The ISP, or Independent Study Project, is written by students from the undergraduate programs of SIT Study Abroad and relates to a program theme. Using primary sources students choose topics with a manageable focus that can be carried out in a variety of settings, such as schools, nongovernmental organizations or field research stations. During the independent study period students work closely with a project advisor and other key contacts in the field. The ISP is typically a 20- to 40-page paper presented to student colleagues, the academic director and, often, the advisor and other interested host-country individuals.
Copyright permissions have been obtained by all contributors to this collection.
Submissions from 2023
A Transition Point: The Role of the Global Power Shift in Facilitating Saudi Internal Reforms, Aidan Aguilar, Columbia University
Existir y Sobrevivir: El prejuicio que enfrentan los inmigrantes venezolanos en la quinta región de Chile., Daisy Alcantar, Macalester College
The Truth Behind Avocado Expansion in the Algarve: A Synthesis of Public, Environmental Associations, and Government Perspectives and Response, Mandy Ausman, University of Puget Sound
Litio en una Encrucijada: Voces locales sobre la reforma constitucional del gobernador Morales y su impacto en el futuro de la minería en Jujuy / Lithium at a Crossroads: Local voices on Governor Morales’ constitutional reform and its impact on the future of mining in Jujuy, Maxwell Bassin, Georgetown University
Desapariciones de Migrantes en la Frontera: Un Análisis de Factores Influyentes, Reyna Krystal Blakeman, University of Oregon
Understanding invasive predation: detections of feral cats (Felis catus) on Kangaroo Island’s Western River Refuge, Leah Boget, College of William and Mary
Rocky intertidal community structure along an upwelling gradient between Playa Venao and Nueva Gorgona on Panama’s Pacific coast, Claire Brady, Claremont McKenna College
Neoliberalismo y La Mar: Los Efectos del Sistema Neoliberal y la Pesca Artesanal de Caleta Portales, Isaac Bronfine, University of Washington
Fauna as Fieldworkers: An analysis on the use of animals as a form of organic weed and pest management in modern viticulture, Mariana del Carmen Campano
Estudiantes Mapuche Universitarios: El Desarrollo de Conciencia Crítica Dentro La Sistema de Neoliberalismo Multicultural, Silvia Carias-Centeno, Kenyon College
Building a Society of Trust: Innovation and the Future of Youth Employment in Jordan, Pierre Cativiela, Williams College
Intergenerational Change in HIV/AIDS-Related Stigma in Cato Manor, MiJin Cho, Virginia Commonwealth University
Exploring the Role LO Plays in Preparing South African Learners for Life After Matric: A Case Study in Cato Manor, Peter Cohen, Washington University in St. Louis
Impact of wildlife provisioning on species diversity, relative frequency, and richness in New South Wales, Alanah Cohen-Tigör, Vassar College
The State of Transgender and Kinnar Communities in Delhi: Case Studies Connecting Socioeconomic Factors to Health, Ray Craig, Swarthmore College
Soil succession: Short and long-term impacts of grazing on soil properties in a Tropical Montane Cloud Forest, June Curtis, Oberlin College
Lo Nuestro: Turismo y la Revalorización de la Cultura Kichwa Karanki en la Parroquia de Angochagua, Daltin Danser, The New School
The Global Anxiety Crisis in Teenagers and a Proposed School-Based Preventative Intervention Plan Focusing on Building Resilience in Children, Lia Darling, University of Vermont
Gentrifying while Black: Exploring the Concept of an African Homeland through Gentrification in Accra, Ghana, Amaya Davis, Kenyon College
Grabbing the Paycheck: A Glimpse into the Modern Economic Livelihoods of Xe Máy Grab Drivers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Maddie Davis, University of Puget Sound
Friends in High Places: Establishing pollination networks for the Páramos of Central Ecuador, Emma Diaz, Washington University in St. Louis
Understory Epiphyte Hydrology: Analyzing water storage capacity of epiphytes along an elevational gradient in western Ecuadorian cloud forest, Angelina Dodge, Macalester College
