Category Archives: 2022

2022

Day 1: Exciting Travels!

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After a day of travels, I am filled with excitement, but I am also officially exhausted. Today was a long day of here-to-there (from car, to shuttle, to airplane, to van, to boat), but every leg of the journey was enjoyable!

Once in Belize, I noticed how humid it is, and that is because we are in the beginning of the wet season. There are palm trees galore, and the buildings are such vibrant colors! We stopped at a shop after leaving the airport, and I got some Belizean snacks that I can’t wait to try. The boat ride to Glover’s Reef was longer than expected but a beauty to behold. I saw so many different shades of blue! My favorite part of the ride was crossing the barrier reef. As we approached the barrier reef, we could see the whites of the waves crashing into the reef crest. Our boat was navigated through a channel in the reef. And on that channel was a small island packed with tourists. I attached a photo I took of the island, like a little paradise out at sea!

The Glover’s Research Station is amazing! The facilities are just what we need, and all of the people here are so friendly! Hermit crabs and other crabs walk around the island like squirrels on Rice campus, so I’ll have to remember to watch where I step.

Tomorrow, we start our morning at 6:30 and have our first day out on the reef! I am completely new to snorkeling, so I am excited to get my feet wet (pun intended). I will keep my eyes peeled for any corallimorphs, zoanthids, or anemones!

For now, I am going to get as much sleep as I can to prepare for the busy week ahead out on the reef!

– McKenna Castleberry

2022

D-1 Our Belizean adventure begins

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Hi everyone!

Today went pretty smoothly in terms of travel!

We all met pretty early at Rice and traveled to the IAH to board our flight which departed at 10:07am and arrived in Belize at 11:30am. We then got picked up by our tour guides who took us to a local supermarket where we all stocked up on a variety of things. I got bug spray, a local brand of chips and also a bag of cookies that seemed tasted really great! Then we were sent off by our guides on our next adventure: a boat ride that would take us to our final destination for the week: Glover’s reef. Yet before that we got some lunch from our guides which included tortillas, chicken, cheese and vegetables. During our boat ride, some of our team felt a bit sick due to the constant movement of the boat, particularly once we left the safety of the reef and were in open ocean. Thankfully once we reached land it appeared that the symptoms subsided for most people affected. Once we all reached the Glover’s reef, beyond a doubt we were all very exhausted. Yet even when exhausted we were all mesmerized by the beautiful sunset we got to see! Although I really liked the sunset (and even attempted to take a photo), my favorite part was dinner! The food was amazing! I remember during our first meeting we were told the food was great, at the time I remained skeptical, but that was not an overstatement. The mash potatoes and rice were so delectable! I also really appreciate how Hortence and Ashley cared about my vegetarian dietary restrictions, it was super nice of them! Before the night ended we all reconvened and met our three safety officers: Claudius, Adrian, and Ruth and also captain Eli.
Although today was tiring for all of us, it was also really exciting. I can’t wait to see what is in store for us tomorrow! Although I did not get to see any piscivorous fish today, I hope that tomorrow I get to encounter some of these!

2022

Day 1: A Long Trip to Research Paradise

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Today’s journey from Houston to the reef was quite eventful for what at first simply appeared to me as a “travel day.” Starting out early with a 5am wakeup, I finished packing my gear and made my way to campus to meet the rest of the group. The shuttle ride to IAH was uneventful; however, once at the airport, we encountered a few problems. All seemed sorted by the time of boarding though. We arrived in Belize, passed customs with little issue, and made our way to two vans that were chartered to take our group to the marina. We made a quick pitstop at a small market to buy snacks and drinks, which was a nice surprise. Driving to the marina, I was able to see several sections of Belize City, and although not even close to an expansive tour, it was still interesting to see the region through the window. Once we made it to the marina, I was able to get lunch, rummage through my suitcase to find sunscreen, and board the boat to begin our journey to the atoll.

