Here at FAU, there are many places around the world that students can travel to with the Study Abroad program. Joining this group of places accessible to FAU is a new chance for Graduate Students to travel over to China for their research.

Ed Proffitt and Donna Devlin are professors in the Biological Sciences department of the Harbor Branch FAU campus who have worked together with the Research Institute of Tropical Forestry (RITF), located in Guangzhou, China, to open up a new research opportunity for graduate students with an interest in the biology and ecology of mangrove ecosystems.

This program was recently signed by the FAU President Kelly and by the director of RITF. According to Devlin, this will allow students to “broaden their research and compare the ecosystems of mangrove ecosystems in China with those in the USA and other areas where they work.”

Only graduate students studying Mangrove ecosystems as a part of their research project are considered for this opportunity. According to Devlin, “Students interested in the program would have to have this collaborative research included as part of their research proposal.”

The student would need to get in contact with Proffitt and Devlin so that they can help further develop the research project and eventually as the students work with them, they will put them in contact with Baowen Liao, an environmental researcher at RITF that runs the mangrove research sites.

Students accepted into the program can expect to visit China over summer semester or part of either fall or spring semester depending on when they are approved.