International Research Experiences for Students

Assuring safety and security

Scuba Divers The university personnel involved with this program are committed to providing a safe and secure experience, and to this end will take the following specific steps. Prior to and during each visit abroad, the risk of travel will be evaluated and the Principal Investigator (PI, Dr. Chadwick of Auburn University) will take proactive precautionary steps by: (1) coordinating our visit with the US Embassy in Jordan and providing a list of participants, (2) assessing travel safety to and at the site in Jordan, using the US Dept of State consular fact sheet on Jordon, which is updated daily and accessible online, (3) developing an emergency management plan with student involvement, (4) informing all participants of the location of the nearest medical facilities (Aqaba Hospital, 50 beds, and Yoseftal Hospital in Eilat, Israel, 300 beds, which is 10 km distant and equipped with hyperbaric chamber for decompression treatment), and (5) maintaining close and regular contact with local officials in the city government of Aqaba and at the offices of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority.

If concerns regarding safety and security arise before departure to Jordan, the program potentially could be postponed until the next summer. This unlikely to happen, as there have not been any travel prohibitions to Jordan for several years now. If security concerns develop during our visits in Jordan, travel will be altered to exclude activities involving a security risk. Students could remain at the Marine Science Station in Aqaba with cancellation only of some of the cultural trips. Currently there is no travel warning or public announcement by the US Department of State concerning travel in Jordan. Thus it is possible but unlikely that a travel prohibition would result in the cancellation of a program such as this one.

The collaborating scientists in Jordan (Drs. Khalaf and Al-Horani) will treat the students in this program like their own children, and will carefully coordinate security arrangements for our group. This type of international student program has been carried out in the past at the Marine Science Station, with European, Israeli, and Jordanian students, and personnel at the station are experienced in running international programs that are safe and secure. During interactions over many years with scientists and officials in Jordan, the PI (Dr. Chadwick of Auburn University) has been treated with respect and equality, and female student participants are not expected to experience problems related to their gender during interactions with the Jordanians involved in this program.

The Marine Science Station has a well-equipped diving center with freshwater showers, scuba diving gear, and air compressor for scuba tank fills. The diving unit is run by a full-time diving safety officer, who also is a certified diving instructor (PADI-MSDT) authorized to teach PADI courses up to the advanced levels. Responsibilities of the unit are: maintenance and storage of diving equipment, advanced training of divers, and assisting in fieldwork and sample collection.

Plans for using U. S. host institution’s resources to strengthen the program content and safety

The Office of International Education (OIE) at Auburn University (AU) will provide services for the program participants in this international activity. OIE will collaborate with the Principal Investigator (PI, Dr. Chadwick) in the administration of this program as an Auburn Abroad (study/internship abroad) academic program. As part of Auburn Abroad, OIE will assist the PI in coordination with the hosting organization (Marine Science Station in Jordan), academic integration, recruiting, risk management (including providing enrollment in the AU Medex Secure 24/7 emergency assistance program), predeparture orientation, post arrival security orientation, and development and overall program administration. Although AU does not formally teach Arabic or other middle eastern languages, there are native Arabic language speakers and specialists on middle eastern culture on campus, who will be brought together to collaborate on the development of an introductory language and culture program for participants in this project. Additionally, as a member of the Alabama Council of International Programs, AU will have access to specialist and resource assistance from the University of Alabama Arabic Language programs. Using both in-person and web-based technologies, the OIE will develop a bridging program to provide the needed language and cultural introduction, in coordination with the program hosts in Jordan.

Benefits of this program to students who do not travel via activities at home institutions

All student participants will present oral powerpoint presentations to their home institutions within 3 months after their return from Jordan. These presentations will be made to the local Marine Biology Club, biology department undergraduate groups, and/or to the entire institution if small. They will not be graded and thus are not mandatory. However, the PI will continue to interact with each student and his/her home institution via telephone and email to facilitate and support the development these presentations. A program website blog will be maintained during each summer in Jordan with daily updates by participants, for students, family and friends at home to be informed daily on how the experience is unfolding. This site will be maintained as an archive for students to view year round.

The PI will coordinate presentations to marine biology majors at AU before and after the program on scientific, cultural, and geographical aspects of the Red Sea, Jordan, and coral reefs. In coordination with OIE, she will organize a session on culture and science in Jordan with a current graduate student from Jordan in our Department of Biological Sciences, Mrs. Nisreen Al-Quaraan, who is working on her doctoral thesis at Auburn University on the regulation of GABA shunt by calmodulins under environmental stress in the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We also will organize sessions with other Arab/Middle Eastern/Muslim foreign students on campus, which will lead to interaction and increased understanding of foreign students and their cultures by American students.

Housing, health insurance, and other logistics

During the month stay in Jordan each summer, participants will receive full board and accommodations in apartments at the Marine Science Station (MSS) in Aqaba. This housing will allow participants access to the laboratories and field sites and support flexible timing of program activities at the MSS. The MSS apartments are fully air-conditioned units of 2 persons per room with private bath. Meals will be provided by MSS staff in the dining facility, and will consist of local foods, modified to fit the needs of American participants. The accommodations are on the beach and will provide maximum student comfort and ease of participation in the scientific program.

Health insurance will be issued through AU OIE and will cost approximately $40 per student as part of Auburn Abroad, and will be mandatory with automatic enrollment. In addition, all participants will be expected to carry their own personal medical insurance during travels and as overlap to cover preexisting conditions and limitations. Forms for travel release, contract, and code of conduct of participants, etc., will be administered in coordination with OIE.

Introduction to Jordanian culture will consist of weekend visits to the historic and cultural sites of nearby Wadi Rum, Dana, and Petra, evening dinners in local restaurants with music and local dance, and visits to the nearby city of Aqaba (mosque, crusader fort, downtown shopping area, etc).