES 892 will be billed by UNL student accounts and due in September.
  
  Withdrawal after September 15 is subject to a $250 cancellation fee plus irrecoverable costs. Cancellations must be made in writing to International Affairs.
  
  

Complete the application (form A) available on the International Affairs website. www.unl.edu/iaffairs. You will be contacted by the course instructors for a personal interview. Upon selection you will receive a confirmation notice and request for payment of a nonrefundable $250 deposit which is applicable to the program cost.

Applications received after the deadline will be considered if space is available.

Complete course descriptions, more program information, and general books about Australia are available in the International Affairs resource center at 420 University Terrace, P.O. Box 880682, Lincoln, NE 68588-0682; 402/472-5358.

Financial Aid : UNL recognizes the importance of increasing diversity in its programs. International Affairs offers limited financial assistance in the form of scholarships for UNL Study Abroad Programs. Contact International Affairs for details. For other types of financial aid contact a study abroad financial aid advisor in the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid, 17 Canfield Administration Bldg, UNL, (402) 472-2030.

Administrative Details : For applications and details about studying abroad, transferring credit, etc., see additional handout materials or contact a study abroad advisor at International Affairs, 420 University Terrace; 472-5358.

Contact :
International Affairs
420 University Terrace
Lincoln, NE 68588-0682
(402) 472-5358
E-mail: iaffairs@unl.edu
www.unl.edu/iaffairs

Craig R. Allen
HARH 423, UNL
email: allencr@unl.edu
(402) 472-0229

Kevin L. Pope
HARH 424, UNL
email: kpope2@unl.edu
(402) 472-7028