Statue
  1. "Pre-Trip" Assignments
  2. "Trip" Field Presentation
  3. "Trip" Journal Assignment
  4. "Trip" Species and Ecosystem Assignment
  5. "Post-Trip" Report: Sustaining China's Ecosystems


II. "Trip" Presentations and Programs *

   - to be attended by all participants throughout the trip component; reading handouts will be given to you when necessary; presentations will be given by researchers at institutions and agencies visited, Dr. McLaughlin and other faculty, Chinese government officials, and all 497 students and graduate students selected to participate in this program.*

China Presentation Topics:
  • Water:
    1. Re-plumbing China: China's South North Project
    2. Industrialization of the Huai River
    3. The World's Water: Who is Thirsty and Why?
    4. Ecological Challenges of the 21st Century (HIPPO)
    5. Plastic: An Environmental Nightmare
    6. Impacts and Regulations of E-Recycling
    7. Water Pollution and Seafood in China
    8. Eutrophication of Lake Tai
    9. The Story behind Three Gorges Dam
    10. China's History of Building Dams
    11. Desertification and Deforestation in China’s Northeast
    12. Environmental Clean-up of the Chesapeake Bay
    13. Waste Treatment in a "Developing" China
  • Financial/Economic:
    1. Mao: The Great leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution and China Toda
    2. The Kuznets Curve in China: Is It Too Late?
    3. Impacts/Costs of Complying with International Standards such as Kyoto Protocol
    4. Poverty's Affects on the Environment
    5. Foreign Investment
      1. Where is the money coming from?
      2. How is foreign money contributing to the environmental issues?
    6. Environmental Spending Breakdowns, Trends and Comparisons
      1. Per person, government, corporate, percent of GDP, etc.
    7. Currency Manipulation
    8. G-20 Summit 2009: Plans for Global Recovery from the Global Financial and Economic Crisis
    9. Construction: Housing, Roads and Urban Development
    10. Olympics: Cost/Benefits Analysis
  • Trade:
    1. Impact and Standards Regarding Shipping
    2. Trade Relationships (such as the U.S and China)
    3. Impacts and Regulations of Specific Trades. Examples: Fuel/energy, Agro and Food
  • Energy:
    1. Alternative Energy Sources: USA vs China
    2. Energy Consumption: China's Reliance on Coal
    3. Growth/Viability of Alternative Sources
    4. China's Energy Policy
    5. Greenbuilding
    6. Transportation: Cars, Bicycles, and Mass Transit
  • Environment:
    1. Biodiversity of our Earth's Ecosystems
    2. Sustainable Agriculture
    3. Global Warming
    4. NGO's and Conservation (USA and China)
    5. Ecological Challenges of the 21st Century (HIPPO)
    6. Plastic: An Environmental Nightmare
    7. China: Impacts and Regulations of E-Recycling
    8. Re-cycling in PA, USA, and China
    9. The State of Pennsylvania's Northeastern Deciduous Forest
    10. Viral Evolution: China’s Pandemics
    11. China's Use of Pesticides: The Good and the Bad
    12. China Health: The Cost of Environmental Destruction
    13. The World's Most Environmentally Damaging Industries: Petrochemical Plants, Semi-conductor factories, and Strip Mining

* Penn State biology and business 497 students and graduate students must select a topic of interest (from the above list or one that pertains to a specific environmental and/or economic issue and is approved by Dr. McLaughlin) and lead a 30-45 minute presentation followed by a 15 minute group discussion.