Junior political science major Corrin Bemis was among twelve students in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Global Immersion program who spent winter break in Panama helping a teak tree plantation.
The students worked with Panamanian business owners and leaders to learn about conservation and created plans for sustainability, ecotourism, logistics, sales and distribution for the La Finca Feliz plantation in Guayabal.
"The students calculated how many trees could be harvested each year for the operation to be sustainable and profitable," said J.K. Osiri, director of international business and assistant professor of practice in management in the College of Business Administration who also sponsored the trip.
The students were enrolled in Osiri's International Studies in Business and Economics course during the fall semester, in which they studied business practices and prepared for the project.
During the trip, students visited the U.S. Grains Council in Panama City where they heard a presentation from Marri Carrow, the council's regional director for the Western Hemisphere. They also celebrated the new year and shared meals with indigenous communities.
