GALÁPAGOS EVOLVING

See evolution in action. Learn science by doing.

Take the trip of a lifetime.

May 25-June 19, 2018

SCIENCE COMES ALIVE As in previous years, the 2018 Galápagos Evolving trip lasts almost four weeks, and features a substantial research-training component. Students who complete the trip and its associated course will gain an informed, working knowledge of conservation biology, field geology, ecology, and evolution as they are studied in what is arguably the world’s most important natural biological laboratory.

In addition, through home stays coordinated by the Galápagos Science Center, students will return with a new cultural perspective. The human history of the Galápagos is fascinating, as is the Ecuadoran context of the place and its people.

This experience is invaluable to students who want to learn how STEM fieldwork is done, how it informs laboratory work, and what kinds of careers there are in conservation biology, policy, ecology, and environmental science.

COSTS AND DEADLINES The total cost of the trip is $5,000, including international and domestic (within Ecuador) airfare and excursions.

There are scholarships available to help offset the costs, including:

✓ The Honors College Travel Scholarship (must be a student in good standing in the Honors College; we will handle the grant process for students).

✓ International Education Fee Scholarship (IEFS). Awarded through the Office of Global Studies. We encourage you to apply and can help.

Students who wish to go on the trip must notify the trip leaders and agree to have their University Accounts debited with a non-refundable deposit of $500 by Jan 15, 2018. Payments on the balance should be made by February 1, April 1 and May 1. Costs include all flights, accommodations, excursions, and most meals (Scuba trips are an added expense, but students will be advised of the details well before departure.)

TRIP LEADERS Dr. Tony Frankino frankino@uh.edu

Dr. Marc Hanke mhhanke@central.uh.edu

http://nsmn1.uh.edu/frankino/teaching/galapagos-evolution/

The archipelago is a little world within itself… Considering the small size of the islands, we feel the more astonished at the number of their aboriginal beings, and at their confined range. Seeing every height crowned with its crater, and the boundaries of most of the lava-streams still distinct, we are led to believe that within a period geologically recent the unbroken ocean was here spread out. Hence, both in space and time, we seem to be brought somewhat near to that great fact—that mystery of mysteries—the first appearance of new beings on this earth. —Charles Darwin, The Voyage of the Beagle (1839)

Research Projects Join new and ongoing work on these topics:

Study fresh water quality in the Galápagos, from field to town to laboratory, focusing on San Cristobal Island, home to the Galápagos Science Center.

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ITINERARY This trip will leave Houston on approximately May 25 and return on or about June 19. Registered students will get specific flight information approximately 30 days before departure.

There will be a short stay in Quito on the Ecuadoran mainland before the flight to San Cristobal in the Galápagos. Most of the rest of the time will be spent doing science, though there are several planned excursions, including scuba diving, snorkeling, and visiting several of the other islands in the archipelago.

A complete itinerary will be built and circulated by means of the trip’s associated course.

COURSE The instructors will run a three-hour Biology/Honors (BIOL 4397/HON 4397-06) course meant to introduce the trip’s scientific projects, prepare students for extended international travel, and explore topics in the human and social history of the archipelago. The course will meet twice weekly during the spring for 1.5 hours; the balance of course time will be invested conducing research on the islands. Students should return from the trip ready to share their learning with the rest of the group.

This course is required for all students who wish to go on the trip.

SCUBA Scuba certification is recommended. The instructors will facilitate the training. Scuba is not required, but it is fantastic. Those who wish to get certified should let the instructors know. (Neither scuba training nor scuba excursions are included in trip costs, but students will be advised of additional dive expenditures well in advance. Past students have said that this part of the trip is more than worth the extra expense.)

Research interactions between dogs (which are introduced) and sea lions, giving special attention to the possibility of diseases that might be transmitted between the two species.

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Conduct a study of the critically endangered Galápagos Petrel, linking landscape ecology, population dynamics, and crowdfunding. Our trip is timed to occur during the Petrel’s laying season.

With the relative explosion of tourists to the archipelago comes concerns about wildlife. We’ll study reproductive success of sea lions at beaches frequented by humans, comparing populations at more remote locations.

In the water, we’ll study the aquatic ecology of threatened green sea turtles and hawkbill turtles. We’ll also explore sea urchins as an introductory system for scientific research for students as well as potential sentinels of change in marine coastal communities around Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal.

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