I am going on a Seeds of Change (SoC) Tropical Science Field Research Immersion Program this summer! This is a 10-day trip, from July 31 to August 9, 2019, into the Rincon Rainforest of north-central Costa Rica.
The Seeds of Change Tropical Science Field Research Immersion Program has been underway for the past 8 years. It’s goal is to immerse high school students into real-world tropical rainforest research. The program is affiliated with the Leaf Cutter ant research being done by Dr. Cameron Currie, a world-famous tropical researcher at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Dr. Adrian Pinto of the University of Costa Rica. Dr. Pinto is a former student of Dr. Currie who now heads the Research Center for Microscopic Structures at the University of Costa Rica.
Leafcutter ants are known as the ultimate superorganism achieving unbelievable accomplishments beyond the human race. They produce antibiotics to protect their colony that remains effective for 50 million years. Our pharmaceutical industry antibiotics remain effective for only three to five generations before pathogens evolve around them and they become ineffective. These ants have proven to be unusually rich in topics fueling new research initiatives ranging from new drug compounds to biofuels.
My lead teacher and chaperone for this trip is Lauren Borer of Naturally Curious Education, who also teaches at Planet Homeschool, Eastman Nature Center, and Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve.
The trip is amazing but expensive. It’s $3650/student includes airfares, lodging, food, transportation, off-site adventures, airport taxes, and research equipment used and consumed by the students.
SoC has a fundraising program to help students like me fund their trip. I am selling Costa Rica Finca La Anita Dota Mountain Coffee to raise money.
The highest-grown commercial coffee in the world, this coffee is grown at 1500 to 2000 meters (4900 to 6600 feet) on the slopes of the volcano chain extending south from Finca La Anita. It was judged “Best in the World” at the 2001 Specialty Coffee Association trade show in San Francisco. But it’s not just delicious, it also provides a livelihood for 700 families.
Finca La Anita is also where I will be going for this tropical science field research immersion program.
The coffee comes in 300-gram bags (10.6 ounces) in regular roast or dark roast, whole bean or fresh ground and sells for $12/bag.
I have created an online ordering form:
Thank you for helping me get to Costa Rica!
Here is a brief article about a trip: “Bugging out in Costa Rica,” by Amber Kispert-Smith in Woodbury Bulletin.
SoC Intro with Student Perspective (a student’s perspective on the trip):
Credit where credit is due: Almost all this text comes word-for-word from the Seeds of Change (SoC) brochure about this incredible experience.