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| Organization for Tropical Studies | August 2014
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 Support education, research, and conservation by joining the OTS community today! |
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Get Social With OTS!
We're adding more social media sites throughout the year, so keep checking back!
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2015 Graduate Course Catalog
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2014 OTS Outstanding Student Paper Award
The Organization for Tropical Studies is pleased to announce the sixth 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.
Eligibility and Nomination
At the time of the nomination deadline, the paper must be published or accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, reporting work completed within the tropics. To be eligible:
- The author must have been a student (undergraduate or graduate) when the research was completed.
- 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 (Click here for a list of Institutional members) - The author must be in graduate school or within 2 years of having completed a graduate degree.
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 on the contribution to the field, including originality, study design, and potential impact.
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 C.V. from the nominee.
Submitting Applications:
Send nomination packet electronically as a pdf to the Chair of the Awards Committee, Dr. Kimberly G. Smith, University of Arkansas.
Questions? Please email Dr. Smith at kgsmith@uark.edu.
Application Deadline: December 3, 2014.
 2014 Student Paper Award
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Rain, Records, Lightning and Downed Trees
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Arriving to La Selva, unconventionally, by boat.
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July 2014 will be remembered as the wettest July on record for La Selva. The rainfall totals were only 12 mm short of the historic monthly rainfall record, for any month of the year, since 1958. The station received over 1.3 meters (4 1/4 feet) of rain in July. Heavy downpours flooded trails, roads, and the campus; the sound of the rain hitting the corrugated zinc roofs was deafening. It really rained buckets!
The saturated soils in the forest, combined with bursts of wind and the heavy water load in the canopy, caused many trees to fall. At least 20 trees fell over structures and trails but the number which fell throughout the forest is unknown. While the lightning strikes caused some minor damage (and the adrenaline rush of seeing a blinding flash, starting to count, and not getting to the "one second" mark before your wood cabin shakes!), the result is an opportunity for tree-gap research and education, as well as plenty of opportunities to learn how to get muddy.
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Senior Volunteers Plant 110 Trees
The OTS Corporate Volunteer Program recently coordinated a special reforestation activity with the assistance and collaboration of seniors from the Costa Rican Social Security System Citizen Gold Program.
 The reforestation project was held in La Esperanza, Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, inside the San Juan / La Selva Biological Corridor. Thanks to their boundless energy and dedication, they planted 110 native species, including: Sotacaballo, Zygia longifolia; Cedro Amargo, Cedrela odorata; Guapinol, Hymenaea courbaril. This would be impressive for any group, but given that the participants ranged in aged from 68 - 80, their accomplishments are even more admirable! Their collective entrepreneurial spirit and conviction to support environmental issues motivated everyone involved.
After a well-earned lunch at the La Selva Biological Station, volunteers enjoyed a walk along the trails, accompanied by OTS' expert naturalist guides, who showed them the beauty and richness of the forest. Many of the participants spent years working in the field and watching cities grow at the expense of Costa Rica's forests, so the natural history walk was complemented with the knowledge and wisdom the participants shared.
Undoubtedly, this was a truly rewarding experience for everyone involved!
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OTS Enrollment Team Is Hitting The Road!
Next month, the Enrollment Management Team will launch an extensive effort to recruit qualified undergraduate students for OTS' highly-regarded Semester Abroad programs. Listed below is a tentative list of the schools the enrollment team is planning to visit this fall.
If your school is listed below, please contact us at otsadmissions@duke.edu to:
- Recommend interested students
- Provide a list of key faculty and staff
- Schedule a presentation for your classroom or other venue
- Share any other ideas!
Our history proves that tips from our community often provide the team with the ability to contact and attract highly qualified students.
If your school is not listed, but you would like more information on our undergraduate programs or to discuss arranging a visit from our enrollment team, please email us at otsadmissions@duke.edu.
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Amherst College
Auburn University - Montgomery
Austin College
Bates College
Berry College
Bowdoin College
Brown University
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Carleton College
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Claremont McKenna College
Clarkson University
Colby College
College of Charleston
College of the Atlantic
College of the Holy Cross
College of William & Mary
Colgate University
Colorado College
Cornell University
Columbia University
Davidson College
Denison University
Duke University
Elon University
Emory University
Franklin & Marshall College
George Washington University
Georgetown University
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Grinnell College
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Howard University
Kenyon College
Lewis & Clark
The Lincoln University
Louisiana State University
Macalester College
Marist College
Middlebury College
Morehouse College
Mt. Holyoke College
North Carolina State University
Northwestern University
New York University
Oberlin College
Occidental College
Ohio State University
Pacific University
Prescott College
Providence College
Reed College
Rice University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
St. Michael's College
Santa Clara University
Sewanee: The University of the South
Skidmore College
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Smith College
Spelman College
Syracuse University
Trinity College
Trinity University
Tufts University
University of Arizona-Tucson
University of Arkansas
University of California Berkeley
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Missouri-St. Louis
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Puerto Rico (Various Campuses)
University of Washington
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Wake Forest University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Westmont College
Wheaton College
Whitman College
Williams College
Xavier University of Louisiana
Yale University
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Training opportunities for science teachers
The World Bank's report published in 2014, Excellent Teachers: How to improve the learning process in Latin America and the Caribbean, stresses, "the quality of education is conditioned by the quality of our teachers." Based on this premise and our education mission, OTS continues to promote the training of science educators. Thanks to a grant awarded by the United States Embassy in Costa Rica, OTS held three workshops for Costa Rican high school teachers and provided a partial scholarship for a Costa Rican teacher to participate in the OTS specialty course, Inquiry in Rainforests, which focused on giving science teachers the tools to "do science' in the classroom.
 | | Costa Rican native, Harold Blanco, was provided a partial scholarship to participate in the hands-on OTS specialty course Inquiry in Rainforests: an in-service program for teachers. |
The third and final workshop targeted high school science teachers appointed to the Sarapiquí Education Regional Direction of the Ministry of Public Education and was held on August 5, 2014. The workshops included instruction and promotion of the website www.ots.ac.cr/lifeafterearthscience/ as a tool to integrate global change curriculum in the classroom.
Additionally, Costa Rican native, Harold Blanco, was provided a partial scholarship to participate in the hands-on OTS specialty course Inquiry in Rainforests: an in-service program for teachers. He is a teacher at the tourist services sub-sector of the Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (INA), a state entity that provides technical and professional education. In his own words, he highlighted the principal aspects of his experience: "to share and learn about different cultures; to think about the importance of doing science in my work and how to implement it; as well as the personal satisfaction of actively participate in the activities proposed and get the most of them." The course included participants from Ecuador, Singapore, and United States.
The demand for scholarship aid to this program and many other courses is extremely high. To learn more about OTS' graduate fellowships and scholarships, and support our scholarship aid program, click here.
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Field Ecology: Skills for Science and Beyond
December 29, 2014 - January 24, 2015
OPEN ENROLLMENT
Ecologia Tropical y Conservacion
January 12 - February 21, 2015
Tropical Biology: An Ecological Approach
June 10 - July 21, 2015
Sistematica de Plantas Tropicales
June 30 - August 3, 2015.
OPEN ENROLLMENT
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NEW COURSES FOR SUMMER 2015
Ecology and Evolution of Coleoptera (Beetles)
June 4 - 24, 2015
OPEN ENROLLMENT
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Employment Opportunities
The Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) is seeking applicants for several positions. Qualifications vary by position and application instructions can be found on our website.
| External Notices
OTS includes external listings as a service to our community. If you would like to post an announcement or job opportunity here, please email us.
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