IU East's NSM Spring 2024 Study Abroad Program in Costa Rica

Click here to watch short videos: "Moments from Pacuare"

Recording of the Informational Meeting (9/12/23)

If you are planning on attending this trip, you will need a passport that is valid through November 2024 (or later). If you do not have a passport, please plan to apply for one as soon as possible (now). It can take many months to receive or renew a passport, so please start the process now.

Details

Travel dates: May 14-22, 2024
Semester: Spring 2024
Asynchronous Online Course: BIOL-L 303 Field Biology (taught by Dr. Jill Schweitzer)
Minimum pre-requisite: BIOL-L 101 or BIOL-L 102
Minimum GPA: 2.75 (or consent of instructor)
Open to students on all IU campuses
Expected cost (for IUE students): $1085 (made possible with support from IU East School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Academic Affairs)--keep scrolling for more details!

More information
For more information, please contact Dr. Jill Schweitzer at jillschw@iu.edu

Brief Description
9-day trip to complement one 3-credit hour online course in Field Biology methods and research in a tropical setting (BIOL-L 303) in Spring of 2024. The onsite component includes travel to two field biology research sites in Costa Rica, where students will learn about and participate in ongoing field biology research projects.

Description
The mission of the program is to provide students with an opportunity to participate and learn more about field biology in a tropical setting. Through this program, students will experience life in a tropical research station and collect data about critical animal species. The qualified instructors, research director, and staff that are onsite in Costa Rica are local to the area. They speak Spanish and are eager to share their culture, knowledge, and expertise with visiting students. Please see attached the details of the daily activities during the trip coordinated by Ecology Project International (EPI).

The travel to Costa Rica offers a unique opportunity for students to experience scientific research at a remote field biology location. Many ecosystems and species that are important to biologists cannot be studied locally, such as the rainforest and leatherback sea turtles. Similarly, the flora and fauna of Indiana does not contain the immense biodiversity found in a tropical rainforest. Before the trip, students will learn about the tropical biology of Costa Rica and field biology research. Travel to Costa Rica will expose students to these animal and plant species firsthand and allow them to participate in ongoing field biology research. In addition, they will have an opportunity to interact directly with Claudio Quesada-Rodríguez, a scientist and the research director at Pacuare Reserve. The site visit fits into the content of the course by offering students a hands-on opportunity to participate in a type of field biology research that they learn about before the trip and observe the biodiversity of the Costa Rican rainforest.

Payment and Registration Details

Details of Program Fee

The program is being heavily subsidized by both the campus and the school of Natural Science and Mathematics. What you will end up paying after receiving the two non-competitive scholarships from the campus ($950) and the school ($1900) will only be $1085 [That is: $3935 cost of program (see details below) - $950 campus scholarship - $1900 school scholarship = $1085]. Keep in mind that you can also apply for several competitive scholarships (see details below) as well as an external scholarship, the Gilman scholarship (see details).

	Cost
Miscellaneous Insurance ($40)
Total Miscellaneous:	$40
Third-party Company Fee (EPI) (for 9-day trip from Indianapolis to Costa Rica) Airfare Lodging Transportation Activities Meals in Costa Rica Service of two EPI instructors/guides	$3895
Total third-party company fee:	$3895
Estimated Total Cost:	$3935.00 After IU East scholarships: $1085

NOTE: This calculation does not include: IU East tuition, books, personal expenses, and optional activities.

Financial Support

(for IU East degree seeking undergrads)
NB: Non-IU East student need to seek funding from their home campus by contacting their study abroad coordinatorLinks to an external site..

Scholarship	Amount	Internal or external?	competitive or not?
Academic Affairs (i.e., campus)	$950	Internal	Non-competitive (all IUE students enrolled receive it)
School of Humanities and Social Sciences	$1,900	Internal	Non-competitive (all IUE students enrolled receive it)
Eleanor Turk International Studies Scholarship	amount varies	Internal	Competitive
Allmayer-Williams Scholarships	amount varies	Internal	Competitive
Kathleen A Sideli Scholarship	amount varies	Internal	Competitive
Jorgensen Study Abroad Scholarship	amount varies	Internal	Competitive
Bradley C. Wheeler Study Abroad Scholarship	amount varies	Internal	Competitive
Gilman Scholarship^[1] or Gilman-McCain Scholarship^[2]	up to $5,000	External	Competitive

^[1] For the Gilman scholarship, you need to be a Pell Grant recipient and a US citizen to apply.

^[2] For the Gilman-McCain scholarship, you need to be a dependent child of an active duty military member and a US citizen to apply.

Why should you apply for the Gilman and Gilman-McCain scholarships?
Please click here to find out.

Procedure to Apply and Enroll

Date
Tuesday, Sep. 19 (First come; first-served basis until the trip is full)	Deposit $40 fee (non-refundable)^[3] into the “Science Student Travel” account Call (or go to) IU East’s Bursar’s Office: 765-973-8345 Deposit the money into the “Science Student Travel” account: #23-682-10 Keep a copy of the deposit confirmation for your records Email Prof. Schweitzer (jillschw@iue.edu): -- A PDF (or screenshot or photo) of the deposit confirmation -- A letter of intent (see details below)
September 26-October 6	Acceptance letter sent to selected participants (upon receiving this letter, you’ll be allowed to register for BIOL-L 303)
October 15	Enroll for the EPI course and set up an account with EPI (use link in acceptance letter) Deposit $250 (of your own money) into your EPI account
November 16	$750 Trip deposit due to EPI ($750 of your own money)^[4]
February 28	Final Payment is due to EPI [Approximately $45 of your own money. Scholarship money ($2850) will be deposited in your bursar account by February if you are an IU East student. As soon you receive the money, you need to make final payment to EPI ($2895).]

^[3] It will be refundable only if for some reason you are not being selected for the program, but not if you change your mind.

^[4] Minimum number of participants is 6 for the course to run.

Letter of Intent

This letter needs to include:

Your first & last name, email, Student ID#
Two references (i.e., name and contact information of an IU East full-time instructor we could contact if need be)

Points to address in the letter:

Why do you want to study abroad?
What would be the benefits of this study abroad?
Why do you want to go to Costa Rica and study sea turtles?
How will this study abroad program contribute to your overall academic/career goals?
What would be the anticipated long-term effect of this study abroad program on your study and/or career plans?
See also Short-term Study Abroad Scholarship criteria that apply (i.e., criterion 4)

More information
For more information, please contact Prof. Jill Schweitzer at jillschw@iue.edu