The first half of the 4.5-hour long boat ride was quite pleasant. I watched the land fade into the horizon, we passed a carnival cruise ship with a large water slide, and we slowly made our way towards the barrier reef that parallels the coastline. It was very interesting to see the waves break ahead as they passed over the large reef structure that lay just below the water’s surface. These rocky reef structures are built by stony corals, and although they provide the foundation of their own ecosystem, I also learned how they dramatically decrease wave strength near and protect the coastline. Once we passed over the barrier reef, the movement of the boat immediately and dramatically increased. As the trip continued, the constant motion of the boat grew old. There were fascinating sites to see along the way, but once we pulled into the dock of the island, it’s safe to say I sighed a breath of relief. I am very excited to be here and to see what adventures tomorrow holds.

Barrier Reef in the Distance Composed of Stony Corals
2022

Day 1 – Arriving at the station

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We flew into Belize city today at around noon, excited to kick-off our trip! After our plane ride we stopped by the sky city supermarket, where I got some plantain chips – a local favorite. Then, we headed off on a ~3 hour long boat ride to the Glover’s Reef Atoll research station.

The boat ride was beautiful and pretty calm most of the way, but we did have some very choppy waters in the middle of the trip! The choppy waters followed the point where we crossed the fore-reef zone, where waves were breaking on the coral formations!  At one point, I saw a fish jump out of the water between two waves and appear to ‘fly’ into the next one! Not sure what type of fish this was but I will definitely look into it.

picture from the boat:

After landing at the research station we were greeted by a mass of crabs! They are all over this place and range in size from tiny to formidable. I’ve been told that crabs are to this island as squirrels are to Rice campus!

I did not see any soft corals today, as we haven’t started snorkeling yet, but I will be on the lookout when we do! I am exhausted, and covered in a fine layer of bug spray + salt, and excited to get in the water tomorrow!

– Ava

2022

Belize – see you soon!

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My name is Jazmine and I’m a rising senior at McMurtry College, majoring in Biosciences!

This blog will keep track of my days in Belize tracking the biodiversity of organisms of the rainforest and reef! I’m very excited for this trip, as it will be only my second time out of the country, and my first time to an area of the like!

As an integrative biology major concentration, I’m looking forward to this trip because it will be a chance for me to explore the EBIO portion of my major, especially in a field work setting. Thus far, almost all of my research has been in a biochemistry focus within a lab setting. As I’m still deciding which path I want to take after undergrad, I hope this trip will give me some insight into whether field work is for me!

I’ve studied up on my taxa (trees and molluscs) both of which we are guaranteed to see on this trip! I think, if anything, I’m most nervous for the boat ride to the island, because I know I have a tendency to get motion sick and have never been on a boat (aside from a small one on a lake) before. But I’m stocked up on Dramamine just in case! 

I’ve never been to the tropics, but that’s part of why I’m so excited for this trip! I have taken a course on coral reefs and the effects of climate change, so I’m looking forward to seeing the reality of that class in person!

I’m gonna be driving in the middle of the night to get to Houston at 6am – so t-minus 5 hours till I head out! See you soon Belize!

 

2022

First Blog: Pre-Departure

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Hello everyone! I’m McKenna, and I can’t wait to leave for Belize tomorrow! I’ve done very little traveling in my life, so I have been feeling some nerves for the past few days. However, I expect all of my worries to subside once the trip has started and I am overcome with excitement!

The preparations for this trip have filled my time over the past few weeks. One practical and slightly embarrassing preparation was breaking in my rubber boots. More than once, I went to the gym and walked on a treadmill in my boots and hiking socks for an hour. I’m so glad I put my dignity aside and dealt with the blisters beforehand rather than in the field. Additionally, the assignments and readings for this class have prepared me with background knowledge about Belizean reefs, tropical forests, and cultural history. Through the upcoming trip, I hope to expand on this foundation through in-the-field studies and build a more in-depth understanding of the ecosystems and landmarks we visit. I look forward to treating each day as a day-in-the-life experience as a tropical field biologist, and I hope this trip will help to enlighten me of my interests and passions to possibly put toward my future career.

