After 16 days of research lectures, intense workshop sessions, article discussions, and reviews, sixteen students returned from the Las Cruces Biological Station on June 9 tired, yet energized by their experience. The course, led by Dr. Jim Hamrick, Dr. Fred Allendorf, and Dr. Eric Fuchs, is a staple among the Graduate Course offerings.

 

This year's students, representing Argentina, Germany, Colombia, Ecuador, and the United States, took part in lectures on such topics as:

•  Using molecular markers to estimate ecological parameters
•  Landscape genetics
•  Non-invasive sampling
•  Effective population size

When asked about their experiences, one student shared the following:  

 

I learned that really understanding the theory and fundamentals behind this field is invaluable. One cannot be a good scientist by just collecting data, plugging them into programs, and reporting the numbers. To truly make a contribution to the conservation of ecosystems, etc. one needs to understand the nuances of the organism and their interactions as well as the assumptions of the models used, and especially the data.

 

In addition to the course lectures and workshops, evening research lectures were presented by each instructor, by the Director of the Las Cruces station, Dr. Zak Zahawi and by Dr. Teri Allendorf (University of Wisconsin). Each year, lectures from outside researchers tend to be of great value to the students. This was once again the case, and as one student said: I absolutely loved Teri's lecture! She was able to take conservation science and present it with a very critical human component that is so often missing from science. In fact, the student was so inspired by Dr. Teri Allendorf´s work that she went on to say, I now have an amazing female role model to look up to!

 

In addition to staying at the Las Cruces Biological Station, students had the opportunity to travel to Las Alturas field station. The Las Alturas field station, managed by OTS, is a large (10,000ha) ranchdedicated to the development of sustainable agriculture in the premonane wet forest habitat zone (≈ 1700m) in Costa Rica. The Las Alturas station is located approximately 30m from the boundary of the Parque Internacional La Amistad which contains one of the largest undisturbed forests in Central America.

 

Overall, Dr. Hamrick concluded that the class came together very well. Students were involved in all levels of the course, lectures, discussions, workshops, had positive attitudes, and met the challenges of a rigorous academic program.     

May 25- June 7, 2015

OPEN ENROLLMENT   

 

COMING SOON 

 Biodiversity Conservation through the Lens of Indigenous Communities 

Payment for Ecosystem Services: Putting Theory into Practice in Costa Rica

Inquiry in Rainforests: an in-service program for teachers  

Monitoring Tropical Forest Dynamics in a Changing Climate

Monitoring Terrestrial Vertebrates Using Camera Traps: Field and Analytical Techniques