Rebecca Robbins

Overseas program(s): Australia Spring 2015
Overseas project(s): Torres Strait Islanders and the Upper Hunters Emotional Well-being and their Connection to Land
Expected graduation: May 2016
About me: Growing up in Bangladesh, El Salvador, Sri Lanka, Egypt, India has caused me to be passionate about environmental studies. My parents currently live in Ethiopia and this has caused me to focus my interest to Africa. While in Ethiopia (summer of 2013), I worked with an environmental NGO Horn of Africa Regional Environmental Center and Network that increased my interest in pastoralist communities.

My Amelia Earhart Moment - You can only bring 10kg Nat – our trip leader said. You really only need your togs (the Australian nickname for swimsuit), a pair of dry clothes, beach walking shoes and sunscreen, she continued. With this in mind we prepared for our journey to Lady Elliot Island. The island is so small that it takes […]

Seppos Out at Sea - Life is the beach. Let’s be real, a huge reason why Australia is an amazing place to study abroad is because of their easily accessible beaches. You can hop on one bus and thirty to forty minutes later, you’ve arrived. While we were in Sydney some friends and I decided to go to Coogee, probably […]

Diving Deeper into Coral Reef Ecology at Lady Elliot Island

Another day in paradise. Today marked our third day on Lady Elliot Island, and it’s easy to see that we’re all getting used to this. Waking up early isn’t a challenge with the bright sun and the cacophony of seabirds, but for once no one is upset, as our first activity is a quick snorkel […]

Journey to the top of Queensland – 5/4/18

Today marked our last day at Carnarvon, with our next stop to be the Great Barrier Reef. Although we’ve stayed at Carnarvon Gorge longer than expected due to the cyclone off the eastern coast, it allowed us to explore even more of the beautiful park. We were woken again by the sounds of Laughing Kookaburras, […]

Great Times at Great Kepple

April 7, 2018 Our first full day on Great Kepple Island! We spent the morning in lecture learning about coral, coral reefs (there’s a difference!), conservation and the general weather trends that can dictate the biogeography of the ocean. While some had come into this program with invertebrate knowledge from classes at Lewis and Clark, […]

Planes, trains, automobiles and the amazing reef!

On April 10th I woke up to the sound of the train wheels clacking. It was 5:30 in the morning. I was so tired but also so thrilled to be traveling to a new destination. Soon after we woke from the comfy and unique accommodation of the train, we all gathered our belongings and hopped […]

Under the Milky Way Tonight

On April 3, 2018 we stayed at the Takarakka bush resort in Carnarvon Gorge. One of the many highlights of Carnarvon George is the sky. Specifically, the entire Milky Way. Which, as our tutor brought up, used to be a sight that everyone could see. It is because of our cities light pollution that […]