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Field Marine Ecology - Jamaica (BIOL232)

Follow along with our previous students' spring 2024 blog!

Course Information

This will be a Fall 2024 course that has a required travel component, which is the 10-day trip to Jamaica right after the fall semester (Dec 13-22). There are no prerequisites, so it is open to any student from any major, and we would love to have a diverse group of students! The non-travel part of the course will meet once per week all spring semester. The meetings during the semester will help prepare you for the trip, help you learn about the biology and history and culture of Jamaica and give you some basic understanding of marine biology. It would count as one of your fall courses, and for students who are eligible for ELEVATE, you can use your $2600 voucher towards this course (which should cover most of the cost of the trip). The course itself focuses on many of the major concepts in marine ecology, with particular focus on tropical ecology (coral reefs, mangroves) and major patterns that we can observe in the field at the laboratory. While it counts as a Biology and ES elective, it is accessible even for students with no background at all in science; it fulfills the LinC F4 lab requirement, and we have had students go from who were majoring in things from Art to Neuroscience to Marketing and Biology! 

The day-to-day schedule includes lab and field work, as well as visits to cultural or historical sites around the island. Students will work in groups to identify and learn about the organisms we encounter, and we will analyze and present these data during our class meetings after we return to campus. There will be some long days, but it will be a lot of fun!!

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Requirements

While Jamaica is known for its beaches and we will spend a lot of time in or near the water, this is a course, not a beach vacation! I hope and expect that you will have fun, but we will be doing course-related activities most of each day. We will be doing some hiking and walking around near the ocean in wet, slippery environments. We will also be snorkeling every day, because this is the only way to observe most fish and coral habitats, so you will need to be comfortable doing this and spending time in the water. We will be extremely cautious about this (only going in calm, protected areas), but you still need to be comfortable being in the water. As mentioned below, we will be staying in dorm rooms (most likely shared rooms) at a marine lab - this will be comfortable enough, but it is not like staying at a resort or hotel. If you have questions or concerns about any of these, please email Dr. Lord or Dr. Woods!

Most of the meals and all lodging will be in dorms at the Discovery Bay Marine Lab, right on the water in the small town of Discovery Bay. There are also classrooms and a seawater lab (ocean water right in the building), so we will spend the majority of our time on this campus. It is not fancy and is a bit rustic, but there are all the normal amenities you would expect (power, hot water, bathrooms in the dorm, etc).   

Cost Breakdown

We know that cost is a major factor for many students, so we have done everything possible to reduce expenses. The total trip cost will be under $2600, so students that are ELEVATE eligible can apply their voucher to cover all of the major expenses (though you may still have to pay for things like passports and extra food/souvenir expenses). 

Dates and Deadlines

• May 15 - deadline to sign up! Fill out the form linked above and commit through the Global Greyhound Travel Portal (linked above). You must have filled out both forms and at least applied for your passport to commit!
• August-November - normal course, meeting once per week to learn about Jamaica
• December 13-22, 2025 - travel to Jamaica!