Ferrum Students and Faculty Study in Brazil

Five Ferrum students and faculty member (and wildlife and forestry expert) Todd Frederickson travelled in South America, visiting and researching in Brazil thanks to an Appalachian College Association International Seminar Grant and environmental studies project. The project is entitled, "A Pacific Ocean to Brazil Transect: Environmental, economic and political issues at subtropical latitudes in South America: Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil."

Geologically, this excursion offered a complete transect of a modern mountain belt that is still rising. The transect ended in an area where Cretaceous rifting started to form a new ocean basin. This event was aborted and rifting started anew at the present margin of the South Atlantic Ocean. The trip will also pass through important regions for metals and petroleum extraction.

The trip introduced the students to the capital cities of Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay, allowing students to experience significant diversity in Latin American cultures. There were numerous opportunities to discuss the political and social development of these countries and chances to visit important historical sites. Of particular historical interest was the battlefields near Santiago, Chile where decisive victories were won against the Spanish during the war for liberation