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Student Paper Award
Attention All OTS Students, Faculty and Alumni!
 The OTS Membership Committee is pleased to announce the third annual OTS Outstanding Student Paper Award. We invite nominations for a $500 cash prize for excellence in research via an outstanding publication in tropical biology written by a student.
Eligibility and Nomination
At the time of the nomination deadline, the paper must be published or accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and reporting work completed within the tropics. To be eligible:
1) the author must have been a student (undergraduate or graduate) when the research was completed, and,
2) satisfy at least one of the following three criteria:
- Nominee is an alum of an OTS course
- Work was completed at an OTS research station (La Selva, Las Cruces, Palo Verde)
- Nominee is (was) a student at an OTS member institution (Institutional members may be found here)
In addition, the nominee must be the first author and the paper must be published no more than 36 months before the award deadline. Self-nominations or nominations by research advisors or colleagues are invited.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be reviewed by an Awards Committee formed by a subcommittee of the OTS Assembly of Delegates. Papers will be judged upon the paper's contribution to the field including originality, study design, and potential impact on the field of study.
Nomination packets should consist of a single pdf document and include:
- A nomination letter briefly describing the paper and outlining the qualification criteria from the list above.
- A copy of the paper.
- A brief letter from an advisor, colleague or scientist in a relevant field of study describing the impact of the paper on the field (optional, but strongly suggested).
- A CV from the nominee
Submitting Applications
Send nomination packet electronically as a pdf to the chair of the Awards Committee at awards.ots@gmail.com
APPLICATION DEADLINE OCTOBER 14, 2011
If you have questions, please email Dr. Lena Struwe (struwe@aesop.rutgers.edu).
Announcement of Award Recipient will be made at March 2012 OTS Assembly of Delegates Meeting and will be recognized at the ATBC meeting next summer.
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All Tropical Mixer at ESA Meeting
This year's "All Tropical Mixer," held at the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Austin, Texas, was a lively, crowded success. Hosted by OTS Secretary and Chair of the Membership Committee, Dr. Cindy Sagers (NSF, University of Arkansas), the evening affair packed in 80 tropical biologists from across the globe. In attendance were Board of Director members Bette Loiselle (Chair, NSF, University of Florida), Bill Michener (University of New Mexico), Elvia Melendez (University of Puerto Rico); OTS staff Elizabeth Losos (President and CEO) and Zak Zahawi (Las Cruces Biological Station Director); and countless OTS alums, former resource faculty, and researchers. The crowd heard brief words on the two open OTS positions (see below), the upcoming 50th anniversary (which all immediately signed up to attend), and the OTS Student Paper Award Competition. Most attendees then headed out en masse to see a similar exodus of 1.5 million Mexican Fruit Bats, departing an All Tropical (Bat) Mixer in search of a dinner venue.
Recent course participant, Megan Jones was in attendance and shared her thoughts, "The OTS mixer was a fantastic event, allowing me to catch up with friends I'd made at La Selva and on the OTS 11-3 grad course, as well as to meet people whom I'd previously known only by name. A highlight this year was watching the bats stream out from under the Congress Avenue bridge while still being at the mixer and talking to everyone. A perfect venue for field biologists who have spent a few too many hours sitting in windowless conference rooms."
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50th Anniversary -- Call for input!
In 2013, OTS will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. We have started planning for this milestone and are considering many different projects to mark the occasion. Significantly, OTS will host the 2013 ATBC Annual Meeting, June 23-27, 2013 in San Jose Costa Rica. This occasion marks the 50th Anniversary of ATBC as well. Together, OTS and ATBC had tremendous impact on the field of tropical biology. We hope you will join us in planning for this celebration. We are seeking input from individuals and institutions in the following areas:
- Oral histories and documentary studies
- Sustainable engineering and green architecture
If you have an interest, expertise, or resource within these two areas, would welcome your input and involvement.
Please e-mail our 50th Anniversary Committee at
50years@ots.ac.cr.
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Inquiry in Rainforests Inspires Teachers
Course co-directors: Barbara Bentley and Joe Levine
Video staff: Hazen Audel and Jessica Ahearn
This year, our teachers course, Inquiry in Rainforests, was featured in the OTS graduate course catalog. It received approval for two graduate credits through the University of Washington for 96 professional development hours. In 2011, our group was the largest and most diverse to date, and included American elementary, middle-, and high-school teachers from public and private schools, graduate students in education, and three Costa Rican educators, including a representative from the Costa Rican Ministerio de Educación. All were outstanding and dedicated teachers.
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En route from San Jose to La Selva, at a rest stop in the Cordillera Central, Barbara Bentley shows participants the symbiotic cyanobacteria within a Gunnera stem. (Photo by Jessica Ahearn)
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We continue to refine our curriculum to encompass the traditional OTS learning-through-research approach, combined with strategies to help teachers implement inquiry-based lessons in their home classrooms and instruction in producing videos for classroom use.
