Clear-winged butterfly (Photo provided by Colin Orians.)

This seminar plus field work in Costa Rica is designed to give students with an in-depth understanding of tropical ecology and conservation biology. More specifically it provides students the opportunity to (1) read the original literature, (2) give oral presentations, (3) design and write a research proposal, and (4) gain hands-on research experience in Costa Rica.

Here are what the students say are the highlights of the course:

1. Learning how to write a proposal and executing that project.
2. Learning how to present and propose research.
3. The hands-on experience.
4. Designing an experiment and seeing it come to fruition in the Costa Rican rainforest.

The course is for advanced undergraduate and graduate students from different disciplines, i.e., Agriculture, Food and Environment (Friedman School of Nutrition), Biology, Environmental Studies, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning). The course meets twice a week during the Fall semester and is followed by 2 weeks of intensive fieldwork in Costa Rica (Dec. 29-Jan 13). The writing workshop (ww) designation means that the course emphasizes writing as a way of learning.  In science, writing involves both text and graphical presentation, and this course focuses on both aspects.