“Mira cómo tejemos”: La construcción de una red comunitaria y la educación ambiental en la organización Frente Insular de la Reserva Marina de Galápagos, Katie Draeger, Bowdoin College
Bryophyta sensu stricto presence and function in the epiphytic ecosystems of the tropical montane cloud forests of El Valle de Anton, Teaghan Duff, Oberlin College
Tropical tree carbon storage at Drago Dos Forest in Boca Del Drago, Panama, Ben Dwyer, University of Richmond
Investigating the detriment of development assistance: A geopolitical analysis of Sino-Djibouti relations through the lens of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Elizabeth Elenwo-Roger, Spelman College
An Exploratory Study into Empowering Grade 10 and 11 Learners through Critical Engagement with South African Literature: A Case Study in Cato Manor, Sally Fales, Washington University in St. Louis
Intelligence Versus Inferno: How Artificial Intelligence Can Be Used to Monitor and Manage Wildfires in Europe, Maxwell Feldman, Claremont McKenna College
On the Rocks, Below the Rocks: A study of intertidal life in the low, middle and high zones of the Puerto Cabuyal – Punta San Clemente Marine Reserve during an El Niño event, Juliana M. Ferrer, Rollins College
Analysis of the Effects of NAFTA on Rural Farmers in Mexico: Agriculture and Immigration, Kevin Xavier Garcia-Galindo, Davidson College
Assessing the performance of agricultural systems in the inland and coastal regions of Northern Portugal using indicators: establishing the foundation towards better agricultural practices, Genevieve Gehlken, San Diego State University
Anuran species diversity and abundance between three locations in El Valle de Antón, Coclé, Panamá, Xena Gehring, Colorado State University
Mycorrhizal Fungi and Reforestation in an Eastern Lowland Rainforest of Madagascar, Sophia Gibby, The University of Virginia
Observaciones de la medicina mapuche y el mito de la medicina interculturalidad en Chile con la machi Rosita Barboza, Anat Gilligan-Steinberg, Tulane University
Consumo Verde ¿Para Quién?: Las tierras, cosmovisiones, y personas escondidas detrás de la Fiebre del Oro Blanco / Green Consumption, For Who?: The lands, world views, and people hidden behind the White Gold Rush., Gabriel Gómez, The University of Vermont
Refugees living with dementia: assessing the barriers to healthcare access in crisis-affected populations in Lebanon and Switzerland, and the role humanitarian actors have on addressing them, Pedro Gomez, Washington University in St. Louis
El vínculo entre el arte, la política y el espacio público: Una investigación de Colectivo El Muro Cusco y su resistencia contra poder estatal y la censura del espacio, Stella Gould, Bates College
Bryophyte (SL) growth and environmental factors along an altitudinal gradient on Cerro Gaital, El Valle, Coclé, Panamá, Julian Grace-Martin, The College of Wooster
Environmental Loss, Displacement, and Anxiety in Portugal: Analyzing News Articles to Differentiate Manifestations of Environmental Distress, Robin Greene, Harvard University
Componiendo el núcleo: Una exploración de la bomba y la identidad afroecuatoriana en el valle de Chota, Ethan Guok, Oberlin College
Jordan Spring: An Analysis of the Regime Survival Tactics Adopted by the Hashemite Kingdom, Saumyaa Gupta, Beloit College
Views of Judaism and Jewish People in Jordan: Political, Social, Historical, and Religious Considerations, Thalia Gustina, Colorado State University
La significancia de la instalación de oficinas de género para estudiantes universitarias LGBTQ+ en Chile, Lori Hashasian, Bowdoin College
Pesantren Waria Al-Fatah: Navigating the Intersection of Gender Nonconformity and Islam in Indonesia, Tali Hastings, Whitman College
Extent of the 2023 coral bleaching event in the Nargana region of Guna Yala, Panama, Brydon Deanna Hollander, The College of Wooster
La CURP no Sirve Para Nada: How the CURP and other Temporary Documentation Fail to Protect the Human Rights of Migrants in Transit through Mexico, Harper Hoover, Washington University in St. Louis
