It's my senior year, and I have finally decided to go abroad! International programs have always had my best interest at heart, having being accepted into the Frontiers of Biotechnology study abroad program only makes my career as a college student memorable in many ways. This 4-credit hour course will be held at Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu, China for a duration of 2 weeks. The date of departure will be May 10, 2016 and we will be arriving back to Atlanta, May 25, 2016. The course will be based on learning about bioconversion, which is various biological recycling processes used to convert agricultural wastes into biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and other useful chemicals. We will also focus on the study of synthetic biology which is cell engineering. Both topics of the course contribute to society as it pertains to techniques used to sustain an ecologically safe and ceaseless world. The director of the program, Dr. Eric S. Gilbert of Georgia State University faculty, was very enthusiastic and informed not only about the course but the city itself! Chengdu is known for its progressiveness as a developing city, while maintaining the ancient Chinese culture and ambiance, with many temples and untouched ancient areas, Chengdu also has a contemporary style, using a tea house layout for a well-known Starbucks coffee shop! The program is set at a cost of $1,600, which covers airfare, meals, ground transportation, dormitory stay, as well as emergency health insurance. In addition to program costs, tuition and 2 fees (USG and Tech fee) are also required which add to a total of about $1,300. So overall the trip will be about $2,900, I have also applied for 3 scholarships ( IEF ~ 1,000,  Global Experience ~ 5,000, and Coca-Cola Global Ambassador ~ 1,500) and just awaiting  for approval. This oppurtunity would be beyond beneficial to my undergraduate studies as well as my path to medical school, besides the academics it would be an international trip of a lifetime! If you would like to contribute to this phenomenal and momentous experience, I would ask that you donate anything your heart desires! ☺️️✈️

http://www.studyabroad.gsu.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=21935