ONU Students to Fan Across Nation, Globe During Spring Break ‘22

ADA, Ohio – Ohio Northern University students, faculty and staff will be embarking on several unforgettable service and learning-oriented trips this semester, particularly during spring break, which begins March 7. Here are some of them:

Peru: Nine pharmacy students will be learning about global healing traditions. Led by Kelly Shields, Pharm.MD, associate dean of pharmacy and professor of pharmacy practice, and joined by Hannah Stokes, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, the group will spend a week in the Amazon exploring rainforest flora and fauna to learn about ways that plants are used for healing and wellness. Participants will meet with indigenous healers and Western medical practitioners to gain a variety of perspectives. This trip will mark the third such study-abroad excursion to Peru and is part of a course that is also exploring African and Asian healing traditions.

France: A total of 28 students have embarked on a 10-day “World War II Memory in Normandy and the Western Front” trip to France and Belgium. Led by David Strittmatter, Ph.D., assistant professor of history, and three other faculty members, the group will visit several memorials along the northwest region of France and areas of Belgium.

Las Vegas: International Services Advisor Chris Caldwell will lead a U.S. culture excursion to Las Vegas. First generation college students, Pell Grant recipients, students of color and international students, most of whom have not extensively travelled within the U.S., will visit museums and historical sites such as Red Rocks National Park, Valley of Fire State Park and the western rim of the Grand Canyon.

Arkansas: As ONU’s student chapter of Habitat for Humanity reboots from a pandemic-related pause, a group of nine students will be traveling to Benton, Arkansas to help the Saline County Habitat chapter. They will be working in the organization’s ReStore, which sells used and refurbished housewares to support Habitat home builds and other projects, and will possibly assemble materials for a home build. This contingent will be led by the Office of the Chaplain, David MacDonald. Habitat for Humanity is a national Christian-based nonprofit that builds affordable homes and provides zero-interest mortgages to qualified families. It also provides home repairs.

Following spring break, some other learning trips will include:

Germany: Bryan Boulanger, Ph.D., professor of civil and environmental engineering and department chair, along with David Mikesell, Ph.D., professor of mechanical engineering and department chair, will be supervising 16 engineering students on an 11-day trip as part of an Engineering, Traditions, and Culture in Germany course. While there, students will be traveling from Munich to Berlin, touring significant engineering sites, seeing different engineering disciplines in action and experiencing cultural and historic sites along the way.

Japan: Caldwell will take 18 students from different study disciplines to Japan. They’ll be visiting Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima. Some of their stops will include the Studio Ghibli Museum and the Kyoto International Manga Museum, along with a wide variety of other artistic, cultural and historical sites. To raise funds that will help students pay for this trip, the Office of Global Initiatives will host a “hackey sack challenge” after the men’s lacrosse game on March 26. Open to the public, the fundraiser will offer participants chances to win $200, $300 or $500. For $25, challenge participants will throw hackey sacks on the field. The closest hackey sacks to the target will represent the winners. People need not be present to participate; fundraiser staff will play in your place.

For more information and to participate, contact Caldwell at c-caldwell.3@onu.edu.