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

阿维拉学院每年提供一系列令人兴奋的暑期课程，为九名本科生提供热带研究的研究经验。参与者将通过与教师互动来学习和发展技能，因为他们在伊斯帕尼奥拉岛上处理爬虫群落的项目。为了促进学生的发展，计划实施一个分三个阶段的方案：定向-向学生介绍西印度群岛的研究方法和生态研究;学徒-发展技能;个人研究-编写出版质量报告。课程亦包括研究及研究生课程研讨会，以协助学员将所学知识及技能应用于日后的学术追求。 美国和多米尼加共和国的科学家将作专题介绍。评估将由参与者，他们的学术顾问，和一个外部教师不直接参与该计划。 该计划旨在诱导参与者积极考虑研究生学习，并增加他们选择科学职业的可能性。教师将“指导”学生，通过解释规则和提供一种兴奋的感觉来解决假设驱动的问题与概念方向灌输研究的愿景。 对青蛙和蜥蜴群落的关注提供了应用生态研究中广泛使用的理论和方法的机会，同时与丰富，可访问，非常好和明显适应其环境的生物一起工作。调查将涉及生态位的各个方面和/或保护问题。学生可以在这些主题中选择项目或开发自己的调查，包括但不限于对所选分类群的生理学或行为学研究。

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.