Lehigh Launch Lehigh Launch is a first-semester integrative learning experience for intellectually curious and independent students offered in the American West (Wyoming and New Mexico) and Ecuador (Quito, the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands). Through handson learning and challenging coursework in a living-learning community, students will gain new perspectives, grow as individuals and return to Lehigh with the experience and knowledge that will help them succeed. Students earn 16 credit hours through classroom-based and experiential learning, while fulfilling distribution requirements in natural science, social science and the humanities, as well as the firstyear seminar requirement. The program, led by Lehigh faculty and staff, is open to students in any major and costs the same as an oncampus semester (financial aid applies the same as for an on-campus semester as well). Both Lehigh Launch locations focus on place-based learning. Students in the American West will spend time learning about the literature, earth and environment, and peoples of Wyoming and New Mexico and take a backpacking expedition with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) to elevate the program’s classroom-and- field-based learning. Students in Ecuador will experience culture by studying in the beautiful colonial city of Quito and the Amazon rainforest and spending time on the Galapagos Islands, one of the most pristine natural laboratories in the world. STUDENTS Supporting Partner Communities A group of Lehigh students from across all colleges spent their spring break volunteering at a nonprofit in Virginia. The students worked to help the organization provide lowcost, organic produce for community members in the local food desert. The Community Service Office offers similar weeklong, student-run trips each year. FACULTY Advancement of Science Fellow Dr. Vassie Ware, professor of molecular biology, was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and the publisher of the journal Science. She was recognized for her contributions to understanding ribosomes and for outstanding initiatives in undergraduate science education. ALUMNI A Catalyst for Positivity Ben Gucciardi ’05, ’06G founded Soccer Without Borders (SWB), a nonprofit that aims to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change. SWB provides underserved youth an avenue to overcome obstacles to growth, inclusion and personal success and has received many global awards, including the FIFA Diversity Award. Gucciardi was also honored as a White House Champion of Change for World Refugee Day 2015.
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