Nepal is an incredibly diverse country in South Asia: from biodiversity, language, elevation, and cuisine. As an environmental science student, the SIT Geosciences in the Himalaya provided a wonderful, hands-on learning opportunity in this country of varied landscapes. The first few weeks were field-based and I got to learn various geoscience field techniques to study the unique formation of the Himalayas. This first course was conducted while trekking along the Annapurna Circuit, getting up to around 13,000 feet of elevation! Once we reached the furthest point of our trek, we journeyed back down and studied the impacts of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake along the Marshyangdi River Valley. This helped me formulate the idea for my final project, which will be mentioned later.
After the trek, the group stayed in Pokhara for a week to do the second half of our Geohazards in the Himalaya course. This highlighted the many natural disasters that can, and do, occur in the region. By staying in Pokhara, the immediate effects on humanity were observed. The team visited sites of many different landslides and saw bank failure along various portions of the Seti Khola. Sinkholes are common due to the province’s karst topography.
For my independent project, I decided to focus on the earthquake resilience of the Kathmandu Valley. This rapidly urbanizing area is the fastest growing region of South Asia, with Kathmandu being one of the worlds densest cities. Due to the seismic nature of the region, understanding earthquake impacts on the cities of the valley is vital for the safety of millions of residents. During this project, I utilized GIS and remote sensing, which is what much of my Geospatial and Cartographic Sciences concentration of Environmental Science focuses on! I also got to explore my urban planning interests with this project, which is a route I am considering after graduation. Me and my advisor, Ranjan Dhungel, worked together on visits to different regions of the valley to see the different urbanization patterns present as well as the various building and engineering techniques.
Despite the academics, I gained much knowledge on Nepal’s different ethnicities, cultures, religions, histories, and cuisines! While the courses improved my scientific skills, this aspect gave me even greater appreciation of the amazing diversity found around the globe. A fundamental portion of this was the program’s inclusion of Nepali professors and students. While there were six American students in the group, there were also two Nepali students. Living with these two for the past couple of months provided an amazing learning experience. We would share stories about our home towns, try each others foods, learn more of the Nepali language, and get a chance to adapt to a different culture on a more personal scale. Besides one American professor, all of the professors of this program were Nepali as well! This gave us the chance to experience the typically more rigorous, South Asian approach to academia.
Overall, this experience made my time in University all the better. As a hands-on learner, seeing and learning different techniques in the field helped me gain a better understanding of the environment and history of the Himalayas. As I consider field work in the future, I feel much more prepared for it after this program. The independent project gave me the opportunity to explore a research question solo and hone in skills vital to my career post-graduation. The cultural aspects gave me a greater understanding of the world and of one of the most dominant religions: Hinduism. I am extremely grateful to University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for providing funding for me to make this dream a reality!
Alex Nation (BS Environmental Science) spent Summer 2024 studying abroad in Kathmandu, Nepal through SIT Study Abroad. Alex had the following to say about studying abroad, “Studying abroad gave me the opportunity to not only obtain and improve academic and career-related skills, but also to learn about a variety of Nepali cultures, religions, languages, and foods! I feel ever more prepared to take on independent research, field work, and to explore other cultures.”
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