Field trip courses offered by the Biology Program provide a unique opportunity for students to learn about biology through hands-on experience. These experiences may be within North America (BIOL 393) or international (BIOL 394), and count directly towards biology degree requirements as advanced coursework. Enrolling in field trip courses requires completing additional forms or applications, and course fees or costs in addition to normal tuition. If a student is accepted to a field trip course, a pre-trip seminar introduces the biology, environment, and culture of the location to be visited. The field trips themselves occur over break periods or the summer, depending on the duration of the experience. The Biology Program currently offers the following field trip course opportunities:
International Trips (BIOL 394)
This 2-credit course takes a group of students to Roatan Island off the east coast of Honduras. The seminar portion of the course, taken during the spring semester, discusses topics such as coral reef biology, marine invertebrates, marine fish, marine ecosystems, reef surveying techniques, and the culture and history of Roatan. The field trip occurs during spring break, where students visit the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS) and spend hours snorkeling to identifying marine species and perform underwater ecological surveys, in addition to hearing lectures by experts in marine biology.
This course takes students to Valencia, Spain for six weeks during the summer. Students attend pre-trip orientation sessions that address trip financing, logistics, and safety. The field trip itself involves staying with a host family, museum and historical site visits, and biological science experiences either in the field or in the laboratory. Ability to speak and understand Spanish is helpful, but not required, as the biology coursework is taught in English.
North American Trips (BIOL 393)
Biodiversity of the Boreal Forest
This 2-credit course takes seven students to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Northern Minnesota for a 10-day field excursion. The seminar portion of the course, taken in the spring beginning at midterm, discusses issues related to the Boundary Waters Canoe area including its biodiversity and its biological and geological history. The field trip typically being the Wednesday after finals week in May, and involves 8 days and 7 nights of canoeing, hiking, and camping in the wilderness. Applications are available beginning the last week in October in the Student Services Office (103 Bessey Hall).