Rachel Swaffer, a sophomore at Traverse City Central High School and a member of the SCI-MA-TECH program, was accepted as one of 10 participants statewide for the 2007 Michigan State University-Tokyo University of Agriculture Summer Environmental Exchange Program.  Five teachers and ten students from Japan will travel to Michigan in late July where they will meet with Rachel and other students and teachers from Michigan for a ten-day joint environmental exploration focusing on the Great Lakes and other water quality issues in Michigan. 

On August 1, the group will travel to Japan together where they will conduct a ten-day joint exploration of Japan’s water quality and other environmental issues.  While in Japan, the students will be hosted in home-stays by Japanese families.  This program provides full funding for participants, including airfare, meals, housing, transportation in Japan and Michigan, admissions, and sightseeing.  Two other Traverse City Central High School and SCI-MA-TECH students, Kortney Bower and Anna Frick, were selected as alternates for this program. 

For more information about the MSU-TUA Summer Environmental Exchange Program, go to http://www.isp.msu.edu/asianstudies/MSU-TUA/index.html.