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Galapagos Marine Ecology (UA ECOL 496O/596O, 6 units) is an opportunity for undergraduates and secondary school science teachers to study in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. This approximately 24-day course begins on the Island of San Cristobal with a a 4-day service project in a local school and/or with the Galapagos National Park; mornings are spent with the childen exploring tidepools or working in the school on activities to do with Galapagos ecology and conservation. Afternoons are spent exploring different habitats on land and sea and learning about many of the unique animals and plants found only on the Galapagos. You will learn firsthand why these islands are considered the birthplace of evolution and of Darwin's revolutionary idea. The last ten days we travel by boat to Isabela and Santa Cruz, and discover how the different environments of each island have led to the evolution of different organisms. We take day tours to at least one uninhabited island, and to many sites accessible only by boat, to snorkel, play with sea lions, watch marine iguanas feeding under water and see a variety of nesting seabirds doing courtship displays and tending young. We snorkel at Kicker Rock, and hike the active volcano of Sierra Negra. The course consists of lectures, readings and discussion on topics on ecology, evolution and conservation. Each student is responsible for an "expert topic" paper and presentation prepared before class begins on a Galapagos animal or plant, a field ecology investigation and poster presentation with a partner on a topic of student choice, attendance at lectures on Galapagos ecology and evolution, participation in discussions and written reflections on readings on Galapagos ecology and conservation. We stay in hotels in towns on the islands, and eat in local restaurants. This gives you an opportunity to meet the people of the Galapagos, to practice your spanish, and to learn about life in a different country and culture.

UA News Article: Bringing Galapagos Teaching Back Home

For more information, contact course instructor Dr. Katrina Mangin at mangin@email.arizona.edu

To apply: Submit an application to UA Study Abroad (available after Jan 1 2012)