Tag Archives: 2025

Pre-departure: Caecilians, Coffee, and Packing Chaos

Hi everyone! My name is Elise Trenk. I’m an environmental science and economics double-major, and I’m a rising sophomore at Brown. We are now two days out from departing Houston for Belize and I am incredibly excited! So far, I’ve been focused on researching my taxon groups, amphibians (rainforest) and angelfish (reef), and preparing my topic presentation on tropical parasites, diseases, and medicinal plants. I’ve greatly enjoyed the process of researching in these areas thus far and have learned (what I would consider) some pretty interesting facts. Here are a few:

1) There is an amphibian called a caecilian that gets around by feeling with a tentacle region on its head. Its appearance is in between a snake and a worm and it lives in the moist forest undergrowth. I am desperate to find one and I will promise you now that if I do, I will write the longest blog entry you have ever seen about how cool it is.

2) Some of the angelfish species that we may see in Belize (like the gray angelfish) can be up to 2 feet long (60 cm)!

3) Certain species in the plant family Rubiaceae (which encompasses many medicinal plants) can produce products such as quinine and coffee.

I fear I may have made one mistake as a result of spending too much time learning about caecilians and other cool species: I have not focused on packing nearly as much as I should have. The scattered clothes and gear across the floor of my room serve as a testament. Tonight will be a long night, I’m sure…but spending the time learning about caecilians will be worth it (I hope). I leave for Houston tomorrow afternoon and will stay the night before meeting with the group on Friday morning.

Overall, I am most excited to encounter some amazing species while hiking in the rainforest and snorkeling on the reef.  I am a bit nervous about the snakes, but I’m sure that we will be fine as long as we stay alert and [leaf] them be : ) I have experience camping through Scouts, but this will be my first time doing field work (outside of the BIOS 213 Intro Lab to Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), snorkeling, and visiting the tropics,. I’m looking forward to learning as I go. I expect that I will return to Houston not only with a better understanding of the complex species relationships that I have only read about in textbooks previously, but with some incredible stories to tell. I hope to learn as much as I can while I’m there and enjoy this adventure of a lifetime!

[Updated May 15th]

Packed Bags

Pre-departure coffee run

Pre-departure excitement!

Hi everyone! My name is Adam and this is the first of many blog posts recording and reflecting on my experiences during this amazing field camp in Belize. I’m sure you’ll get to know me very well over the next couple of weeks.

This whole trip is so exciting and I’m looking forward to spending time in Belize studying and appreciating the beauty of both the rainforest and the reef. I’m an Environmental Science major, and this is an amazing opportunity to immerse myself in and learn about a rich and beautiful ecosystem. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve spent time doing research and preparations, learning as much as I can about the ecosystems we’ll be experiencing and getting all the gear I’ll need for hiking in the rainforest and snorkeling off the reef. I was paying particular attention to trees and cryptobenthic fish, which I’ll be the expert on in when we’re in Belize. I learned a lot about the different species we should see in Belize and I’m excited to identify some of the ones that came up in my reading. I also did some research on the biogeographic history of the region, and how different species came to be distributed as they are in the region. I’m can’t wait to share what I’ve learned and hear about what my classmates have been learning about.

I’m excited for how immersive this trip should be. Since we’ll be in remote scientific research stations, our entire days will be jam-packed with scientific field work. Last summer, I did a field camp study abroad program which took me to Greenland and taught me some of the basics of ecosystem monitoring, and I imagine that (although the ecosystems will be radically different) some of the skills I learned will carry over. I’m a bit nervous about the physical requirements of the trip—hiking, swimming, and generally being outside in hot, humid tropical conditions all day might be taxing. I think I’ll be able to manage; I just want to be very conscientious that I’m hydrating and getting enough rest.

Overall, I’m super excited to get this opportunity and I can’t wait to embark on this adventure—I hope you’ll follow along!

Pre-departure Blog!

Hi everyone – my name is Sohee Kim and I’m a Biosciences major with an Ecology & Evolutionary Biology concentration! It is currently 2 days before the trip and I am beyond excited. Tomorrow, I’ll be heading to Houston since we need to be in ABL by 6 AM on Friday. This will be my first time traveling to Central America and the tropics, so I am super excited to explore a region I’ve never visited before.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been busy preparing by researching my taxa (Surgeonfishes and Rainforest Mammals) as well as preparing for my presentation topic, which focuses on Visual and Auditory Communication in Rainforest Animals. I’ve read numerous scientific articles and am looking forward to seeing some of these organisms in real life.

I expect that I’ll be able to encounter some of the mammal species at our night tour at the Belize Zoo, which I’m especially excited about as a pre-vet student! There were so so many cool mammal species that I wanted to put on the ID sheet, but I had to cut out so many of them. 🙁 I also expect to gain extensive insight into what it is like to be a tropical field biologist, which may help me further shape my career plans—whether I want to focus solely on clinical veterinary medicine or combine it with research. I have gained ecological research (about phytoplanktons!) experience in a lab setting, but I am super thrilled to experience what it’s like to conduct fieldwork in a completely different setting.

Sneak peak for my rainforest taxon ID sheet!

I’ve also read a couple of student blogs from past years, and apparently the howls of the Mexican Black Howler Monkeys were heard, so hopefully we will have a chance to hear (or see!) them too! I also really want to see one of the cat species out in the wild, but I know that is pretty unlikely.. But miracles can happen — so …maybe! I will update on if my wish was fulfilled in my ending blog entry!

Also, I’ve developed a foundational knowledge based on our required readings and additional scientific articles I have read for my presentations, and I’m excited to build on that foundation by visiting the actual historical sites and ecosystems we’ve been reading about. Throughout this trip, I hope to strengthen my observational skills and gain extensive hands-on experience in species identification, fieldwork, and collaboration with classmates in completely new ecosystems!

I’m a little nervous about the inevitable, countless mosquito and bug bites to be obtained throughout the trip, but hopefully my hydrocortisone cream can help with that.. I don’t really have experience with fieldwork other than BIOS 213 (Intro Lab to Ecology/Evolutionary Biology), so I’m really excited for these next two weeks to gain some insight to what it’s like to be a tropical field biologist!

Brazos Bend fieldtrip from BIOS 213!

 

Next blog post, I will actually be in Belize, which is un-belizeable!

Well then, I will see you all in Belize!! 😉

With love,

Sohee