Description

The Ecuador Tropical Ecology Program offers biology and environmental science majors the opportunity to spend a semester studying the vast and diverse ecosystems of tropical Ecuador through intensive hands-on experiences. The program consists of four ecology courses based on field research in the mountain, tropical rainforest, and coastal regions, as well as an intensive Spanish language course.

All science courses are taught in English. Graduate credit may be awarded to full-time graduate students for the ecology courses by conducting additional independent research.

During the first nine weeks of the program students complete three upper-level ecology courses on the various ecosystems of Ecuador, which combine lectures at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito with studies lasting from several days to four weeks in different environments in Ecuador. Students also enroll in a required, 2-credit, intensive Spanish course during the first three weeks of the program. The highlights of the field experience include an eight-day guided scientific excursion to the Galapagos Islands, a two-week coastal project at Los Piqueros (near Machalilla National Park on the Pacific coast), and a four-week stay in the Amazon rainforest at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station.