Tropical Ecology and Conservation (Biology 181)
This class, taught in the fall by Biology Professor Colin Orians, examines the ecology and conservation of terrestrial tropical systems. In order to gain first-hand research experience in contrasting tropical habitats, the course concludes with a field visit to Costa Rica during winter break.
Orians -- who has taught the class five times, each time culminating with the class trip to the Latin American nation -- says that having the trip come on the heels of the students completing the course is critical.
"I wanted them to go ahead and experience the 'Oh, wow' but really to have a goal and have an understanding of the tropics before we went down there," he explains. "My goal is not only to teach them about terrestrial tropics, everything from forests to agriculture, but also to design this experience as an opportunity to learn about the process of science and to actually do it when we get there."
The trip ran from Dec. 27 to Jan. 11, and the class of 12 undergraduates visited the Atlantic lowlands (La Selva Biological Station), Pacific lowlands (Sirena-Corcovado National Park) and the highlands (Copey de Dota). The students completed independent research projects, met with local farmers and visited a coffee plantation.
We asked the students to share their experiences via blog posts, tweets and photos.