The Science Exchange Sea Turtle Internship: LatAm & the Caribbean

A regular day consisted of patrolling the beaches at night for turtle nests. After collecting any eggs that were found we would take them back to our hatchery and record the data from the amount of eggs and their progress. The shifts can be tiresome, but the end result is worth the manual labor.

The Science Exchange has created a very unique learning environment geared specifically towards blossoming scientists. If this is to be your first encounter with extensively leading your own field research, The Science Exchange is a great place to start. I was able to make decisions regarding protocol, procedures, and data collection that were pertinent to the success of the study, and learned a lot about hands on management of a project and how to successfully problem-shoot within a study. Overall, the physical work of data collection took about 5-9 hours a week depending on influx of data, and data entry/analysis took roughly 2-3 hours a week. This amount of work kept me busy and my mind at work, while still allowing for ample time to enjoy life in another country. This program allows you to emerse yourself as much as you're comfortable with in both another culture and in scientific growth. This internship is perfect for students just starting their scientific careers at a university level who are looking to gain valuable experience in the field of conservation biology.

I had a great time during my internship for The Science Exchange. I learned a lot during my time in Costa Rica. It was a really fun experience. During my time, I was able to visit three different sea turtle camps. As an international business major I was able to fulfill my travel abroad and internship requirement at one time. My favorite part was immersing myself into the culture. I was able to practice the Spanish language and made a lot of friends. I would recommend this program to anyone.

Working with The Science Exchange and encountering my first abroad experience was life changing. I grew a fond appreciation for sea turtle conservation, Costa Rica and environmental education. Being able to immerse myself in a different culture while learning about Costa Rica culture was an amazing opportunity to grow intellectually.

This was my first field project as a biologist. I knew very little spanish at the time. I lived with a host family for 3 months and gathered a team to help me with the project from the friends I made there. I spent alot of time walking the beach at night watching turtle nesting behavior. Eating with my family and planting a garden in their property and helping them get some ecotourism to help pay some bills and deter turtle egg poaching. I ended up making a family for life there in Panama.

I've been out of the country before. To Belize, countries around Europe, and Puerto Rico. When I first learned I was going to a turtle camp in the middle of Mexico, I was ecstatic. I knew it was going to be a culture shock, but never would I imagine the opportunity to not just change my life, but have a greater respect for these marine reptiles and the people in Mexico. The research I did was temperature profiles down the beautiful beach of Mayto to determine how the temperatures affected the embryos in the hatchery. All the volunteers were more welcoming than the next and it made it into the most comfortable and free living environment. I learned about turtle conservation, Mexican cooking, and a deeper appreciation of working with others to improve the camp.

I chose to intern with La Universidad Autonoma de Baja Californina Sur in La Paz, Mexico for 3 months. Catherine met me at the airport, brought me to my new home and introduced me to the people I was going to be working with...who soon became my friends. The internship allowed me to help post-graduate and PhD students with their field and laboratory work (algea and sea turtle studies), as well as write an article to be published in their local scientific journal. Due to unforseen circumstances (a hurricane and school registrar strike), I wasn't able to work during the entire duration. Instead I helped a local university with the care of their sea horses and traveled to Cabo San Lucas to volunteer collecting and releasing sea turtle hatchlings. When I wanted feedback from the supervising professor on my article, I needed to be very persistant to get him to look at it closely. However, I was able to get more than enough feedback from the students working in the laboratory. My only wish is that I had more direction on how to construct the article (exactly what they were looking for it to cover) and for some of the passion to be translated into the Spanish version, which is easier said than done. All in all, this was an amazing experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. I have made some lifelong friends, great networking connections, and have some stories that I still share to this day. When I told Catherine that I wanted to go to California to look for work and conduct an informational interview, she helped me find businesses to apply to, and went above and beyond the call of duty. This is an amazing program that I would recommend to everyone interested.

The Science Exchange internship changed my perspective of biology research and fell in love with the ecology field. The thesis we write upon return helped me understand what it really takes to make it in the science field and prepared me for classes back at SDSU.