Research Experiences for Undergraduates: Natural History of a West Indian Herpetofauna

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Avila College proposes a series of exciting summer programs annually providing nine undergraduates with research experiences in tropical studies. Participants will learn and develop skills by interacting with faculty as they work on projects dealing with herpetological communities on Hispaniola. To foster student development, a 3-phase program is planned: orientation -- introducing students to research methodology and ecological studies in the West Indies; apprenticeship- developing skills; and individual research -- resulting in publication-quality reports. Seminars on research and graduate studies are included to facilitate applications of acquired knowledge and skills to participants' future academic pursuits. Presentations will be made by scientists in both the United States and Dominican Republic. Evaluation will be by participants, their academic advisors, and one outside faculty member not involved directly with the program. This program is designed to induce participants to favorably consider graduate studies and to increase the likelihood of their choosing careers in science. The faculty will "coach" students, instilling a vision of research by explaining the rules and delivering a feeling of the excitement that comes with addressing hypothesis-driven questions with conceptual orientations. A focus on frog and lizard communities provides opportunities to apply theories and methods widely used in ecological research while working with organisms that are abundant, accessible, and remarkably well and visibly adapted to their environment. Investigations will address aspects of niche dimensions and/or conservation issues. Students may choose projects within these topics or develop investigations of their own, including, but not limited to, physiological or ethological studies of selected taxa.