Robert “Bob” Pavlowsky has introduced nearly 100 Missouri State students to Jamaica since 2009. He encourages student research through his role as a Study Away program director. His efforts received honors through the Excellence in Study Away Programming award.
His 2017 program, Geo-environment and Culture of the South Coast of Jamaica, drew from previous experiences in the region. He built the program to highlight Jamaica’s landscape history, geology, and water resources. Students gained an appreciation of how these factors shape Jamaica’s culture and economy.
The program had 3 key objectives:
-
Explore the geology of the south coast
-
bedrock features
-
uplift/structural history
-
coral reefs
-
karst
-
stream systems
-
-
Study relationships between society and the natural environment
-
hazards
-
resource limitations
-
global change
-
-
Experience the natural environment’s link to communities
-
sustainable fishing
-
agriculture
-
tourist economies
-
Students prepared for the travel component of the program with extensive research. Each studied an environmental issue in Jamaica. Topics ranged from coral reef conservation to mangrove forest degradation.
Meetings before the travel component included cultural discussions. These were important to provide students with an understanding of real Jamaican culture.
Students continued research on the ground. Five completed research to present at the College of Natural and Applied Sciences Research Day.