IRES Costa Rica

This International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program occurs in the Santa Elena Bay, Costa Rica. Because of these unique oceanographic and biological characteristics, the bay is a critical habitat for coral reefs, sharks and rays, humpback whales and several species of dolphins. This program will recruit 5 US undergraduates and 3 U.S. graduate students, and 1-2 Costa Rican students each year. Each student will select a theme to develop their research project for the 4-weeks of the program. Students will also participate in outreach activities with the community including NGOs, fishers, scientists, and students from Costa Rica. Students will be involved in projects related to (1) quantifying coral reef health under different anthropogenic pressures, (2) identifying drivers of decline in the shark community, and (3) studying the impact of anthropogenic underwater noise on marine mammals. By the end of the program students will have acquired skills in scuba diving, photomosaics for coral reef biodiversity inventories, tagging sharks, passive acoustic monitoring, experimental design, and statistical data analysis while generating critical data on the marine megafauna and coral reef communities of Santa Elena Bay. This authentic research experience will also help students develop feelings of confidence, belonging, equity, and community.

You can read more about the project here.