Program Reviews

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.

The best part of the internship is the finding an actual sea turtle and seeing how they nest. It is a rewarding feeling to find a nest because it gives us a chance to save their eggs and increase the turtles survival rates. Another great opportunity was the various events we took part in to spread sea turtle awareness and the importance of conservation to the local kids of the community in Costa Rica. Something bad that happened daily was the lack of available water to shower and more importantly, to drink. The plumbing and overall housing unit could have used some major repair because often time the electricity and water would be out for days.Of course these things are difficult to avoid in the rain forest.Nevertheless, the experience always left for great stories to be told, and the bottom line is that I was there for the turtles and their eggs. I learned so much both as a science student and as an individual. I also took in the entire culture and beauty of Costa Rica.

Pros -

- One lump sum covers all costs of travel and lodging (minus food and entertainment)
- equipment was purchased for me so I had almost everything I needed when I got there
- Made great friends with other volunteers
- Katherine Comer Santos (KCS)was quick, helpful, and responds quickly to e-mails
- KCS was patient in teaching me how to use the equipment and carrying out my methods
- Centro Ecologico Akumal(CEA)staff was hospitalble and friendly.
- CEA trains their volunteers well and encourages volunteers to educate tourists about the local marine environment
- Support through writing thesis
- Encouragement to publish findings
- CEA rooms were spacious
- CEA allowed overnight visitors for minimal costs
- I learned more than I ever thought I would about sea turtles.

Cons
- I wish I was sent to a place where people spoke more English other than the tourists.
- I would have liked to get there earlier in the season to witness more nesting for a better sample size, but that was mostly a financial issue on my part
- Walking the terrain on the beach was very tough and I wish I was aware how difficult this was going to be as I asked ahead of time how difficult it would be knowing I was soon to be listed on the Double Lung Transplant List.

Interning with the science exchange was one of the most amazing experiences. Living on the beautiful beach of Akumal, Mexico with like-minded people, saving sea turtles was priceless. I arrived in Cancun not knowing what to expect but the experience surpassed my expectations. I spent every day on the beach, snorkeling, and swimming with young sea turtles. I spent the nights patrolling the beaches, watching the females lay their eggs, and marking the nests. Seeing the newly hatched sea turtles coming out of their nest was the highlight of my internship. After I returned to San Diego, my mentor guided and helped me analyze my data and write my paper for which I received an A. I highly recommend interning with the science exchange.

My experience happened in Costa Rica on an isolated beach called Playa Caletas. The experience I had during the two months I was there was one that brought me knowledge about myself, my passions, nature, environmentalism, appreciation and peace. Living directly on the beach without electricity, running water, and proper roofs may not be an ideal living situation for everyone, but for me that is what made my experience. counting plastic, executing night patrols, and building the turtle hatchery consumed my days and were the activities that taught me about all things outside of myself. Free time enabled me to draw, think, walk and reflect on one of the world's most deserted beaches. I wouldn't have traded my experience for anything.

What to expect, do, and scientific goals were all well understood, before departing the U.S. Once on sceen found several challenges to data collection, but support staff was very accomidating. Day to day was data analysis, and adjustments/preperation as well as down time (swimming, exploring) during day. Night was data collection. Overall experience was very good, had a lot of fun, while gaining vaulable experience for my career.