Mills College
AC-5: Immersive Experience

BIO 147 (Professor Sarah Swope). Ecuador. Students travel to the cloud forests of Ecuador to explore the ecology of the most diverse country in the world. They live and work with members of a community-based conservation consortium on the western slope of the Andes. Topics include tropical ecology, reserve design, and the economics and ethics of conservation. This immersive course is a combination of experiential learning in the field, discussion, and service work.

BIO 043 (Professor Helen Walter). Honduras.This course focuses on the conservation of tropical marine life, including our coral reefs, and the importance of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). A rare opportunity to participate in travel to Roatan and to scuba dive with the Roatan Institute of Marine Sciences (RIMS) is included. Students learn to apply the scientific method and identify corals, fish and other marine life in the classroom. They learn about environmental impacts such as ocean acidification and how to more ethically interact with this valuable ecosystem.

Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation (APER) and Mills Sustainability lead alternative spring break trips varying in length. 2017...This trip was further developed into the four-day Bay Area Spring Break: Environment, Food and Justice in Action in 2019.
Students engaged with local food justice and environmental justice community organizations to better understand related issues in Oakland and the greater Bay Area. Activities included service at the Mills Community Farm, learning from local food justice and environmental justice organizations and farms/farmers market, making food together, hiking and visiting the beach.