This presentation describes a semester program for undergraduates pursuing conservation or environmental studies

1. Smithsonian-Mason Semester:
an undergraduate “study-away”
program
in Conservation Studies
Smithsonian Conservation and
Research Center,
Front Royal, Virginia
Dr. Anne Marchant, Associate Director,
Mason Center for Conservation Studies Students in the field with
Dr. William McShea of the
amarchan@gmu.edu Smithsonian
Photo credit: Billy Tidwell

2. The Smithsonian-Mason Semester is a 16 credit program in
conservation studies based at the National Zoological Park’s
Conservation and Research Center (CRC) in Front Royal,
Virginia. This 3200 acre facility is one of the premier
conservation research facilities in the world.

3. A new kind of learning…
• Classes are taught in an
integrated fashion by a cohort
of Smithsonian Faculty, Mason
Faculty, and Visiting Speakers.
• The learning community
approach stresses the
development of critical thinking
skills, abstraction, and
synthesis rather than
memorization of facts.

4. The curriculum includes both
natural and social science:
• Biodiversity • Human factors in
• In situ vs ex situ Conservation
conservation – The role of NGOs
• Reproductive – Human Wildlife Conflict
Endocrinology – Laws and Enforcement
• Climate Change – Conflict Resolution
– Ecotourism
• Species Monitoring
– Environmental
• Genetics Economics

5. This program prepares students
for careers in:
• Conservation Biology
• Conservation Education
• Conservation GIS and Tracking
• Conservation Management
• Ecology
• Environmental Studies
• International Conservation
• Species Conservation
• Zoology
• Zoo Management Photo credit: Billy Tidwell

6. The CRC houses innovative research on some of the
rarest species on earth, including Black footed Ferrets,
Cheetahs, Clouded Leopards, Maned Wolves, Red
Pandas, Przewalski’s Wild Horses, Eld’s deer, Scimitar
Horned Oryxes, and many species of birds.
Maned wolf pups born at CRC Jan 2008.

7. Program graduates find internships
with a wide range of agencies such as
Nature Conservancy, Walt Disney
World’s Animal Kingdom, Smithsonian,
US Fish and Wildlife Service, Fossil
Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose,
Texas, and the International Exotic
Animal Sanctuary in Boyd, Texas.
Students and faculty in the
Reproductive Lab doing
collection and cryopreservation
of Eld’s deer semen

8. Activities may include:
• Visits to the National Zoo, including the
Genetics Lab , and Natural History
Museum Archives
• Visits to Conservation-related NGOs
• Captive breeding demonstrations and
laboratory work
• Bird banding, Pan Trapping, Camera
Trapping, Deer Trapping, Radio Tracking
• Shadowing Keepers at CRC or other
volunteer activities.
Students in the CRC Endocrine Lab
Photo credit: Sarah Itoh

9. Pre-requisites:
• Students should have earned at least 60 credits
(exceptions can be made in the case of strong
applicants).
• Some background in a natural science, ideally1-2
courses in biology or environmental science.
• Students must be able to pass a Federal
background check. There is no charge for this and
US Citizenship is not required.
How to apply:
• Download the application from: Student banding birds
http://mccs.gmu.edu Photo credit: Billy Tidwell
Cost:
• Email smithsem@gmu.edu for current rates.