Professors to hold information sessions about spring break biology program in Panama, Sept. 14, 16 and 19

Ohio University students interested in exploring biodiversity and ecology in Panama must attend an information session in September with College of Arts & Sciences Professors Willem Roosenburg and Harvey Ballard to find out more about PBIO 4850/BIOS 4900 Tropical Biology Program in Panama, a field course where students will spend spring break 2023 in Panama.

Students will compare flora and fauna in pristine rainforest, selectively logged rainforest, pasture tracts, swamps, and coastal areas in the Central American country.

"This course include pre-departure lectures before spring break so we'll get to know each other before we depart, and we'll be ready to dive into the field work once we hit the ground in Panama," Ballard, professor of Environmental and Plant Biology, said. "We'll be taking field hikes to learn common plants and animals, natural history, evolutionary principles and trophic interactions, and discuss community organization in diverse terrestrial habitats."

"We'll be investigating biological diversity, basic ecological principles, evolutionary pattern and process, cross-species interactions, and current conservation issues effecting terrestrial and marine tropical environments," Roosenburg, professor of Biological Sciences, said

He added that students will be snorkeling to learn about common marine organisms and to investigate coral reef and mangrove community diversity and ecology. SCUBA-certified students also can participate in a diving excursion. The biologists will also lead night-time field trips to observe nocturnal insects, reptiles, and amphibians.

The experiential fieldwork also includes tree canopy climbing in small groups to explore canopy diversity and ecology and excursions to a sustainable chocolate farm, a bat hibernaculum, and an abandoned teak farm with a thriving tarantula population.

Information sessions are:

• Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Irvine 159
• Friday, Sept. 16, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Irvine 159
• Monday, Sept. 19, form 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Porter 104

Interested students must attend one of these three information sessions. The application deadline for the program is Oct. 1, 2022. Students must have completed either PBIO 1150 or BIOS 1710 and 1715. Seniors and juniors in biology and related areas will be given priority in the application process, but others may be accepted where spots are available.