Undergraduate Summer Research
Program in Romania
CHANCE Program Mission
The Penn State CHANCE Program is a distinctive educational model which combines study abroad with embedded opportunities for undergraduate research in environmental sustainability. The goal of CHANCE is to prepare global-minded citizens who understand the importance of restoring and protecting the biodiversity of our planet's ecosystems, and who are equipped to address the challenges of our time such as energy, air, food, water, and climate change in their lifetimes. Because ecosystems cross national borders, CHANCE strives to define sustainable answers for environmental realities from a global perspective.
Scientific Research on the Danube Delta
Students testing water samples in a lab setting.
The Danube River, which runs for 1800 miles through ten countries (including Germany, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia), has a distinctive history of sustainability. Heavily polluted when bordering countries were industrializing under Soviet rule, the river began to recover in the 1990s, but is now threatened again, particularly by the presence of microplastics, pesticides, and industrial waste. In this international, two-part course series, students will make a significant contribution to the scientific research that is seeking to preserve the ecosystems of this vital waterway. You can read more about the biological, economic, social, and political challenges the river faces: here.
Both online (synchronous zoom delivery) and in the field, ten Penn State students will work together with ten students from the University of Bucharest (five teams each consisting of two Romanian and two American students), to develop their skills in navigating complex, inter-disciplinary challenges with global implications. These are not like problems from a textbook, rather they are real-world challenges that students will engage in directly by visiting research sites along the Danube River and Delta; working side-by-side with scientists to carry out undergraduate research on water issues confronting this waterway; and creating opportunities to advocate for change with politicians, international agencies, and university leaders.
Throughout both courses, students will work in their binational teams mentored by top research scientists. By the end of the field practicum, students will be working collectively in their groups to devise and report out potential solutions for the sustainability of the Danube River and Delta per the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (UN SDGs) at an international Undergraduate Research Symposium held at the University of Bucharest.
