Field Courses at Concordia University, Portland

Dear Student,

This is an invitation to what can become the best adventure in your life.

We strongly believe that field courses are among the very best investments you can do in your education. Many of our field experiences are transformative and they literally can change your life.

Our groups always include both science and non-science majors from different backgrounds, and we honestly do not know who benefit from our trips more - biology majors who are ready to appreciate biodiversity of tropics, or other majors learning about nature, cultures, and people when coming from a "non-science" field.

In Spring-2012 we offer two Tropical Biology trips (Caribbean - Belize in March, and Amazonia - Ecuador in May) and both are unique in their own way.

Both classes:

  • Are collaborative projects of CU, Portland, OR and CU, Austin, TX (9 students and 1 prof from each);
  • May be taken for credit (3 cr), or not for credit, as a tour (i.e. you are welcome to invite your friends who are not CU students);
  • Do not include camping, we always stay in hotels, cabins, etc with electricity and showers;
  • Do not require prerequisites and are totally manageable academically for everybody with minimal self-discipline and interest;
  • Include some pre-trip academic work (reading, several seminars on the time we agree); journaling on the trip; and final exam;
  • Require approval by Dr. Polozov before enrollment; $200 non-refundable deposit at the time of registration; and full payment of the lab fee ($870 for Belize, $1,706 for Ecuador) in February;
  • Are available first of all to our students who did not take field classes yet;

BIO-370, Tropical Biology, Belize & Guatemala, March 9-17, 2012; $870 + airfare to Belize City (at the moment of publishing of this page -- $800 from PDX) is our the most popular course, always fully booked, and always special. If you have never taken field courses before, this is the class to start with.

We will spend half of the time living in the forest camp (cabins) where you can see sun going down behind of Mayan pyramids; and where we learn about tropical forest, jungle animals, caves, local life; and visit Guatemala for one day to see Tikal National Park - the site of the major ancient Mayan city with pyramids twice taller than the jungle canopy and with abundant wildlife.
Second half of the trip will be on the island near the world second biggest barrier reef where every sunrise is special and different and where we study marine biology, mangroves, manatees, island ecology, and visit some isolated islands you probably will remember for the very long time. And yes, you will absolutely enjoy amazing local food.

Itinerary is below; and this is an example of the trip (not the last, not the best, randomly selected).

CARIBBEAN ADVENTURE!
BIO-370, TROPICAL BIOLOGY IN BELIZE AND GUATEMALA

Preliminary itinerary
Day 1, March 9 Travel to Belize City, arriving not later than 4:00 pm. Travel by bus to Succotz in Western Belize; overnight stay at the Trek Stop the next four nights; no camping.
Day 2, March 10 Hike in the forests adjacent to the Trek Stop; visit a Butterfly Garden.
Day 3, March 11 Visit Chechem Hah Caves.
Day 4, March 12 Trip to Tikal in Guatemala; explore some of the most spectacular Mayan ruins in the world and see lots of rain forest wildlife.
Day 5, March 13 Take a bus to Belize City; take a water taxi to Caye Caulker in the Caribbean; overview of the island ; overnight at Tom's Hotel the next four nights.
Day 6, March 14 Snorkeling lessons; snorkel in the lagoon; study beach plant communities.
Day 7, March 15 Snorkeling trip to visit Hol Chan Marine Bioreserve and other reef areas.
Day 8, March 16 Visit the Manatee Preserve; snorkeling trip to Goff Caye.
Day 9, March 17 Travel by water taxi to Belize City and bus trip to the Belize International Airport; international flight back to USA, departing after 12:00 pm.

Please check availability of spots here.

BIO-370, Tropical Biology, Amazonia, Ecuador, May 10-20, 2012; $1,706 + airfareto Quito, Ecuador(at the moment of publishing of this page -- $850 from PDX) will be our first trip to the Amazonian tropical forest in Ecuador. This class will explore equatorial ecosystems of Ecuador, South America, providing students with first-hand experience in three major Ecuador's biomes at three different altitudes: Andean Highlands (Paramo); High Elevation Cloud Forest; and pristine Rain Tropical Forest of the Amazon watershed at Tiputini Biodiversity Station (TBS) within 1.7 million acre Yasuni Biosphere Reserve in Ecuadorian Amazonia. Only a biologist can totally appreciate the fundamental difference between Amazonian rain tropical forest and any other tropics, but everybody can appreciate comfortable field camp at so isolated location and incredible tropical biodiversity of this site, or  spotting a wild jaguar on the way there, or climbing on a research tower to the canopy level, or fishing piranha, etc. We plan this trip in Ecuador before even going to the Galapagos Islands to be sure to see this unique part of Amazonia which can disappear in two years if oil exploration continues in this area. If you speak Spanish, we can use your help (some of our guides do not speak English). Trip requires yellow fever shot; itinerary is below.

EXPLORE AMAZONIA!
BIO-370, TROPICAL BIOLOGY, ECUADOR, May 10-20, 2012

Preliminary Itinerary:
Day 1, May 10 Transportation to Quito; all participants meet at the airport before 6 pm; transportation to Cumbaya Hotel. English-speaking representative as well as a local English-speaking biology professor will accompany group during entire trip.
Day 2, May 11 Class orientation; Quito city tour : colonial city center; Plaza Grande; Santo Domingo Church; Intinian Museum where real equator line runs.
Day 3, May 12 Paramo Highlands Ecosystems; bus tour to the Andean Highlands at the Cubilche area; visiting native Indian community in Otavalo.
Day 4, May 13 Cloud (Alpine) Tropical Forest Ecosystems; bus tour to the Maquipucuna Cloud Forest Reserve.
Day 5, May 14 Travel to Tiputini Biodiversity Station (TBS) adjacent to the 1.7 million acres Yasuní Biosphere Reserve in equatorial western Amazonia by small plane (45 min flight to Capo, or 2 h flight to Lago Agrio); then 2 h by motorized boat along Napo River; then - 1-2 h by country (open) bus along forest dirty road; and then 2-3 h by boat along Tiputini River to TBS.
Day 6-8, May 15-17 TBS is a home for 540 species of birds; 230 species of mammals including 15 species of primates, and 5 species of cats. During three days at the TBS site participants will work in small guided groups of 3-4 people rotating through the following activities: orientation; plant tour; mammals tour; birding; amphibians tour; observation towers at the forest canopy; Tiputini river boat tour; piranha catch and release fishing; swimming; life-vest drifting; independent observations.
Day 9, May 18 Travel from TBS to Quito (boats, country bus, plane).
Day 10, May 19 Free day in Quito; optional trip to the local market; farewell dinner.
Day 11, May 20 Return to USA.

Please check availability of spots here.

Please contact Dr. Sergei Polozov with further questions.
Dr. Sergei A. Polozov, Chair
Math & Science Dept,
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
E-mail: spolozov@cu-portland.edu
www.sergeipolozov.com