[Coral-List] Winter 2009 Field Course in Coral Reef Ecology (Panama)

[Carlos G. A. Ormond]

2009 WINTER COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT (December 20th- January 9th)

FIELD COURSE IN CORAL REEF ECOLOGY (Panama)
http://www.itec-edu.org/coral6.html

INSTRUCTOR: Carlos Ormond, Simon Fraser University; Conservation Science Institute; Coalición por los Tiburones (Shark Coalition), email:cormond at sfu.ca 

LOCATION:  The field courses will take place at the Bocas del Toro Biological Station, Boca del Drago, Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro, Panama.  The station is located on the Caribbean side of Panama and situated on a beach between tropical rain forests and coral reefs.	Marine habitats include extensive turtle grass beds, hard and soft coral reefs, beaches, rocky intertidals, mangrove forests and estuaries.

COURSE LENGTH AND SCHEDULE: Winter field courses are three weeks in length (December 20th- January 9th). 

TUITION: $1650 USD.  Tuition fee includes all room and board, local transportation and a three-day field trip to the Boquete cloud forests. 

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to promote the desire for not only discovery and advanced understanding of coral reef ecosystems from an integrated ecological perspective but also an appreciation and understanding of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) culture. In addition to learning coral reef ecosystem dynamics, organism identification, and experimental design, this course will also investigate human dimensions in coral reef ecosystems, both past and present. To compliment the course and for the pure enjoyment of learning a new language, students will be taught a “Spanish for Survival” at the beginning of the session.

By taking an integrated multidisciplinary approach, this course will demonstrate the importance of melding traditional approaches to understanding and investigating coral reef ecosystems with the human dimension. A large component of the course will involve field and community work, complimented by lectures and discussions on daily course readings. The course will require the completion of group assignments, as well as an individual research project that may be as much anthropological as it is ecological in theory. Therefore, the course will not only be of interest to those of you in the natural sciences but also those of you from the social sciences.

General Topics
•	Spanish Language 
•	Environmental History and Cultural Anthropology of Panama
•	Coral Reef Formation and Oceanography
•	Coral Reef Ecology
•	Sampling Methods
•	Research Design
•	Present State of Coral Reefs
•	Coral Reef Conservation issues 
•	Human Rights and the Environment in Latin America
•	Global Environmental Governance

NOTE: Dive certification is not necessary to enroll in this course, but what is required is an attraction to the ocean and a comfort in being in it. All students will require snorkel equipment (mask and fins) and those with SCUBA certification are expected to bring their own BCD, regulator, and most importantly proof of certification. There is the possibility of renting dive equipment as well as receiving dive certification from the local dive shops. If this is something that interests you, please contact us for more information.

COURSE CREDIT: Up to six units of credit will be granted for these courses. Credit must be arranged by the student through his/her academic advisor and university.  Contact ITEC for details.

CONTACT: Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation (ITEC); 1023 SW 2nd Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601; phn: 352-367-9128, fax: 352-367-0610, email: itec at itec-edu.org., or the above instructors.  Please visit us on the web at www.itec-edu.org.  ITEC is a Non-profit (501c3) organization.

* Aunque esta clase está presentada en inglés, si sos hispanoparlante y estás interesado/a en tomar esta clase sobre los arrecifes de coral por favor comunícate conmigo, Carlos Ormond