Good Afternoon All, During the June 2013, I will be offering a field course on tropical insect ecology through the Maderas Rainforest Conservancy. The Maderas Rainforest Conservancy is a non-profit organization that owns two education and field research stations -- 1) Ometepe Biological Field Station in Nicaragua, 2) LaSuerte Biological Field Station in Costa Rica. This course is a hands-on, field experience to familiarize students with the diversity of life in the rainforests of the Meso-American Biological Corridor while developing a deeper understanding of tropical forest ecology and conservation. The focus of this course will be on the differences between the cloud forest environments in Nicaragua and the lowland, coastal rainforests of northeastern Costa Rica. With a combination of lectures and fieldwork, time is spent on studying the diverse fauna in a tropical forest through various ecological sampling methods. Through on-site research projects students will build a foundation of skills and knowledge that are applicable to field research of any taxa. Although much of the emphasis in this course will be on insect ecology, this course will be appropriate for students interested in any organism, plant or animal, as the content of the course can be adapted to any taxa of interest. Student projects will focus on ecological research, quantitative natural history, and behavior of organisms that are of most interest to the students.
Please note that although the emphasis for this course is on insects, don't let this be the reason you don't take this course. I will be happy to adapt the curriculum to be suitable for any taxa of interest. Additionally, although university credit is not offered through the Maderas Rainforest Conservancy, course credit can be arranged either through your home institution or through Truman State University. For additional information, including a course flier and syllabus, please contact me at [email protected] LaRoy Brandt ********************************* LaRoy Brandt Dept of Biology Truman State University 100 E Normal Kirksville, MO 53501 PH: 660-785-4617 FAX: 660-785-4045 *********************************
