SFS CHILE: WILD PATAGONIA: FIRE AND ICE
(SEMESTER)
PROGRAM DETAILS
Terms | Fall, Spring
Credits | 18 semester-hour credits
Prerequisites | One semester of college-level ecology, biology, or environmental studies/science | 2.7 GPA |18 years of age
Application Deadline | Fall: May 1st. Spring: November 1st. Early applications encouraged!
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OVERVIEW
Students conduct fieldwork across vast icefields, open skies, and coastal systems where seabird populations reflect changing marine dynamics. Their boots crunch on glacial moraine as they measure retreat, survey wetlands, and map how climate shifts ripple through forests. Expeditions to Torres del Paine, Isla Magdalena, and Tierra del Fuego reveal a region revered as one of the world’s last wildernesses, yet vulnerable to resource pressures and accelerating global change. Glaciers, forests, and coasts become field texts, showing that conservation is not a triumph preserved, but a struggle to safeguard Patagonia’s living landscapes, where students also celebrate thriving penguin colonies, resilient forests, and the awe of wilderness largely intact.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
→ Map glacier termini in Torres del Paine with GPS transects and paired satellite images, tracking seasonal retreat patterns for climate and water resource analysis.
→ Census Magellanic and king penguins in Tierra del Fuego, recording clutch size, disturbance zones, and banded individual sightings.
→ Learn from Selk’nam language keepers about revitalization linked to seasonal hunting grounds, contributing to a shared cultural archive.
→ Evaluate tensions between fjord conservation zones and salmon aquaculture livelihoods through mapped sites, ecological data, and local testimonies.
→ Survey archaeological sites and interpret the interplay between prehistoric art, biodiversity, and modern land use.
→ Conduct Directed Research: frame a stakeholder-driven question, collect and analyze field data with faculty guidance, and present actionable findings to local partners.
LOCATION
SFS students live and study at the Center for Climate Studies, located near the bustling port city of Puerto Natales – the gateway to the famous Torres del Paine National Park. This scenic city, surrounded by the jagged peaks of Cerro Benítez and the deep blue waters of the Señoret Channel, serves as your home base for expeditions throughout the region.
RESEARCH THEMES
- Climate Change Impacts and Resilience
- Glacial and Freshwater Dynamics
- Geology and Volcanic Activity
- Penguin Behaviour
- Endangered Species Protection
- Coastal and Alpine Ecology
- Conservation Strategy and Practice
- National Park Visitation and Protected Areas Management
CORE SKILLS
- GIS
- Water Quality Assessments
- Terrestrial and Freshwater Biodiversity Survey Techniques
- Species Identification and Population Monitoring
- Landscape and Soils Analysis
- Natural Resource Valuation
- Basic Spanish Language
- Research Design and Implementation
- Data Collection and Analysis
- Research Presentation
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