Iguanas are falling from the sky!

It is the first day in Belize! Today we had an easy flight into Belize City, and after about an hour of driving, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant called “Cheers”. It was an outdoor layout with a ton of previous visitors signed shirts that were hung up on the ceiling. I ordered rice and beans (not beans and rice), and while we waited, one of the waitresses told us to check out a pond out behind the place. She said we would be able to see fish and turtles, so we walked over to it. As soon as we rounded the corner of a bushy tree and saw the pond, there were about six large splashes. We were all quite confused until another few happened, and then we realized that iguanas were launching themselves from the trees into the pond! I recognized both black spiny-tailed iguanas and green iguanas, and as we continued to watch them, they kept dramatically splashing into the water below. I also saw a turtle, but it dipped under the water before I could identify it.

We drove for a ways longer and got to our place for the night: The Crystal Paradise Ecolodge. This place is rustic but gorgeous, as it is right in the middle of the forest. There is a chorus of frogs, insects, and birds coming from all around. We walked down to the nearby river and saw a hummingbird and a large, brown butterfly which were very cool too.

I am excited for where tomorrow will take us and should get to bed soon, as we have another early wakeup. Next update is about Mayan ruins, Las Cuevas Research Station, and more dense rainforest! Talk to you then!

Claire C

PRE-DEPARTURE POST!

Hey y’all, my name is Emily Stanford and I’m a rising junior majoring in Cognitive Sciences and minoring in Politics, Law, and Social Thought. I’m writing this while triple-checking my packing list and trying to convince myself I don’t need to bring a fourth notebook (I probably do). T-6 hours until we’re Belize-bound!

I’m really looking forward to just being out in the field: mud, bugs, weird smells and all. I think I’m most excited for our time at Las Cuevas. I’ve spent a lot of time reading about tropical forests, but never actually been in one, so I feel like it’s going to blow my mind. I’m also so curious to see how my understanding of ecosystems shifts when I’m seeing them up close, watching ants build bridges or hearing frog calls in the middle of the night. Glover’s Reef sounds amazing too. I’ve snorkeled a few times before, but never over a living reef, so I can’t wait to see what that’s like.

To prepare for the trip, I’ve been reviewing our readings and putting together ID cards for cockroaches (which I now have a weird appreciation for?) and piscivorous reef fishes. I’ve also been trying to build some observational habits, bringing a notebook on walks, slowing down, paying attention to plants I’d usually ignore. I’ve done some traveling in the tropics before (I lived in Indonesia for five years growing up…I’ve included an image from the last time I was in the Monkey Forest in Ubud) but this will be my first time doing formal fieldwork, and I’m excited to see what that feels like as a student.

I’m a little nervous about keeping up with the physical demands of the trip, it’s one thing to hike, another to hike with a soggy notebook and binoculars while covered in sweat. I’m also slightly anxious about making mistakes or missing obvious things in the field, but I think that’s part of the learning curve. Mostly, I’m just excited. I’m hoping to come back from this trip with better field skills, a more intuitive sense of the systems I’ve studied, and some great stories to tell.

Adventure is Out There!

Hey y’all!

I guess it’s that time! This last week has been nonstop prep work in terms of completing coursework and getting all of the gear I need. Now I’m all packed and wrapping up some last-minute details before we hop on the plane tomorrow! I’m so excited to be travelling outside the country for the first time! The days are bound to be really long with a lot of stuff happening, but I know it is going to be amazing and can’t wait to see what exactly lies ahead!

I’m really excited to learn how to identify different species of animals. Hopefully, the ID cards I made for the arachnids and damselfishes will help. I just need to remember to keep on the lookout, and I should be fine. I’m also nervous about all the travelling logistics, not to mention the presentations I’m giving, but I’m just gonna try and have fun with it.

Dr. Solomon said that I will have a special project of luring a tarantula out of its den at Las Cuevas! The best way is probably going to involve making a disturbance in the leaf litter outside of its den to mimic a prey insect of some sort. I’m excited to figure out how exactly to do that! I don’t really have any previous experience conducting research in the field or observing wild animals in person, but this will be an amazing time to start!

 

Remember: Adventure is Out There!

Serenity (2025)

Snorkel, Boots, and Bucket Hat Packed and Ready to Go!