Our first nine days at La Selva were predictably intense. Participants faced intellectual, creative, and physical challenges as they explored the La Selva trail system, designed and carried out experiments, and learned to create videos to share their experience, enthusiasm, and creativity with students. This year's group rose to the challenge with incredible productivity and creativity. Keep an eye on the course website (Inquiryinrainforests.org; page entitled "Video Field Project Reports") for early fall postings of selected videos ... including a remarkable rainforest rap entitled "Baby got buttress."
The second portion of the course, designed to allow time for reflection, discussion, data analysis, and final video production, was comfortably housed at the new Soltis Center of Texas A&M University near La Fortuna. We were hosted there by station director Eugenio Gonzalez ... formerly director of the OTS Palo Verde field station. For different perspectives on terrain and monkey's eye views of the forest canopy, we explored Puentes Colgantes de Arenal. To sample a higher-elevation cloud forest, we visited the Pocosol Biological Station, located at the eastern edge of the Bosque Eterno de los Niños.
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Participants and staff at (but not beyond) the end of the public nature trail to an old lava flow in Arenal National Park, surrounded by primary succession in action. (Photo taken by an anonymous, friendly tourist.)
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This course continues to be incredibly well received - last year's participants have told us how they've use "OTS style" teaching and ideas in their classrooms, and some have even hinted that they'd like to take the course again! The "multiplier effect" of this course is wonderful to contemplate; teachers each take what they learn back to as many as 120 students each year ... with hundreds more to benefit in the years to come. As one participant wrote in an unsolicited e-mail: "Thanks for everything you've done for me personally and, by proxy, for my students." If you know a teacher who should join us, please spread the word! Some scholarship funding is available, including from Miller & Levine and the publishing house, Pearson Education.
The next Inquiry in Rainforests course will take place July 11-24, 2012 with applications due by April 12, 2012.
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 Open Positions: Director of the La Selva Biological Station and Education Director
The deadline for two important OTS positions, La Selva Biological Station Director and Education Director are rapidly approaching. Please submit your applications by September 1, 2011.
La Selva Station Director
OTS seeks an outstanding Ph.D.-level biologist for the position of Director of the La Selva Biological Station. The successful candidate will have a record of excellence in management, teaching, and research, with an expectation of continued excellence. The position is one FTE, but couples wishing to share the position are welcome to apply. The position duties include:
- Oversight of the management of the Station and a staff of ~100
- Participating in OTS courses visiting the Station
- Proposal writing and project management
- Interaction and outreach with the local scientific and conservation community
- Establishment of an independent research program
Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, statements on management philosophy, research, teaching and anticipated contribution to the field station, and names and addresses of four references.
Applicants are encouraged to apply by September 1, 2011, but the search will remain open until the position is filled. Qualified applicants for the Station Director position will have the following qualifications: demonstrated personnel and project management skills; bilingual oral and written abilities in English and Spanish; demonstrated excellence in teaching and research; desire to work with an excellent team at La Selva and OTS, and a vision of moving the station forward as a leading center in tropical science.
To apply: Send your resume here.
Education Director
OTS is seeking applicants for the position of Education Director. The position is based in San José, Costa Rica.
Definition of job position:
The primary responsibility of the Education Director (ED) is to provide leadership and direct all of OTS' education programs in Costa Rica, at the graduate and undergraduate level. The ED takes lead responsibility within the organization for keeping the educational programs vibrant and at the cutting-edge, with the goals of meeting the needs of the OTS consortium and developing/preparing the scientific workforce of tomorrow. The ED reports to the General Director of the Costa Rican OTS office.
Application deadline: September 1, 2011 (applications will be reviewed as they are received) Click here for more information.
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Tropical Biology 2011-3 Graduate Students Receive 11 Post-course Research Awards
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2011-3 Tropical Biology Participants
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Last month, the participants of our flagship graduate course, Tropical Biology: An Ecological Approach, 2011-3, completed their 8 week program with projects and end-of-course events at Las Cruces and Las Alturas. This was a highly talented and motivated group. Several of the papers from this course are publishable and/or will lead directly to thesis work. Eleven of the twenty participants submitted proposals for OTS post-course research awards. All the proposals were well-constructed and of high quality; it was obvious that research awards would allow these creative and energetic young scientists to pursue their research at OTS stations.
Post-Course Research Award Recipients
James Crall, Harvard University
Rhitu Shrestha, University of North Carolina
Kelsey Reider, Florida International University
Jay Stafstrom, University of Washington
Katherine Zdilla, University of Maryland
Laura Walker, University of Arkansas
Megan Jones, Florida State University
Matthew Holden, University of Arkansas
Kelley Erickson, University of Miami
Benjamin Crain, University of Puerto Rico
Marc Badger, University of California-Berkeley
Post- Course Research Awards for this group exceeded $10,000 total. In addition, OTS consortium students' tuition this year remained significantly lower at $2,500 per student, compared to course costs of over $7,500 per student. We look forward to watching the careers of this capable group, and we are already planning some follow-up activities. The 600+ page course book will soon be available on the OTS web site.
