BIOEE 265: Tropical Field Ecology and Behavior in Kenya

Winter Session: January 2-21, 2007

Overview

This three-week Winter Session course offers a small group of Cornell students the opportunity to study ecology and animal behavior in one of the most biologically spectacular settings imaginable: the wildlife-rich savannas at the base of Mt. Kenya and the adjacent lakes of the Great Rift Valley of Africa.

In addition to gaining sophisticated experience with fieldwork and biological research, students have many opportunities to both to see and study organisms ranging from acacia ants to giraffes, and go-away birds to cheetahs. Students of all majors are welcome to apply.

For more information, read the sections below and visit the program Web site.

Course

Students are enrolled in BIOEE 265 Tropical Field Ecology and Behavior. This four-credit course is designed to give participants a broad understanding of tropical ecology and behavioral ecology. Some of the goals of this course are to help students:

1. integrate important concepts in ecology, evolution, and behavioral ecology;
2. gain hands-on experience with experimental design, data collection, and statistical analysis;
3. learn to interpret and evaluate papers from the primary scientific literature;
4. and last but not least, have a lot of fun while encountering an amazing diversity of wildlife.

Although this course is as academically rigorous as any other course, its focus is very different. Instead of attending regular lectures, students read and discuss primary literature, design and conduct field experiments, and write research papers. Students work more than 12 hours per day for the entire length of the course. There is very little down time as participants are constantly doing, seeing, and learning new things.

Eligibility

This course is open to students of all majors as long as they have:

1. taken one college-level introductory biology course;
2. and are enthusiastic and excited about spending three weeks in the African bush.

Participation in this course will be determined by the permission of the instructors.

Faculty

Irby J. Lovette is an Assistant Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Director of the Evolutionary Biology Program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Irby has many years' experience teaching tropical biology field courses in places such as Panama.

Dustin R. Rubenstein received his Ph.D. from the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell in 2006. Dustin has spent time in Kenya since childhood and has worked intensively at the Mpala Research Centre for the past six years. He is now a Miller Research Fellow at UC Berkeley.

Travel information

Airfare

All students arrive in Kenya (and leave) on the same British Airways flight. Students can fly from whichever gateway they choose, but all participants meet in London and travel together on the overnight flight to Nairobi, where Irby and Dustin meet the group at the airport. The leaders will provide students with the specific flight numbers and dates in the fall. Students are responsible for booking and paying for their own flights.

Passports, visas, and permits

Students need a valid passport to travel to Kenya. Participants who do not have a U.S. passport, or whose passport will expire before the end of the course, must visit the U.S. State Department's Where to Apply for a Passport page. Students who plan to travel on a non-U.S. passport must contact the program leaders.

In addition, all visitors to Kenya must purchase a $50 tourist visa. This needs to be done BEFORE students leave. To obtain a visa, students should send their passport to the Kenyan Embassy in Washington, D.C. This process can take at least a month or more. Students who plan to travel outside of Kenya after the program, but then return to Kenya before departing, need a multi-entry visa.

Participants also need a research permit to study in Kenya. To obtain one, participants must submit a copy of their CV/resume as well as four passport photos to the program leaders at least two months before leaving for the program.

Health and safety

Upon acceptance to this program, students must complete a Student Health/Emergency Treatment Authorization form. Students are responsible for ensuring that all of their routine immunizations are up-to-date, inquiring whether there are recommended and/or required immunizations for the country/countries they wish to visit (including any countries they will visit that are not part of this program's itinerary), and reviewing educational issues relevant to their personal health and safety.

Please see the BIOEE 265 "Health and Safety" page for more information.

Program cost and refund policy

The total program charge is $3,800. This includes a tuition fee of $3,500 and a program fee of $300, which covers housing, full board, course materials, and all field trips. Students are responsible for their own air travel expenses. A nonrefundable deposit of $1,500 is due as soon as students are notified of their acceptance into the program. The deposit will not be returned to the student for any reasons other than cancellation of the program.

Application

Students interested in participating in this course should e-mail Irby Lovette (IJL2@cornell.edu) and ask to be placed on the course e-mail list. Irby will e-mail all interested students a formal application in September 2006. All students may also be interviewed before a final decision is made.

Note: Participation may be denied or participation approval may be revoked if a student's conduct before departure raises doubts as to her/his suitability for program participation.

For more information

For more information, visit the course Web site or contact the program instructors:

• Irby Lovette: IJL2@cornell.edu or
• Dustin Rubenstein: DRR24@cornell.edu

Students chosen to go on the course meet information during the fall semester and receive a detailed packet of information before departing for Kenya.