Hi everyone! My name is Lily Hestjean, and I’m an ecology and evolutionary biology major at Rice currently anticipating this exciting trip! This is how I image our Belize trip will go: Our class will be gathered together in front of this infinitely high tree surrounded by vines and epiphytes (the plants without roots that latch on to trees for structural support), and as Dr. Solomon explains how to measure trunk diameter, my eyes wander away, following the leaf cutter ants marching by. Just today, in our Belize textbook, I read about where this endless line of ants is headed. They’re on their way back to their fungal gardens. Yes, they are little gardeners who cultivate their own fungus as a food source, tucked away underground and out of our sight. While the ants bring the fungus a leafy food source, the fungus returns the favor by producing special, nutrient-rich portions of itself for the ants to eat. This is mutualism at its finest, the species relationship where both parties benefit from one another. https://discoverwildscience.com/the-symbiotic-architects-leafcutter-ants-and-their-underground-fungal-farms-1-296417/ 

(The Ant Farm – biointeractive.org)

 

In Belize, I can’t wait to see all of the fascinating ecological concepts I read about in real life. I can’t wait to wake up to the sound of birds chirping from all directions and maybe a couple of howler monkey calls. I think that this course (BIOS 319: Tropical Field Biology in Belize) is my idea of heaven – spending the day out in the rainforest doing ecological field work, spotting cool trees and insects, and bonding with my class through shared sweating and learning. In this 2-week-long course, we will be spending five days at Las Cuevas Research Station in the Maya Mountains (the rainforest) and five days at Glover’s Reef (the ocean!), gaining hands-on researching skills. Though I don’t know exactly what we’ll be doing day to day at the sites, I am so ready for all of the one-of-a-kind experiences the days will hold. 

While I will have to get adjusted to the 5 am wake-up calls, I can’t wait to put eco-gear and training to use. I’m ready to rep my new bucket hat and green rubber boots–my protection from all of the biting critters on the forest floor. A few weeks ago, our class walked over to the Houston Zoo’s reptile exhibit to learn how to identify and react to poisonous snakes we might encounter in the rainforest. Then, we jumped into Rice Rec’s pool to practice using our snorkels and fins. We laughed at how, while we were snorkeling on one side of the pool, we got strange looks from the other side of the pool, where people were just trying to get some laps in. 

(Snorkel Practice – 04/28/25)

 

Besides my training in Houston, last summer, I was able to gain tropical researching experience at EARTH University in Costa Rica during a two-month plant science internship. The most fulfilling part of my experience was immersing myself in the rich, dynamic ecosystem and sharing my appreciation for nature with friends. I am certain I will be able to do the same in the rainforests of Belize. 

I’m also very excited to dive around reefs in search of sponges. My job as a part of the class is to be able to identify the different sponges and explain more about their living strategies, from the way they eat (by filtering little particles out of the water) to the way they reproduce (by releasing clouds of sperm into the water). While I am slightly nervous about my identification skills, especially underwater, I am looking forward to sharing some sponge fun facts with the class. Did you know scientists have discovered carnivorous sponges in the deep ocean? Look up harp sponges, trust me. 

(Harp Sponge – mbari.org)

 

While I’m there, I hope to learn how to quantify human impact on these rich, biodiverse ecosystems, like calculating deforestation rates and the impacts of elevated CO2 levels. I hope to better understand the challenges these ecosystems face and sustainable solutions. 

Thank you for checking in! Over the course of these next two weeks, I will continue updating you each day about the cool, interesting things I learn! T-minus 12 hours until our flight to Belize boards!

Pre Departure Blog

Hello! My name is Claire C, and I am a rising sophomore at Sid Richardson College. My major is biosciences with a major concentration in integrative biology, so naturally, I LOVE ecology and the outdoors.

I am so excited for this trip and cannot wait for all that I will learn in Belize! I am looking forward to learning about and seeing all sorts of plants and animals. While I have always loved the ocean more than anything in the world, I am most excited for the rainforest part of the trip. I have experience snorkeling and being around reefs, but I have never been to a tropical rainforest before.

I hope to learn a ton about how rainforest ecosystems and field research works. I expect to see some of the coolest ecosystems and organisms I have ever seen in my life. Being as isolated from other people as we are should let us see some fascinating animal interactions both within the rainforest and in the ocean. While seeing any animal is cool, I most want to see rays in the ocean. Whether they are spotted eagle rays, manta rays, or stingrays, I love seeing them swim through reefs.

I finished packing all of my gear last night, and I traveled to Houston today, so I am finally ready to go to Belize! My duffle is quite heavy, but that just means I have fun gear inside!

On this trip, I hope to learn how to keep myself safe and comfortable while doing field work. I also hope to learn some field research techniques that cannot be taught from a classroom.

That all being said, I am slightly nervous for how isolated we are going to be. I know we will do everything to keep ourselves safe, but being in a new and extremely disconnected ecosystem from people is still scary despite how fascinating and fun it will be.

