Phelps Lab

This study abroad program will provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience that surveys the broad themes of biology and connects them not only to one another, but to our lives and our place in the world. The program will take place in Santander, on the beautiful northern coast of Spain. Led by UT professor Dr. Steven Phelps, the program consists of two courses over Summer I — one in Human Biology, one in Spanish. Both count toward graduation requirements of biology and anthropology majors.

The program will run from May 25, 2021 to July 3, 2021. The deadline to apply is February 15, 2021.

Click here to learn about scholarships, financial aid, and the “real cost” of study abroad. The program cost is $4200, which includes room and board for the duration of the program, as well as travel costs related to course excursions. We have ~$15,000 in scholarships available based on both need and merit, each with a value ranging from $500-$4000. In addition, students who receive Pell grants are eligible to apply in the spring for up to $5000 from the Gilman Scholarship Program (the deadline is March 1!). The Gilman program funds nearly a third of eligible applicants, and last year nearly 200 students at UT received a Gilman Scholarship. Of four students who applied to the Gilman from our program, 2 students were funded. Those are good odds!

For more information you can contact the program coordinator, Jean Ooi at jean.ooi@austin.utexas.edu, or Dr. Phelps at sphelps@utexas.edu. Dr. Phelps will be hosting information sessions via Zoom on the following dates and times. Email for a link!

• Thursday, January 21, 5pm

• Thursday, February 4, 10am

• Wednesday, February 10, 10am

Can’t make it? Here’s a copy of the presentation I use for the info session. Already interested? Apply here! The application requires two short essays (250 words), and a short recommendation form filled out by a faculty member. An additional short essay is required for scholarship applications.

SANTANDER, SPAIN

The program will take place at the University of Cantabria, a regional university with a long history of hosting study abroad programs not only in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin, but with colleges and universities from around the world. Santander is a small coastal city of about 180,000 people, where you can escape Austin’s summer heat — expect high temperatures of about 70F.

A little to the east is Bilbao, in the Basque country, home to the famous Guggenheim Museum. And not much farther is France. West of Santander a couple hours is Portugal. There will be no shortage of things to explore during the class and over your long weekends.

Here are some links that highlight interesting things to do in and around Santander:

• 9 great things recommended by the Common Wanderer

• 36 hours in Santander, from The Telegraph

• What to do according to The Lonely Planet

UT student and Global Ambassador Lisa Duong fell in love with Santander’s beaches and food, while the art and people won her heart. Read her blog posts to get a first-hand account of the student experience in Santander.

HUMAN BIOLOGY: EPIGENETICS, GENETICS & EVOLUTION

BIO 346 is an upper division biology class that will connect the themes of epigenetics, genetics and evolution to societal forces and contemporary concerns, to recent and ancient history, and to our evolutionary relationships with other organisms. Examples will be drawn from the history of the Iberian Peninsula and coupled with multiple day trips, embedding the coursework within the international experience. A draft of the syllabus is linked to here. BIO 325 is a prerequisite for this course.

Northern Spain has a variety of features that make it an unusually good site for this The recent history of the Spanish Civil War will serve as a backdrop for our discussion of epigenetics and society. Stepping a bit deeper into local history, the Iberian Peninsula has played a central role in the movements of people out of the Middle East and into Europe, beginning with the emergence of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent some 10,000 years ago. The peopling of Europe and the evolutionary imprint left by the origins of agriculture are major topics of the class. Next, northern Spain is home to some of the most extraordinary records of pre-historic art — 18 UNESCO world heritage sites in total — and one of the richest assemblages of hominin fossils. Hominin fossils in northern Spain date back well over a million years, including not only humans and Neanderthals, but also their ancestors. These artifacts play a major role in our understanding of human evolution, and we will visit key archaeological sites as part of our course excursions. Lastly, a world-class National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid offers the opportunity for students to place human evolution in a broader context, offering an enormous array of biological specimens and a major research facility. Each of these will play a role in linking the themes of the class to our extraordinary surroundings.

SPANISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Students will have an option of one of three Spanish classes. SPN 319S will provide introductory instruction in Spanish conversation and culture, offering insights into the culture and history of Spain. SPN 319S has no prerequisites. Heritage speakers and other students with high Spanish proficiency can enroll in SPN 314, an advanced course on Spanish Civilization. Enrollment in SPN 314 requires demonstrated proficiency or credit in SPN 610D. Lastly, advanced speakers can also opt to take SPN 367C, Spanish for Healthcare Professionals. Heritage speakers can place into SPN 314 or 367C by taking a proficiency test offered monthly by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Any of these classes can count toward foreign language and culture requirements for students in the College of Natural Sciences.

To enrich your experience and help keep costs down, housing will be providing through home stays with local families.

Does this sound fun? Don’t take my word for it. Here’s what students wrote in their anonymous evaluations:

“This has been a truly wonderful experience. The way in which you designed the class, using the history of the Iberian Peninsula and the museums/resources available to us while in Spain was incredibly informative and enriching. I loved this course and all that I was able to learn from you! Thank you for your hard work and the thought and time you dedicated to making this course engaging and relevant! I now have a new angle with which to approach cancer research and infectious disease that I am so excited to explore more deeply!!”

“Despite being only six weeks long, BIO 346 was one of the more compelling courses I've taken at UT. My favorite characteristics of the course were 1) an attention to the historical development of biological thought and 2) the synthesis of many different concepts within biology and archaeology in the service of understanding human biology specifically. Dr. Phelps is an excellent lecturer and I would recommend for my peers to take his class, if possible.”

“Definitely the best STEM professor I've taken at UT. Incredible lecturer who genuinely cared about the success of the students. He's extremely knowledgeable in the content and makes the course extremely engaging. He absolutely encouraged me to reach my full potential in the class, and I am extremely grateful for that. 10/10 would absolutely recommend this course to my friends. I am considering sitting in on his graduate lectures to see him explain his research and the topics he is currently researching.”

“Dr. Phelps is one of the best professors I have ever had. This course gave me a new love for Biology. The course was very interesting and his lectures were engaging and I enjoyed being in class. He was always available for questions or concerns and is always kind and approachable. Dr. Phelps was fantastic and I really enjoyed the course.”