Field Courses
Since its opening in 1971, the Gerace Research Centre has provided facilities for teaching field courses on San Salvador. Each year, more than 1200 students from over 80 colleges, universities, and educational organizations participate in Archaeology, Biology, Geology, and Marine Science field courses.
While participation in most of these courses requires an affiliation with the sponsoring organization, there are also several independent field courses that are taught each year and open to the public. Information on these courses can be found below:
Terra Science and Education:
Island Ecology in the Bahamas
A Teacher-Directed Field Study for Students
A Professional Development Program
After the success of our first workshop, Terra Science and Education is planning to conduct another one-week teacher's workshop at the Gerace Research Centre to expose high school educators to the process of developing and running an international field class. This program will again be taught by George Wolfe who has over 40 years of experience bringing high school students to the island of San Salvador. Terra Science and Education will cover all your logistic needs for future classes. So if you are interested in setting up your own international class at your school, please join us for the next workshop! For more information, please use the link below:
https://terraed.org/bahamas.html/
Broadreach Marine Biology Program
Every summer, Broadreach International offers a college-accredited program for middle school and high school students at the Gerace Research Centre. Through SCUBA diving, snorkeling, and classroom instruction students explore topics including biodiversity, coral bleaching, and marine conservation. For additional information, please visit: Broadreach Marine Biology Accredited
Taphonomic and Ecological Processes in Tropical Environments
Summer Field Course in Graduate Research
TBD (rescheduling due to covid-19)
Instructors:
Michal Kowalewski, University of Florida (kowalewski@ufl.edu)
Troy A. Dexter, Gerace Research Centre (troy.dexter@ub.edu.bs)
Overview: This 5-week course will focus on graduate-level research in taphonomy and ecology of late Quaternary to Recent environments of San Salvador Island (the Bahamas), including both marine and terrestrial settings. Each student participant will lead an independent project based on field, experimental, or laboratory data. The instructors will assist students, both logistically and intellectually, in developing projects that can generate publishable quality data. San Salvador field sites and laboratory facilities offer opportunities for conducting topically diverse projects from experimental ecology and taphonomy to Quaternary paleoecology and biosedimentary processes.
Where: Gerace Research Centre, located on San Salvador Island, one of the outermost of a chain of some 700 islands that comprise the Commonwealth of the Bahamas
Who: Students interested in taphonomy, paleoecology, marine ecology, carbonate deposystems, reef paleoecology, coastal environments (both marine and terrestrial), and Quaternary paleoenvironments are particularly encouraged to apply. The course is aimed at graduate students who aspire to develop strong research portfolios. Advanced undergraduate students interested in research-oriented careers are also encouraged to apply. Students from all countries are eligible for admission.
Application Process: Please submit (1) one completed application form and (2) your most up-to-date Curriculum Vitae to kowalewski@ufl.edu. One reference letter should be emailed separately by an academic advisor. The application is due on Feb 1, 2020. Maximum enrollment: 16. The application form can be downloaded using the link below. Please contact instructors if you have any questions regarding the course or the application process.
Fees and Anticipated Expenses: The course fee is anticipated to be $2500 per student and will cover (1) lodging and all meals, (2) access to all facilities at the research centre, (3) transportation to and from field sites around the island, and (4) instructional and advising activities. The fee also includes travel insurance for the duration of the course. The fee does not include transportation to San Salvador ($800 to $1000 from the mainland USA). The total anticipated cost per student is expected to be around $3300-$3500 per student.
Given more expensive airfare for non-US flights, the total cost is likely to be higher for international students. Students are encouraged to apply for financial aids/scholarships at their home institutions.
Please use the following link to download the application:
NOTE: Additional financial aid may be available from the course organizers. For details see the application form.