Eight UNT students to spend Christmas in Nepal

by PegNews wire

University of North Texas Regents Professor Miguel Acevedo, coordinator of the Biological and Environmental Engineering Program, will shepherd eight UNT students to Kathmandu over the Christmas break for a winter intersession course called "Human Interactions with the Environment – Nepal." The program is a collaborative effort between UNT and Kathmandu and Tribhuvan Universities.

The group leaves for the high plains of Asia on Dec. 17 and plans to return on Jan. 10; while there, they'll have a chance to observe and study urban development and watershed issues in Kathmandu (Nepal's capital city); they'll also visit Chitwan National Park, home to endangered wildlife species such as the one-horn rhinoceros and the Bengal tiger. Then they'll journey to Pokhara, at the base of the Himalayas, to learn something about the mountain ecology of the region.

As for any high-altitude partying they might have had in mind, I'm afraid the students are in for a bit of a shock: according to TravelPuppy, "Kathmandu... is a sleepy place." Oh, well. At least they won't have to worry about Himalayan hangovers.

posted by JM