Study abroad takes students to the Andes to trace how diseases emerge
This spring, undergraduates will take their classroom learning from Blacksburg to Chile’s coast, rainforests, and mountains, joining disease ecologist Luis Escobar in the field to investigate how and where infectious diseases emerge.
Escobar, associate professor of fish and wildlife conservation in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, has created a four-credit spring-embedded study abroad course that combines twice-weekly classes with a research expedition over spring break.
The course, Biogeography of Emerging Infectious Disease in Chile, will introduce students to the questions and methods behind active research into how climate, land use, biodiversity, and human activity shape the health of wildlife, livestock, and people across the globe. Students will help gather field data to advance Escobar’s ongoing research into how diseases emerge across changing landscapes.
“During the expedition, the students will gain key skills in navigating the Andes mountains, working under high-biosecurity protocols, and handling wildlife following animal welfare practices,” Escobar said.
Chile’s dramatic shifts in elevation, climate, and ecosystems, Escobar said, make it an especially valuable place to study disease biogeography, the study of where diseases occur and why. During the expedition, students will work across an elevational gradient stretching from the coast through mid-elevation rainforests to the high Andes.
Designed for students in fields ranging from fish and wildlife conservation and environmental science to geography, biology, animal sciences, public health, and the social sciences, the class will introduce students to wildlife capture, handling, and sampling; field biosecurity and biosafety; and the interpretation of ecological, geographic, and epidemiological data. Students also will examine traditional ecological knowledge and the experiences of rural communities, recognizing that disease emergence is shaped by social systems as well as environmental conditions.
The course grows from Escobar’s research on the ecology and biogeography of infectious diseases across Latin America, conducted in collaboration with other Virginia Tech and international researchers. Students will explore the complex relationship between South American wildlife and the pathogens they carry, including Andes hantavirus, which can be transmitted to humans. By integrating biogeography with infectious disease theory, students will explore the factors that shape why there are emerging diseases in some places but not others.
“I have been taking students to Latin America for fieldwork for years and have seen how they gain new skills and grow enormously from this cultural and academic exchange,” Escobar said. “This topic is timely. Emerging diseases are a constant public health concern. We will study hantavirus, an excellent example of an emerging disease from which we can learn how habitat disturbance, human behavior, and climate change trigger outbreaks.”
A bridge between study and practice
The course reflects Virginia Tech’s broader commitment to bridge experiences that connect academic learning with students’ professional and personal development. By combining study abroad, undergraduate research, fieldwork, and faculty mentorship, the course brings several forms of experiential learning together into a single experience.
That approach also aligns with Virginia Tech Advantage, the universitywide effort to expand student support and help students graduate prepared for their lives and careers.
“The strongest study abroad programs make place part of the curriculum,” said Theresa Johansson, director of the Global Education Office, part of Outreach and International Affairs. “Rather than merely transplanting an existing Virginia Tech course to a location abroad, these programs engage students closely with the faculty, disciplinary approaches, and research methods of the host country. Students learn from faculty research in the region, develop more agile collaborative capabilities, hone their fieldwork skills, and gain a broader, deeper understanding of where these skills may take them professionally.”
Escobar’s course adds to Virginia Tech’s growing academic presence in Chile. This fall, the university launched the Semester Abroad in Valdivia and Patagonia in partnership with Universidad Austral de Chile. The 15-credit program combines classroom learning, field experiences, and undergraduate research focused on conservation, sustainability, agriculture, natural systems, and climate change.
Together, the two programs offer students two routes into international learning — an immersive semester spanning several disciplines or a shorter, research-focused experience embedded within the spring term.
Both are among the many opportunities students can explore at the Study Abroad Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, under the big white tents on the Drillfield.
Faculty program leaders, study abroad providers, and members of the Global Education Office team will be on hand to help students explore hundreds of programs across academic disciplines and learn about scholarships and financial aid.
Students interested in Escobar’s course may email him at escobar1@vt.edu.
Felicia Spencer and Amanda Broome contributed.
