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Just as evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin filled his journals with observations and sketches from the Gal谩pagos Islands nearly two centuries ago, 16听Kennedy College of Sciences听students kept field journals during their recent two-week study abroad trip to the archipelago 500 miles off the coast of Ecuador.
鈥淓ach day was an adventure, where it felt like we were in a different class learning something entirely new,鈥� says Scott Dalesio, a rising senior听biology听major from Waterbury, Connecticut. 鈥淚鈥檓 still processing everything, but luckily, I鈥檒l be able to look back on it in my field journal.鈥�
The trip, led by Associate Professor听Jennifer Fish听and Associate Teaching Professor听Alison Hamilton, capped a new upper-level biology course called 鈥淓co-Evo-Devo in the Gal谩pagos: How Genetics and the Environment Shape Organismal Development.鈥� Students met weekly during the spring semester, learning about developmental biology from an ecological and evolutionary perspective, while preparing for the 3,200-mile journey in June.
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鈥淚t was a great opportunity to teach certain concepts in the classroom that students could then apply in the field,鈥� says Fish, who was inspired to lead her first study abroad course after she 鈥渇ell in love鈥� with the Gal谩pagos during a vacation several years ago.
The university partnered with the nonprofit Intercultural Outreach Initiative (IOI), which organized lodging, meals, cultural excursions and a range of volunteer experiences focused on conservation and community development. Students helped remove invasive species and sort plastic debris for marine pollution research, learned about sustainable farming at a coffee plantation, joined local high school students in garden care and cooking classes and conducted visitor surveys at a breeding center for giant tortoises.
They also snorkeled with sea turtles and hiked to the rim of the Sierra Negra volcano, which has the second largest caldera in the world at 6 miles across.
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鈥淕etting up close and personal with different animals and plants that are endemic to the Gal谩pagos, ones that we鈥檒l never be able to see anywhere else, was a life-changing experience,鈥� says Andrea Gamache, a second-year Ph.D. candidate in听earth system science.
Students spent most of their time on Isabela Island, the largest and least populated of the Gal谩pagos. Gamache was struck by how the animals, protected for so long on the island, were relatively comfortable around humans.鈥淚f you are not paying attention on the docks, there is a huge chance you will trip right over a sleeping sea lion. They rule the isles,鈥� says Gamache, who turned 28 during the trip and was treated to a surprise birthday party organized by IOI staff and classmates.
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For Riya Gunnamreddy 鈥�25, the Gal谩pagos trip was the perfect send-off after completing her bachelor鈥檚 degree in biology.
鈥淚鈥檝e actually been dreaming about the trip every night since I got home; my brain thinks I鈥檓 still there,鈥� says Gunnamreddy, a Westford, Massachusetts, native who is heading to dental school at Boston University in the fall.鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 planning to study abroad in college, but this trip changed my perspective,鈥� says Gunnamreddy, who decided to enroll after taking an ecology course with Hamilton. 鈥淚t was rewarding to connect with a different culture, bond with classmates and learn about evolution and developmental biology firsthand.鈥�
Dalesio, who received a听Kennedy College of Sciences Science Scholars听award to work in Fish鈥檚 lab this summer, hopes to become a biology professor someday. He appreciated the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Darwin, whose work in the Gal谩pagos was crucial in developing his theory of evolution by natural selection.
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鈥淎fter this experience, I have a better understanding of what his voyage was like and how adventurous it was,鈥� Dalesio says.
Fish and Hamilton plan to run the course again next year, when they may increase the cohort size to 20 students. The course satisfies two of four requirements for a听River Hawk Experience Distinction听in听global engagement, and Fish says she hopes to add a听Diversity and Cultural Awareness听essential learning outcome designation for the course.鈥淭his was a tremendous success, and next time it鈥檚 going to be so much better because of what we鈥檝e learned,鈥� says Fish, who enjoyed seeing the students grow and evolve over the course of the trip.
鈥淪ome of these students hadn鈥檛 really traveled before, and there were some tough days with some hard work. But it was great to see how the students responded and supported each other,鈥� she says. 鈥淛ust in two weeks, you could see some maturity and confidence-building, which was kind of special.鈥