VCU news

By Leah Small

Over the winter break, a hardy cadre of Virginia Commonwealth University students will escape the cold to snorkel, hike, bike, raft and canoe during an exploration of the rivers of South Africa.  The South African Summits to Sea: Human and Natural History of KwaZulu-Natal biology course will take the group of nine students from the peaks of Drakensberg Mountains — the rooftop of Africa — to the low-lying freshwater lagoons of Kosi Bay. At points between, they will visit the Tugela, Pongola and Buffalo rivers, which begin in the mountains and end at the sea.

But the trip isn’t just about rhino spotting on safaris and enjoying the South African summer. The new course is meant to hone an understanding of the role that rivers play in the interconnectedness of humans and nature in ecosystems. Students will document their observations of how waterways have shaped South Africa’s animal and plant life, history, culture and economics. 

“There’s a deficiency in natural history education. People don’t learn about the organism and its place in the environment,” said Daniel Carr, biology instructor in the College of Humanities and Sciences. “You know about the organism, you know about the place, but you don’t know the connection between them.”

Carr will teach alongside James Vonesh Ph.D., associate professor of biology, who created the course. The curriculum is based on Vonesh’s Footprints on the James class, which exposes students to ecosystems dependent on the James River as they camp and learn the basics of life outdoors. Vonesh also was inspired by his recent stint as a Fulbright Scholar in South Africa.

“South Africa was amazing. I really fell head over heels for it, and I loved the ‘Footprints’ experience. I wanted to try and transplant that idea to South Africa,” Vonesh said. “I thought it would be an amazing way to share South Africa with students from the U.S.”

Anyone who wants to live vicariously through the explorers, while shivering in Virginia, can check out live updates from sunny South Africa on Instagram @thisismyreal. Stay tuned from Dec. 27 – 31 as the trekkers track part of the 19-day journey.

The students gathered last week for an orientation that included a rundown on what to pack. Vonesh and Carr unloaded their own sample packs of rain jackets, quick-dry towels and head lamps. The accommodations will be Spartan — tents and ecolodges — which is meant to bring students closer to the nature they will observe.

“I want to take a picture of you while you’re still clean,” Vonesh joked before a group picture.

Some of the students are avid globetrotters, while others are not such experienced travelers. Nycole Taliaferro, senior biology student, said that the prospect of a chain-ladder climb to the top of the Drakensberg Mountains Amphitheatre was at first daunting.

“I was worried about the whole walking aspect of it because I have hiked before but I haven’t done it for this long of a distance, and the chains and ladders kind of scared me a little bit, but I’m just like, ‘Challenge accepted,’” she said. “It’s kind of a mental push and I’m excited to see how far I can push myself.”

More information about the South African Summits to Sea course, which was open to students from all majors and to non-VCU students through the VCU Education Abroad office, can be found on Vonesh’s lab page at wp.vcu.edu/voneshlab/news/. The class fulfills the senior capstone requirement for VCU biology. Enrollment is complete for this year.

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