As someone who finds comfort in routine, I am a bit uneasy about the plethora of unknowns that these two weeks present. However, my nervousness is outweighed by my enthusiasm to see and do things completely new to me. After having taken Dr. Correa’s lecture course on coral reefs, I am especially excited to snorkel at Glover’s Reef! And after taking Cin-Ty’s birding class, I am also excited to visit the rainforest and see and hear tropical birds! I have zero prior experience in the tropics, and my little experience with fieldwork has either been on or around the Rice campus or with Dr. Solomon in Brazos Bend State Park. Despite my little experience, I feel prepared and am more than ready to gain some real experience through BIOS 319!

In less than 24 hours, I will be on a plane headed to Belize. Here’s to my awaiting travels!

2022

D-0 Belize here we come!

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Hello everyone!

My name is Maggy, and I am a rising senior at Rice!

Coming into this trip I am so excited to get to learn even more about Belize’s biodiversity. I learned about this class my freshman year, yet due to Covid-19 I thought I wouldn’t be able to participate during my time at Rice, yet thankfully I was wrong! Going to a whole new country and getting to learn about its great biodiversity seems like a dream come true.

One of my goals of this trip is to become much more acquainted with both of my taxon groups: piscivorous fish and bees! Both of these groups have so many amazing organisms, I hope our group gets to see at least some of them up close.

I can imagine that this trip, in addition to being fun, will also be challenging at times, yet I’m looking forward to working with my classmates to overcome these challenges, just like researchers do out in the field! One personal challenge that I am a bit nervous about is swimming. I have never been a very fast swimmer, yet I hope that a few days in the water will help me improve my speed! Another personal challenge is working out in the field and putting to use my research skills. To me this is a challenge because most of my research has been lab-based, with me spending lots of time working with my laptop or at the bench. I believe that with just a bit of practice I’ll be able to quickly adjust! I think some of the classes I’ve taken at Rice will definitely help, for example I took a Conservation biology lab in which we worked with transects to estimate the biodiversity of the Harris Gully Natural Area at Rice. Another class I think can come in handy is a Plant Diversity course I took; since this course took place a few semesters ago I am not too sure how much I remember, yet I think seeing things first hand will help jog my memory. 

Regardless of the challenges all of us will probably encounter, as a group or as individuals, I am sure that this trip will be a success and that we will all learn a lot more about the great biodiversity of Belize!

2022

The Pre-Departure Anticipation!!

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Hello there! My name is Sophia Figueroa and welcome to our Belize Blog!!

The day is finally here! Tomorrow we are officially leaving for Belize and I absolutely cannot wait. It’s so crazy to me that it’s already time for the trip as summer feels like it has moved so quickly. The build up to the actual trip is always the most nerve wracking, with lots of questions filling in my brain about all of the different possibilities of what I might come across. In all honesty, I think this is the worst part about trips but I know that as soon as I meet up with everyone on Wednesday, it’ll all go away.

I’ve been packing for the last week or so, and after putting the last few items in my bag, I realized that this is really happening! I’ve been working on my taxonomic lectures and topic lecture for the past month, reading lots of different journal articles and researching for hours on end about Red Algae, Tunicates, and biodiversity in cave systems. I expect this trip to be pretty intense with lots of lectures and presentations that everyone has been working hard on; but I’m also excited to see and learn about everyone else’s research. I expect to gain many different skills while on this trip, both from the lectures and also from the on-hands experience of being out in the field. I believe that there’s no better way to solidify what you learn in the classroom than going out and applying it in real life. I’m really excited to go to a new country and environment and be able to understand more about what being a field biologist looks like with people who share the same excitement of EEB as I do. While I’m obviously excited for the hands-on work we are going to be doing, I’m also really excited to get to know everyone and make new friends (cheesy I know, I’m sorry).

