Roatán, Honduras

This study abroad program familiarizes students with the basic concepts in tropical marine ecosystems with an emphasis on coral reefs. Studies of coral reefs will help students understand the coral reefs' importance in global biodiversity and their role as indicators of climate change. In accordance with the Jesuit tradition of LMU, students will also be doing a service project during the course. This program is held at the Roatán Institute for Marine Sciences, on the northwest coast of Isla Roatán. Students who are not science majors have the option of taking Biology 278, which would fulfill their science core requirement. Students who are science majors should enroll in Biology 328, which can satisfy upper-division major requirements.

Costa Rica

Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Heredia, Costa Rica
La Selva Biological Station, Organization for Tropical Studies

Tropical Ecology [BIOL 398] is a travel-embedded course that meets regularly during the spring semester and then travels during spring-break to conduct field-research projects in the Atlantic lowland rainforests of Northeast Costa Rica.  The objective of this field-course is (1) to serve as an primer to Neotropical biodiversity, natural history & conservation, and (2) to foment the principles of field-experimentation in an international research environment.  Students will develop research topics and design project specifics within four pre-established arenas; Bat morphometrics, Chemical Ecology, Sexual Dimorphisms, and Agroecology.  Student groups will present research projects to BIOL 102, prepare final paper, and submit manuscripts for publication in the journal BIOS.  Interested students should contact Dr. Víctor Carmona.