I have been lucky enough to have been on in other international marine ecology field research class through my high school. The class took place in Baja California Sur which is a desert on land and is is home to the “Aquarium of the World” beneath the water. Through that class,  I learned how to do an underwater transect and fish census along with other techniques. While this class was definitely not exhaustive, it did give me some experience doing labs in the ocean that I can build off of in Belize.

I am so excited to wake up bright and early tomorrow to go to Belize!

Nervous but excited!!

Zoe Gupton, 2025, Birds and Soft Corals

Hello! I’m Zoe and I am a junior from Sid. As I prepare for my trip to Belize, I’m excited and a bit nervous. I’m especially looking forward to growing as a person, particularly in overcoming my fear of insects. Fieldwork in the tropics will challenge me to step out of my comfort zone, and I hope to become more comfortable with the critters I’ll encounter. I’m also excited to learn more about soft corals and birds, as both groups fascinate me in different ways.

I’ve been getting ready by researching the species I might encounter and packing essentials like bug repellent, sunscreen, and field guides. While this is my first time doing fieldwork in the tropics, I’m eager to immerse myself in the experience and learn as much as I can. I’m also preparing mentally for the challenges that come with field research in a tropical environment.

Despite feeling nervous, I’m eager to learn about how soft corals contribute to marine ecosystems and observe birds in their natural habitat. I hope to gain new skills in species identification and field research. Most of all, I want to immerse myself in the experience and make the most of the opportunity to learn in a tropical environment.

Although I have no previous fieldwork experience in the tropics, I’m excited to dive in. The idea of studying soft corals and birds up close is incredibly exciting. I’m ready to push through any nerves and embrace this chance for personal and academic growth.

Off we go!

Hey hey hey! My name is Sam Forman, and I’m a  rising Junior at Jones College! Some facts about me: I’m from Tampa, FL, I like to swim (good thing we’re spending a week at Glover’s!) and I am an Environmental Science major with a minor in Business!

In November, I heard about this class, applied, and made my friends apply too. In January, we were accepted. In February, we met to assign taxa and topics and introduce the course. In April, we met to look at snakes and check that our equipment worked. And now, in May, we depart for Belize tomorrow!

My expectations for this course, in truth, are limited. I expect to have fun, and beyond that I barely know what to expect. I have experience in the tropics, as I took a vacation to the Galapagos in 7th grade, but I am also fully aware that this will be about 1-5% like that trip. I also have visited the Florida Keys as part of a 6th grade school trip and done some snorkeling and marine biology exploration there, but nothing to the level of what we are going to do in this class. I know I will see things I’ve never seen before and do things I’ve never done before, and I’m excited about that. That’s pretty much all I’m expecting. I’m expecting to be wowed, the mechanism by which this will occur I cannot foresee.

A lot of this course consists of things I have generally heard about. I have heard about tropical rainforests and studied them in class, and I have extensive experience snorkeling around coral reefs. I’m excited to marry the two. The course has us learning in depth about the ecosystem through lectures and primarily through experience. I have not experienced experiential learning to this degree, so I’m quite excited about that. Accomplishments-wise, I see great potential for this course beyond tropical field biology-related educational growth. I am going to live in a rainforest with no AC and many other things I operate daily with. There will not be a Target 10 minutes away if I need anything. These two weeks will be an accomplishment in the sense that I will have lived without these things I “need.” That’s an accomplishment in and of itself. Tropical Field Biology-related foreseen accomplishments include extensive fieldwork, among others. The most fieldwork I’ve done has been in BIOS 213. Time wise, BIOS 213 Labs were probably 5-10% of the time we will spend in the field in Belize. And it will be condensed much more. I’m excited to run field experiments, (as the ant-man I have to look forward to the pee one, right?)

Pee-gets us into the “what I’m nervous about” section of the post… I’m nervous about accomplishing what I described above. It seems like it will probably be fairly difficult. The bathrooms, among other things, will likely not be similar to what I’m used to. I’m also nervous about my 3 presentations, on Ants, Wrasses, and a longer lecture on Wrasses, but that is likely the same as any pre-presentation nerves. I feel well prepared, as all of the prep work for this class has indeed felt like a full time job this past week. Between actual coursework (Taxon ID Cards, slideshows, reading) and the many shopping/ pharmacy trips, the course preparation was quite intense. Even just packing was intense, as I tried my best to finagle everything into the waterproof luggage & water-resistant backpack I have while leaving room for the helmet and sleeping bag. And, in general, I’m just jittery. So, after cautiously but hurriedly packing my bags and setting things out for myself for tomorrow (pictured below,) I’m gonna go to bed and…

…see you tomorrow for the DAY ONE RECAP!!!

<3 Sam

Pre-departure blog!