The Archetype of the Ocean in Balinese Culture, Ava Hull, Swarthmore College
Troop composition and behavior of mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) in mangroves and forested islands south of David, Panama, Slate Hyacinthe, Swarthmore College
La práctica de interculturalidad crítica: Un caso de estudio de la ONG Corporación La Matriz y la comunidad migrante haitiana en Barrio Puerto, Valparaíso, Annessa Ihde, Bethel University
Reef fish wariness behavior: Fish flight initiation distance mediated by territoriality and body size in three reef sites off the Western coast of Isla Colón, Bocas del Toro, Panamá, Alina G. Irvine, Swarthmore College
The Australian News Media and Climate Change: How Frames Impact the Response of Individuals in an Anthropocentric Society, Laura Joelsson, Denison University
Evaluating the On-Site Impacts of the Ambatovy Project through the Lens of Environmental Justice, Nick Karlik, Macalester College
People Power & Politics: Evaluating the impact of the Conselho de Cidadãos de Lisboa on climate policy and political efficacy in Lisbon, Marion Linde, Barnard College of Columbia University
Agroforestry for the future: motivations behind Tasmanian farmers planting trees, Josh Lipp, Williams College
Los Porteadores Del Camino Inca: Conversaciones y Perspectivas Sobre los Efectos del Turismo, Joshua Lipscomb, Wofford College
Community complexity of a pollination network: Analysis of plant-pollinator interactions in the eastern Ecuadorian cloud forest, Anisa López-Ruiz, Pomona College
A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Cork versus Traditional Shoe Insole Material, Alexandra Lum, The University of Virginia
Women in sustainable leadership: A case study on the perspectives, opportunities, and challenges of biologist and conservationist Estrela Matilde, Ella Lyons, University of San Diego
Bridging the Education Gap: Series of Infographic Guides to Sustainable Living for Low-Income Communities, Brianna Mateo, Smith College
A case study of sustainable development at the Penonomé wind farms, a CDM registered project in Coclé, John Matuszewski, Georgetown University
Hydropower to the people: Implications of a comparative macroinvertebrate study on either side of the Central Hidroeléctrica Topo in Tungurahua, Ecuador, Grace Mazur, Johns Hopkins University
A Comparative Plague Study of Cacao Fungal Disease in Cacao Pods Within Monocultures and Indigenous Agroforests in Ecuador’s Napo Province, Seamus McCarthy, Macalester College
Unleash the Heat: Exploring Geothermal Energy Perspectives and Energy Literacy in São Miguel, Azores, Lena McDonough, University of Michigan
Unveiling the Impact: Mexico's Decree on Genetically Modified Corn and its Ramifications on Food Security, Lauren McShea, Washington University in St. Louis
Sunan Kalijaga: The Birth of a Self-Actualized Pilgrimage Culture, F. P. Meachem, Macalester College
Las facultades especiales de los parques públicos: Investigar los efectos reconstituyentes de la Plaza Almirante Brown en los visitantes, Aidan Michelow, Bowdoin College
Portugal to New Mexico: Investigating the Applicability of Syntropic Agriculture to a Semi-Arid Continental Climate, Arielle Nathan, Williams College
ABCDs of Triggerfish in Pemba and Misali Island: Abundance, Biodiversity, Behaviour, Cultural Significance and Distribution, Hannah Ng Shueh Yi, Yale-NUS College
El impacto del diagnóstico de cáncer de mama en los vínculos en mujeres de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (2023) / The impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on the relationships of women living in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (2023), Devin O’Loughlin, Bowdoin College
Hydrological patterns of the Chimborazo Reserve: Streamflow, climate, and glacier recession data show a loss of glacial influence on the southwestern aspect of the Chimborazo volcano, Ecuador., William F. M. Patrick, Pomona College
