CIEE Tropical and Ecology Program in Monteverde, Costa Rica

  Costa Rica

• Monteverde: 
Monteverde

Term: Fall, Spring 
Dates: Fall 15 weeks: mid-August-late November; Spring 15 weeks: early-February-mid-May

Description: The Tropical Ecology and Conservation program is designed to give biology and related majors a clear understanding of tropical ecology and its conservation. The goals of the program are to offer students a comprehensive view of the tropical systems through theory, empirical patterns, hands-on exposure, taxonomy of major groups, and direct experimentation. These goals are achieved through science coursework in English, Spanish language courses,and travel to various ecosystems. Conservation is stressed and combined with language and culture.

Academic Program
The CIEE Study Center in Monteverde began as a summer program in 1989 and added a semester program in 1996. The Tropical Ecology and Conservation Program is geared to biology and related majors who have completed an introductory biology sequence and one of the following electives: ecology, evolution, animal behavior, or conservation biology. The academic content of the program is designed to challenge participants to immerse themselves in the study of tropical ecology and conservation through rigorous classroom work such as exposure to taxonomy, reading of scientific journal articles, and academic lectures. The program also offers students unique field opportunities, including two extensive field trips in different Costa Rican ecosystems and the possibility to pursue a directed independent research project. All courses, except the Spanish language course, are taught in English.

Academic Culture
The small, rigorous courses with a biological focus are offered for CIEE students only and incorporate extensive travel, research, and field study. U>S and Costa Rican biology professors teach and evaluate students in both the classroom and on field trips. Students should expect an academically intense experience and should be willing to learn in a variety of settings, including classrooms, beaches, waterfalls, and treetops. The biological station that houses the program abuts a large, stunning forest contiguous with the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, the major tropical mountain forest research center in the Western Hemisphere. Together, the various Monteverde forest preserves make up over 25,000 hectares (over 57,000 acres). Students have a unique opportunity to study in a comfortable facility close to the spectacular biodiversity. Unlike other programs, the Monteverde program is housed alongside the biodiversity studied every day. One wakes to the sounds of Howler Monkeys, not city traffic.

Highlights:

• Visit many of Costa Rica's reserves and live in a biological station in the shadow of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
  
• Gain extensive research experience conducting an independent research project
  
• Participate in two extensive field trips, including a trip to Panama to observe marine diversity in coral reefs off the Bocas del Toro Islands, and gain exposure to all major ecosystems in Costa Rica
  
• Get to know rural Costa Rica through a one-month homestay with a local family

Cost in US$: Please check the CIEE website for current program pricing

Experience Required: yes