Hi guys! My name is Claire Dillon, and I am a rising sophomore from McMurtry college. I am currently studying biosciences, cognitive sciences, and environmental science. I am super excited and very nervous for the trip. I hope I am very prepared after the many taxon groups I researched including bees, trumpetfish and seahorses. I also did a lot of research on coral growth and destruction for my topic presentation.

I am trying to come in with little to no expectations but I am definitely hoping to learn a lot about ecology and marine biology. I especially want to learn a lot about conservation and how we can better treat these habitats. I also think it will be super cool staying in these more remote locations, and I am looking forward to our morning bird-watching in the forest. Honestly to thing I am most nervous about is no air- conditioning, but I think I’ll survive. I am mainly just excited to be snorkeling off the reefs in Belize. I know it will be so beautiful, and I really love marine biology.

I do have some previous experience in the tropics. Specifically Belize even. I was here 2 summers ago, and I can’t wait to go back. As for fieldwork I have done and been a counselor at my high schools ecology trip where me did forest and stream research in Missouri.

 

Pre-Departure Blog

Hey y’all, my name is Ian Chen and I’m a rising sophomore at McMurtry! I plan on double majoring in Biosciences, with a concentration in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Computational and Applied Mathematics (CAAM). I’m currently writing this entry sitting at my gate, about to depart for Houston. T-15 hours!!

I’m super excited for this trip, and literally every part about it too. I will say, I am most excited for our second week, staying out by Glover’s Reef. Beyond all the wildlife we’ll see there and all the snorkeling opportunities, I’m really curious about how being so isolated is going to feel, both being so far from civilization and being completely surrounded by vast ocean. I’m also really excited to explore the cave system! I’ve visited a couple caves in Patagonia when I went backpacking there a couple years ago, and they ended up being one of my favorite parts of that trip. From what Dr. Solomon’s said, these caves sound even cooler, especially the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave!

To prepare for this trip, in addition to studying my assigned taxa (Orthoptera and Groupers), I’ve gone on a couple hikes in the state parks near me, Umstead and Jordan Lake. I used to go backpacking quite often, but haven’t gone on a trip in a year, so I found myself a bit more worn out than I had hoped. I’m excited to embrace the challenge nonetheless!

I hope to learn a lot about this trip. I’ve always been fascinated by birds and ornithology, and have gone on numerous birding trips within North Carolina. My bird knowledge is a bit limited to NC and the continental US, so I’m hoping to learn a lot about the birds of Central America!

However, there are a couple things I’m nervous about. Like I mentioned earlier, I feel a bit out of shape and I’m a little bit worried about the physical aspects of this trip, both hiking in the jungle and swimming on the reefs. Additionally, I’ve never been snorkeling before so I’m a bit nervous about that, but I’m also really excited about all the new opportunities it unlocks.

This trip will also be my first time in the tropics and first time doing any real fieldwork (beyond BIOS 213)—both reasons to be a bit more nervous and a lot more excited about this trip. I’m hoping to gain tons of valuable field experiences, along with memories that will last a lifetime!

Hooray! My first blog!

Hello! My name is Dyllan, and I’m a rising junior at Jones! I’m double majoring in Environmental Science (EEB) and Social Policy Analysis. I am writing this blog right before I leave for my flight to Houston, and I couldn’t be more excited!

Ever since I was young, one of my biggest dreams has been to study a prominent coral reef up close before coral bleaching destroys these beautiful ecosystems. My reef taxon is hard corals, and I have really enjoyed researching and learning more about them. I’m really looking forward to seeing them up close. I expect to grow my interest and passion for protecting these environments even more.

I have prepared for the trip by making sure I complete my homework before the trip. Our class meeting to practice snorkeling was very helpful because I don’t have much experience. A few days ago, I practiced again on my own in the pool. The hardest part is the pain in my ears.

I hope to learn about how to study ecosystems without intruding and disrupting the natural environments. I want to learn field study techniques that respect nature because I hope to apply these skills to my future studies.

I am most nervous about being tired or sunsick. I packed lots of protein bars and liquid IV packets to prepare for this. Even though I am nervous about the physical activity and early mornings, I am also very excited because I think it will get me into shape lol. The backpack I brought comes with a water bladder to make staying hydrated easier, too.

I am the most excited about seeing the Mayan ruins and ancient Mayan forests. I’ve learned a lot about the natural history of these forests, and I think it is fascinating how ancient Mayan sustainable agriculture can still be observed in these wild forests. The Maya were able to cultivate biodiversity that has lasted to this day, and I think their relationship with nature is something we should learn from.

I don’t really have any experience in the tropics and the only fieldwork I have done was in BIOS 213, so I am excited to gain this experience.

See everyone soon!

 

Rice University