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REU-CRUSA student published
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Fernando Soley Guardia, testing a camera trap in the picture
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Fernando Soley-Guardia received a post-REU fellowship to continue research on tayras (Eira barbara) at La Selva Biological Station in 2007. The study stemmed from a side project during his earlier participation in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, and was funded by the CRUSA foundation. Research was done in collaboration with Isaias Alvarado Diaz, who has also worked at La Selva and OTS for many years. The findings were recently published in the journal Naturwissenschaften. New Scientist and Science Magazine are already talking about it!
Prospective thinking in a mustelid? Eira barbara (Carnivora) cache unripe fruits to consume them once ripened
Abstract : The ability of nonhuman animals to project individual actions into the future is a hotly debated topic. We describe the caching behaviour of tayras (Eira barbara) based on direct observations in the field, pictures from camera traps and radio telemetry, providing evidence that these mustelids pick and cache unripe fruit for future consumption. This is the first reported case of harvesting of unripe fruits by a nonhuman animal. Ripe fruits are readily taken by a variety of animals, and tayras might benefit by securing a food source before strong competition takes place...Complete abstract here.
Naturwissenschaften (2011) 98 (8): 693-698, DOI: 10.1007/s00114-011-0821-0).
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Naturalist Guide Training at Las Cruces Underway
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Participants Paula Mesen and Roger Gonzalez learn from the instructor about bats' ecological adaptations.
Photographer:Andrea Montero
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Ten sessions of the naturalist guides training course, sponsored by the Swiss Embassy in Costa Rica, have been completed at Las Cruces. So far, the participants have learned about identification and natural history of plants and birds, local history, local culture and archeology. On August 6-7, the Mammals session was taught by specialist Willy Pineda, who emphasized in the natural history of local mammals, specifically bats. We still have seven remaining sessions of the course, including field trips and practical guiding. We will keep you updated!
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Undergraduate Enrollment Management Team On the Move!
 In partnership with Duke University, OTS proudly offers semester and summer programs for undergraduate students interested in field biology. Our Costa Rica Semester and Summer Programs utilize all three OTS field stations as well as other Costa Rican sites, allowing direct study of a wide range of tropical ecosystems and habitats. The South Africa Semester Program is based at the world-renowned Kruger National Park, allowing direct study of African savanna ecosystems. We also offer courses which focuses on Global Health Issues in South Africa during the summer. All of our Undergraduate Offerings feature the OTS method of field-based, experiential learning under the guidance of highly qualified Ph.D.-level professors.
The process of identifying and selecting qualified students is lengthy. Every semester, the Enrollment Management staff travels to colleges, universities, and conferences promoting OTS opportunities for undergraduate students and talking with prospective students. The following schools are planned for our team this coming semester.
FALL SEMESTER VISITS*
Amherst College
Austin University
Beloit College
Brown University
Carleton College
Clemson University
Columbia University
Davidson College
Duke University
Leon University
Emory University
Georgetown University
Grinnell College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hampton University
Harvard University
Hendrix College
Holy Cross University
Howard University
Kenyon College
Macalester University
Middlebury College
North Carolina State University
Oberlin University
Providence College
Quinnipiac University
Smith College
Southwestern University
St.Michael's College
St. Olaf College
Trinity College
Trinity University
Tufts University
University of Arkansas
University of Florida
University of Illinois
University of Miami
University of Minnesota -Morris
University of Missouri
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
University of Texas - Austin
Washington University
Wellesley College
*Schedule subject to change based on travel arrangements.
If you are interested in meeting with one of our Enrollment Management Team Members, would like to recommend a student, or would like to receive an informational presentation to share with prospective students, please e-mail us at otsadmissions@duke.edu .
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NSF International Research Fellowship Program (IRFP) Deadline Approaches
 The NSF International Research Fellowship Program is aimed at scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers to pursue international collaborative research opportunities, thereby furthering their research capacity and global perspective and forging long-term relationships with scientists, technologists and engineers abroad. These awards are available in any field of science and engineering research and education supported by NSF.
Full Proposal Target Date: September 13, 2011
For more information:
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5179
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Bat Conservation International Seeking Scholarship Applicants
Bat Conservation International is now accepting applications its 2012 BCI Student Research Scholarships. Grants of up to $5,000 each will be awarded for the 2012-13 academic year. Grants will be awarded for research that is directly related to bat conservation, with an emphasis on projects that document roosting and feeding habitat requirements of bats, their ecological and economic roles or their conservation needs.
Students enrolled in any college or university worldwide are eligible to apply for BCI scholarships. Applications are competitive and will be reviewed by bat scientists outside BCI. The application deadline for 2012 scholarships is December 15, 2011. Information and the online application form are available here.
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