Portal, Arizona

Ecology and Evolution of Sky Island Biodiversity

BISC 380, BISC 491, or ENVS 399

Dates: July 19th-30th, 2023*

Credit Hours: 3 or 4

Instructor: Dr. Jason Hoeksema, Professor of Biology

Cost: $1,395 plus tuition

Application Deadline: April 6, 2023

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Travel to the diverse and beautiful “Sky Island” mountain and deserts of southeastern Arizona
Gain hands-on field study experience with local researchers, potentially examining plants, bats, reptiles, or insects with a special emphasis on birds
Visit the world-renowned Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Explore the American Museum of Natural History’s Southwestern Research Station in the Chiricahua Mountains
Learn about the representative organisms and natural history of each local habitat

*Itinerary and class dates are subject to change. Please verify specific dates with instructor and confirm that the course has adequate enrollment to make before making travel arrangements.

Students will travel to Arizona to learn about biodiversity from July 19-30, 2023. The group will be in the Tucson area for a few days before traveling to Portal, AZ, for the remainder of the stay.

This course is open to all majors. Students seeking Biology credit should have completed BISC 160, 161, 162, and 163 before the course begins and should register for BISC 380 (or BISC 491, which is available for students who have already taken BISC 380, and who wish to conduct a supervised independent research project). Other students should sign up for ENVS 399, for which there are no prerequisites, and which can be counted toward an Environmental Studies minor. Student groups who may be particularly interested include Magnolia Grove Campus Audubon Chapter, Ole Miss Outdoors, and the Office of Sustainability.

Students will make their own arrangements to and from Tucson, AZ. The university will provide group ground transportation from Tucson to the other sites in Arizona and then back to Tucson for departure. Airfare can be billed to student bursar accounts by making arrangements through Amber Gregory at Travel Leaders, agregory@travelleaders.com, or 901-507-8463.

The cost of this course is the Study USA program fee of $1,395, plus tuition. Included in the program fee are accommodations, meals from August 21st-30th, ground transportation in Arizona, tours, and admissions. Excluded from the course fee are tuition, meals except for those noted above, airport transportation, airfare, and personal spending money.

Study USA Scholarships

Deadline: Coincides with program deadline

Outreach Study USA Scholarship
The Outreach Study USA Scholarship supports student participation in Study USA courses. Scholarship awards range from $500 to $750 and are designed to help offset the additional expenses associated with academic travel.

Carolyn Ellis Staton Study USA Scholarship
The Carolyn Ellis Staton Study USA Scholarship was established to increase access to unique experiential learning programs. These scholarships will help to make engaging educational travel opportunities more accessible to students with financial need. Scholarship awards range from $250 to $750 and are designed to help offset the additional expenses associated with academic travel.