I think the main thing I’m nervous about is that I may not be able to identify many things from my taxonomic groups. I know that after a while, I’ll be able to recognize more species, and I recognize that it’s impossible to put all of the common species on my taxa cards; but it’s still a little nerve-racking to see if I put enough information on them and to see how many on my card actually appear in the field. I don’t have any experience in doing fieldwork really, I’ve only really worked in a lab setting so I’m very ready to go outside and apply what I know and gain even more knowledge. I’m also trying to mentally prepare myself for the humidity we might face, telling myself it can only be as bad as Houston humidity, but we’ll see… I’m definitely ready to start getting into the swing of things with work, assignments, and getting to know people so that these pre-trip nerves go away!

See you in Belize!

– Sophia

2022

Pre-departure Excitement! Less than 36 Hours to Go!

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Hi everybody! My name is Rusty Ludwigsen, and I am truly excited for the unique experience to travel to Belize and explore, examine, and appreciate both Glover’s Reef Atoll and The Chiquibul Forest. I am excited to approach these environments from the perspective of scientific understanding and discovery, and not simply as a tourist. My past experience with the Caribbean has been through highly commercialized endeavors, and with BIOS319 I hope to appreciate not only the beauty and wonder of these two environments, but also the vast amount of information and knowledge tied to these complex ecosystems. Much like being immersed in a new country can dramatically assist in the mastery of a second language, I think traveling to the ecosystems I have admired from afar in textbooks and documentaries will provide me with a new understanding of their function.

Yet, I expect this trip to be incredible, but also at times difficult. As a desert native, the humid weather of Houston is not my favorite, and traveling to remote regions of Belize will be a different animal. The humidity, heat, bug bites, early mornings, and sheer stickiness of the air are things I expect to not really enjoy. However, to travel to these remote regions, which appreciate their distance from civilization, requires contending with these environmental factors. Two weeks of some physical discomfort are well worth a lifetime of memories and knowledge. My past experience snorkeling in the Caribbean consisted of rubble with a few scattered Gorgonians (which I now know were covered in purple spots due to Aspergillosis) and Porites colonies. I hope to see a more intact reef in Belize, although I know it is not removed from anthropogenic damage.

The time to leave is approaching very quickly, and I am finalizing my suitcase with only a few hours to spare. I am looking forward to the early morning wakeup to begin this incredible adventure!

2022

Belize->Soon!

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Hey this is Elena (aka ers10). I can’t believe that the trip is happening so soon! Technically for me it’s starting tomorrow, since I have to fly to Houston from California. I just finished packing, which was a relief since I really wasn’t sure if everything would fit in one carry-on-sized bag and a backpack. I definitely think I forgot something, but I have faith it will work out.

I’m so excited to see everything I read about in real life. The reading of the textbook was super informative, as was the research I did for the presentations (for the reef I researched brown algae, and for the rainforest I researched orthoptera, the name of the order to which grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, and katydids belong). I’ve been to the tropics once before, but I don’t really remember it, and it definitely was not an experience like the one we’re about to have, although I realized the professors left much of the trip as a surprise. What I do know is that we’re going to see so many cool plants and animals, and I absolutely cannot wait.  I’m also super excited to spend the days hiking and snorkeling while looking for the different organisms. I love spending time outside, although I’m a bit nervous about the heat and humidity because I’ve gotten used to the nice weather at home. I’m also a bit nervous about the bug situation, both with regards to being bitten and to not being able to find/identify any of my taxa! I’ve never done field work before, so I don’t really know what to expect.

Overall, I’m more excited than nervous. I’m looking forward to learning about the organisms and topics that I didn’t research, as well as hopefully seeing the taxa I chose. I also can’t wait to get to know everyone on the trip better!

Next time you all hear from me, I should be in Belize, so see you all then!