Professors Visit Costa Rica for Immersive Experience

Faculty members collaborate with peers while learning about country’s culture

Sacred Heart University faculty members who traveled to Costa Rica recently for a weeklong interdisciplinary program on global curriculum development returned with a wealth of information to add to SHU’s classroom experiences.

The trip was led by Professor Bronwyn Cross-Denny and SHU global partner Carrie McCracken of VN Abroad and sponsored by global health programs. It was an opportunity for faculty members to widen their world views and bring back ideas to strengthen their curriculum. Participants learned about Costa Rica’s work with refugees and immigrants and its economic strategies. They also explored Tenorio Volcano National Park, observed renewable energy in action and participated in a sea turtle conservation project.

Cross-Denny, who teaches health science and is the global health faculty fellow, said the trip was “a wonderful experience,” and among the many highlights, she appreciated the chance to exchange ideas with SHU faculty from other departments. “It’s so important to have cross-disciplinary discussions and meetings of the minds. Everyone has their own perspectives,” she said.

The sea turtle conservation project was rewarding, she added. Working with KUEMAR, a nonprofit organization, the SHU group helped excavate and protect turtle nests and assisted in releasing newly hatched turtles into the ocean.

The trip also was pertinent to Jennifer Wilson, a social work professor who observed that the University’s mission emphasizes social justice, and the School of Social Work and its Ph.D. program strive to include issues of environmental justice and global social work in its curriculum and research. “I was really excited to go on this trip to enhance my own knowledge, engage with other faculty and discuss interdisciplinary opportunities to develop curriculum, create service-learning opportunities and conduct research around environmental justice and sustainability practices,” Wilson said.

She embraced the opportunity to engage with faculty across disciplines while learning about Costa Rica’s infrastructure and the Nicaraguan refugee experience. “It was great to engage with colleagues about human rights, the environment, health care and education. All of us brought slightly different perspectives,” she said.

Wilson said Costa Rica is a great model for sustainable environmental practices, health care and social initiatives. “There are opportunities to send students there on study-abroad and service-learning trips, and there are opportunities to develop interdisciplinary projects and research on sustainable practices. I am excited to advance this work with my colleagues and keep the momentum going,” said Wilson.

Norman Weller, a nursing professor, joined the excursion to expand his personal and professional knowledge. “I’ve already found myself referring to experiences from the trip in my classroom lectures. I also feel that interdisciplinary education adds an element to the academic process that can be invaluable to students and instructors alike,” he commented.

 Weller said he has talked to his students about differences in customs and beliefs regarding health, health care costs, sustainability, accessibility and overall health care outcomes.

Biology Professor Barbara Pierce is applying information she learned on the trip to many of the courses she teaches, such as conservation biology, vertebrate biology and biology and psychology of conservation. “This was a great experience, and traveling with colleagues from other disciplines really provided a variety of perspectives outside of natural science,” Pierce said. “I would recommend this to everyone.”

Like the others, she said she found the sea turtle efforts rewarding, as well as other experiences the professors had on their trip. “I greatly enjoyed visiting a campesino [rural farmers] camp, which included 23 families who were political refugees from Nicaragua. We were able to hear their stories, both triumphs and challenges, and were able to talk to them about how they sustainably use the land they lease for food, shelter, daily life and small business. It was incredible.”

Also taking part in the trip were faculty members Maria Torres, clinical assistant professor in the nursing program; Joseph Braun, health science instructor; Kanwalroop “Kathy” Dhanda, management professor; Jodi Kuhn, health science instructor, and Tracy Scheirer, nursing instructor.

Two SHU alumni also joined for part of the trip, Melanie Lerner ’18 and Amy Ricotta ’18. They offered a student perspective for faculty. Both attended global immersion trips as undergraduates. Lerner said, “Making the decision to participate in global service trips as an undergraduate was one of the best decisions I’ve made. The trips I went on while a student at SHU inspired me to continue my interest in global issues following graduation.”

Scheirer, who teaches at SHU’s Dingle, Ireland, campus, said the trip enabled her to learn about study-abroad opportunities for nursing students. She also plans to add some of her experiences to her cultural competency course. “The most valuable experiences I had in Costa Rica will form the basis of new areas of study for my students,” she said.

Pictured from left to right: Jodi Kuhn, health sciences; Amy Ricotta, social work alum; Irma Vazquez, Guatemala partner; Gerardo Meneses, biologist, KUEMAR Turtle Conservation; Barbara Pierce, biology; Monica García, ecologist, KUEMAR Turtle Conservation; Tracy Scheirer, nursing, Alvernia College; Norman Weller, nursing; Bronwyn Cross-Denny, health sciences; Gabriel Aleman McCracken, VN Abroad; Joseph Braun, health sciences; and Jose Chavarria, VN Abroad. Kneeling is social work alum Melanie Lerner.