Twelve OSU students with diverse backgrounds traveled to Ethiopia this May through a new study abroad program.   Supported by a grant from the State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the new program is intended to engage undergraduates from ‘non-traditional’ fields such as STEM in study abroad to ‘non-traditional’ destinations such as Ethiopia.  The grant also underwrites capacity-building activities and exchange with two OSU partner institutions, the University of Gondar and Addis Ababa Universities.  As a group, students visited sites and attended lectures pertaining to development issues in health, food security, entrepreneurship and technology.  Visits to a variety of sites, including Black Lion Hospital, the African Union, the Horn of Africa Environmental Center and the IceAddis Technology Hub, emphasized the importance of integrated approaches to development.  In Gondar, students split into smaller ‘field study’ groups to observe and learn from professionals working in ICT, health, engineering and food security.  Projects for seed banks and school gardens, outreach to households with disabled children, dam and oxidation pond workings, and the University’s ICT systems enabled students to appreciate the challenges and rewards of such on-the-ground development work. 

The group also enjoyed immersion into Ethiopia’s rich culture and history, particularly that of highland Ethiopia.  A visit to “Lucy” at the national museum, to the castles of Gondar, to Blue Nile Falls, the Simien Mountains and to the famous churches of Lalibela, not to mention enjoyment of Ethiopia’s distinctive food, coffee, and dance, served to captivate hearts as well as minds. University hosts at both Gondar and Addis Ababa reinforced the culture of hospitality that has been building since 2010 with the One Health summer workshops and other collaborations.  Plans for the 2015 May Session trip are underway.