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**IMAGINE: Science that contributes to the health and well being of communities in need – Interdisciplinary Research Opportunities in South Africa (from a student’s perspective).**

By // Kenkesha Clark Staten //, Graduate Student, Master of Liberal Studies Program NCSU kcstaten@ncsu.edu



International Mentoring of Advanced Graduates for INterdisciplinary Excellence (IMAGINE) is a new program at NCSU. The program, directed by Dr. Melissa McHale in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, aims to give students an opportunity for an international research experience. Students experience first-hand the challenges associated with conducting ethical and scientifically robust studies in communities while they work in teams to develop and conduct research that actually helps people. Although it is open to graduate students all over campus, as a humanities student I never expected to be accepted into a program with a science based curriculum, therefore, I thought there was no harm in applying. A trip to Africa seemed like a distant and unachievable dream, especially for a woman that never travelled far from the southeast in her lifetime, nor spent more than 2 hours on an airplane. Furthermore, I balance the life of a graduate student with that of a mother, which poses a host of monetary and scheduling constraints. To my surprise, students like me are perfect for this program as the goal is to gather a diverse group in educational interests, career goals, cultural foundations, and life experiences that can bring a variety of perspectives to an analysis of the obstacles faced by people with little resources. Despite a series of seemingly endless hurdles lined up in front of me, from jury duty to immunization and passport complications, I landed in South Africa, on Mother’s Day, holding back tears - One part of me felt like I should have never left my family behind and already missed them terribly, while another was excited to finally land on the continent initially inhabited by my ancestors. Although I received a warm welcome from two of the main faculty on the program, I spent the night in a freezing cold room, nervous and shivering. The next morning I realized the bed was heated and I suffered for no good reason. After a hot breakfast I was back in high spirits because we were on the road: destination Kruger National Park, one of the most spectacular conservation areas in the world. From the moment we arrived in Kruger, our experience felt like something on the Discovery channel. There were animals everywhere – species that I had only seen in books, on television, or in pictures. It was not unusual to see an elephant lazily grazing in the area in front of our camp gate at Kruger. In fact, many of the animals we spotted were not to far from where we slept. There was a clan of banded mongoose that frequently visited, and cheeky vervet monkeys regularly raided the kitchens, not to mention the cackling hyenas and a leopard right outside our front gate. Besides learning about charismatic megafauna we were able to experience the African Savanna on foot. Dr. Laurence Kruger led us through a catenal sequence, a known gradient of soil moisture and type, and we discussed how plants defend themselves in “the bush”. The course began with a series of lectures and discussions on the history of conservation and apartheid. Dr. David Bunn’s love for his country of origin was a source of inspiration. We debated the politics and ethics of wildlife management, in particular focusing on the heart wrenching controversy regarding elephant culling. All of these discussions led to what we were there to work on - the complexities around conservation goals and human needs – a dilemma very familiar in the region. But then came our first real challenge, besides predator avoidance: We were charged with teaching at a local school. We all took turns with our portion of the lesson, and did an interactive outdoor activity. I was charged with setting the stage by reviewing the definitions that were being used in the lesson. After each member of the team taught the class we moved outside to do an outdoor activity that introduced the students to the correlation and slope by collecting data from each student about their leg length and distance that they were able to do a running jump. Where we were able to answer questions and talk in-depth about our lives in America after the activity was complete. The students then worked together to present their group data to the class using what was learned in class and from the data collection. We finished our visit by talking with the students. Many of them so enthusiastic bout our visit that they wanted us to pose for lots of pictures with them, and for us to take pictures of them in groups of friends.

After a long road trip north, through the changing ecosystems of Kruger National park, we arrived in, Hamakuya, is a rural village close to the border of Zimbabwe. There was no electricity, or phone service; however, the days that I spent in Hamakuya were some of the most precious to me. The people, adults and children alike, were so happy to have us there. They knew that we were conducting research, but they welcomed us with open arms. It was immediately obvious why Dr. Melissa McHale fell in love with the opportunities there. We began our research during our two nights stay with one of the families there. The women were so strong and they happily incorporated us into their daily activities and chores such as collecting wood, cleaning, visiting a traditional healer and cooking during our stay there. We worked with the family on drawing asset maps to see what they saw as most important to them. At the end of the week we set up focus groups with forty men and women divided by sex and age. We interviewed each of the groups with the assistance of translators. Each group drew maps of their villages and indicated what resources were most important to them. The focus groups ended with a large group discussion and lunch. The data we gathered will serve as a rich foundation for future research on this community.

Our second research site was in the area of Bushbuckridge. We visited another small community that unlike HaMakuya was set in the middle of an urbanizing matrix, and was also more centrally located to the main entry gates for tourists visiting Kruger National Park. For this research project we implemented some new methodologies. Instead of conducting focus group sessions we set out in the community “knocking on doors”. With the help of local translators we interviewed over 30 families. We designed a questionnaire that we hoped would help us gain a better idea of the relationship between resource use and poverty. We compiled these data and presented our findings to community leaders and their families. To our surprise, they were very pleased with the information that we presented – the information we provided was interesting because they had no idea how many of their residents depended on local natural resources for their daily needs. While in Bushbuckridge we also visited a local nursery that is instrumental in conservation efforts and preserving culture as well by training traditional healers in ways to sustainably use their natural assets. Generally, traditional healers work directly in the villages and with the resources that are in their immediate areas. The government funded project at the nursery for traditional healers not only train traditional healers on better ways to use plants and tress without killing them, but also work to promote the growth and planting of native plant species that may or may not be rare or going extinct by reintroducing them to their environments.



We took a few days of Rest and Relaxation at Tshukudu Game Lodge. We walked in the company of cheetahs that roamed like house cats, and enjoyed what I would consider an extreme game drive with a ranger. We drove over acacia trees to get within a few hundred yards of white rhinoceroses. No path was too overgrown or bumpy for the ranger as long as he made sure we had a great time seeing animals up close and personal.



We had great experiences outside of our many hard days work, like sundowners at lake panic, and enjoyed some the best foods South Africa had to offer.

The lessons learned from top international faculty will never be forgotten. The IMAGINE program was a wonderful experience. Now that I have been I cannot wait to go back, to see more of South Africa and revisit the friends that I made during the program. The program has unlocked the World for me. I can only imagine where in the World I will travel to next. I recommend for any graduate student to take advantage of the life changing experience that IMAGINE offers.