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!

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!

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.

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!