Are you dreaming of a warm, tropical trip?

Next week, current CFANS students will be heading away from frigid winter temperatures and landing in warm, sunny Costa Rica. They are participants in an international field study seminar on sustainable development. Seeing many different ecosystems, visiting coffee and banana plantations, and learning about ecotourisim are among the highlights of the trip. I studied abroad in Costa Rica for a semester when I was a U of M student. I went through a different program, but can attest that Costa Rica is indeed a wonderful destination for learning and leisure. See a couple of photos taken of last year's participants below...

 

 

Livin' la vida Local student blog

Casey DeRosier is a senior in CFANS majoring in Agricultural and Food Business Management. She doesn't have a background in agriculture, but is having a great internship experience with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Minnesota Grown program. Her internship has taken her to farms and markets of all kinds throughout the state.

Follow her journey at her blog, aptly titled Livin' la vida Local.

U of M Bucket List

There are tons of great things to do around campus. Your four years as a U of M student will fly by before you know it! To make sure he didn't miss a thing, current U of M student Sergio Meyer created his own "Bucket List," or list of must-do things, to accomplish before he graduates.

Visiting the Weisman Art Museum was on Sergio's Bucket List...put it on yours!

December 15 application deadline is next Tuesday

Can you believe we are approaching the middle of December? Time flies--especially in your senior year when you have so much going on. This is one last reminder to make sure you have all of your application materials to us by the December 15, 2009, priority deadline (that's next Tuesday!). A complete application includes:

• the application form
• the application fee
• your national test score (ACT or SAT sent from the testing agency) and 
• your high school transcript. 

Click here for frequently asked questions about how to complete you application for admission.

A great way to check and see if we have your application materials is to use our online Application Tracker. Keep in mind that it can take up to two weeks for items to make it from your mailbox to our office, to be sorted and scanned, and attached to your application...so don't be alarmed if you mailed us one of the above items but it is not yet showing in application tracker. The December 15 deadline is a postmark deadline, so as long as your items were mailed by then you are considered "on time."

Buy your Christmas tree from the Forestry Club

The holiday season is here! For those who celebrate Christmas, the Forestry Club will be selling Christmas trees on the St. Paul campus. Many varieties of trees are available including balsam fir, fraser fir, spruce, white pine, and scotch pine. You can also purchase wreaths, swags, garland, and homemade maple syrup. I'll be picking up a Balsam Fir which is my traditional holiday tree this upcoming weekend!

Hours

Weekdays: Noon to 9 pm

Weekends: 8 am to 9 pm on weekends

View My Saved Places in a larger map

Finals are around the corner!

Finals are around the corner and students everywhere are buckling down to study hard. The SMART Learning Commons is an great choice if you want some extra study help. They offer many ways to support students including one-on-one peer assisted learning sessions. Students are also planning to hit the Cram Slam on Saturday, December 12th.

In addition to the general help that Smart Learning Commons provides, students in CFANS can also benefit from natural resource-related tutoring provided by Xi Sigma Pi, the National Forestry Honor Society on campus. Students will find assistance in subjects typically not covered in the conventional college tutoring program including:

• Forest Ecology
• Hydrology
• Environmental Economics
• Environmental Policy
• Woods and Fibers
• Entomology
• GIS
• Soil Science
• Ethics in Natural Resources
• Recreation Resource Management.

Good luck to everyone studying for finals!!

Free films on campus

Today and tomorrow see the movie The Informant on campus for FREE at the St. Paul Student Center or Coffman Memorial Union. The movies that are shown change weekly - keep up to date by following the events calendar.

The science behind holiday overeating

Ahhhh...the holidays have arrived! And they're filled with good cheer, spending time with family and friends and a seemingly never ending supply of tasty treats. Dean Al Levine of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences offers an interesting look at the science behind holiday overeating: