{"611840":{"#nid":"611840","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Plan of Global Proportions","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt was in the middle of a campsite in Italy where Emily Weigel learned a lesson from a bunch of ants.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe biology major had been conducting research in Germany when she was invited to Italy for fieldwork with a research group that included a renowned insect expert. Though not insect-savvy herself, Weigel jumped at the chance to learn from the best. She had just set down her things at the campsite when hordes of red ants began to crawl on her legs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I freaked out, ran away, and jumped in the lake,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;No one knew what was wrong.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEventually she and her colleagues broke the language barrier to identify that Weigel thought the ants were venomous because they look like a variety \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/askentomologists.com\/2015\/05\/22\/how-do-you-identify-fire-ants\/\u0022\u003Ein the southeastern U.S.\u003C\/a\u003E with a particularly painful sting. As it turned out, these particular Italian ants were harmless.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We got into a discussion about ecology, awareness of your surroundings, and how what you\u0026rsquo;ve been exposed to matters in how you respond to things,\u0026rdquo; she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMany students learn similar lessons when studying abroad: By expanding the scope of their world, they become better students, learners, and researchers, and ultimately employees, colleagues, and friends.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EToday, more Georgia Tech students are spending increasing time abroad as they pursue the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/oie.gatech.edu\/ip_welcome\u0022\u003EInternational Plan\u003C\/a\u003E (IP), a degree designation earned by a record 42 students this academic year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/features\/plan-global-proportions\u0022\u003ERead the full story\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EToday, more Georgia Tech students are spending increasing time abroad as they pursue the International Plan (IP), a degree designation earned by a record 42 students this academic year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Today, more Georgia Tech students are spending increasing time abroad as they pursue the International Plan (IP), a degree designation earned by a record 42 students this academic year."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2018-08-06 19:36:14","changed_gmt":"2018-09-22 19:36:26","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-08-06T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2018-08-06T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"611839":{"id":"611839","type":"image","title":"2018 International Plan Graduates","body":null,"created":"1537644908","gmt_created":"2018-09-22 19:35:08","changed":"1537644908","gmt_changed":"2018-09-22 19:35:08","alt":"2018 International Plan Graduates","file":{"fid":"232930","name":"n18c10302-p72-023-web.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/n18c10302-p72-023-web.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/n18c10302-p72-023-web.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1363543,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/n18c10302-p72-023-web.jpg?itok=dhBQNxXJ"}}},"media_ids":["611839"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/features\/plan-global-proportions","title":"Read the full story"}],"groups":[{"id":"1317","name":"News Briefs"},{"id":"1296","name":"International Plan"},{"id":"1297","name":"Office of International Education"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1012","name":"International Plan"},{"id":"1589","name":"OIE"},{"id":"9055","name":"office of international education"},{"id":"166847","name":"students"},{"id":"1556","name":"undergraduate"},{"id":"166843","name":"Study Abroad"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}