Migrants sans Papiers: the Impact of Cantonal Program and Policy Discrepancies on Undocumented Migrant Healthcare Utilization in Switzerland, Denise Peng, Yale University
El Empoderamiento de Personas Embarazadas y Posparto en Arica, Chile: Perspectivas Indígenas y Biomédicas, Abby Perce, Smith College
Centros de inclusión social bajo gestión asociada y la salud mental de las personas en situación de calle, Kien Phan, Trinity College
Poland and the Ukraine War: A Geopolitical Analysis, Thomas Pitney, The College of Wooster
Flujos de servicios ecosistémicos en un área marina protegida del Atlántico Sur: Perspectivas desde el análisis de la teoría de redes, Mitch Porter, Carleton College
The Effects of Stigma Against HIV and Tuberculosis on Patient Mental Health and Healthcare-Seeking Behavior in Dharamshala, Isabel Powell, Georgetown University
Wishing for Water While Fleeing Their Farms: A Study of Water Scarcity and Internal Migration in Tunisia, Tyler Rak, The College of Wooster
Local Traditions, Global Influences, National Belonging: Conditional Acceptance of Cross-Gender Dance in Central Java, Indonesia, Calla Rhodes, Georgetown University
Conflicting Socio-Cultural Attitudes and Community Factors Resulting in Backstreet Abortion in Cato Manor, KwaZulu Natal, Chloe Sachs, Washington University in St. Louis
What Makes a Family: How an Empowerment-Based Health Care Delivery Model Employs Family Planning to Positively Impact Families in Rural Maharashtra: A Study in Jamkhed, Ahmadneger, Sezin Sakmar, The George Washington University
Geopolitics of Semiconductor Supply Chains: The Case of TSMC, US-China-Taiwan Relations, and the COVID-19 Crisis, Aditya Sehgal, Georgetown University
Community participation and perspectives of Ambondrolava mangrove restoration project, Nadine Shannon, Davidson College
Maternal Healthcare Access and Obstetric Complications: A Cause and Effect Relationship?, Lena Sharara, Tufts University
Un análisis de los programas de asistencia para varones que han ejercido violencia de género en la Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (AMBA). An analysis of programs of assistance for men who have committed gender violence in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires., Shreya Shrestha, University of Colorado Boulder
Inclusión Cultural en FONASA: Parto aymara como un estudio de caso, Madison Singleton, Washington University in St. Louis
Spatial ecology and habitat preference of yellow-spotted monitors (Varanus panoptes) at Lizard Island National Park, QLD, Australia, Ryan Snyder, Butler University
EU Migration Policy: Analyzing the Coercive Responses of Transit Countries Within the EU’s Framework of Externalization, Emily Swan, Barnard College of Columbia University
Psychopathology or Possession: How Ghanaian Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians Understand Mental Illnesses and how Perceived Understandings Vary Depending on if they are Current Students or not, Jamila L. Taffe, Denison University
Sembrando una cultura de soberanía alimentaria: la Reserva Pambiliño y la Reserva de Biósfera del Chocó Andino de Pichincha, Sophie Tanner, University of Richmond
Variation in the growth parameters and biomass of Rhizophora mangle seedlings with distances from Playa Estrella, Bocas del Toro, Panama, Thiny Tep, Barnard College of Columbia University
Judicial Off-Bench Resistance in Post-Revolution Tunisia, Farah Tolu-Honary, Beloit College
Exploring the Influence of Globalization and Self-Expression in Shaping the Vietnamese LGBTQ+ Community in Urban Vietnam, Minh-Thy Tyler, Emory University
Gallardo, Guisinde y hacer Puntas Agudas de huesos de Guanacos: Un Análisis de Fuentes Etnográficas sobre tecnologías Elaboradas sobre materias primas duras de origen animal, Benjamin Van Rooy, The University of Virginia
An analysis of factors in the policymaking process that enabled prison sentence decreases through the 2022 Organic Law of Comprehensive Guarantee of Sexual Freedom/La Ley Del Solo Sí es Sí in Spain, Cambron Wade, Bowdoin College
La Formación de la Identidad Afrodescendiente y su Manifestación en Movimientos Políticos, Simone Watson, Spelman College