Education

Educational Opportunities

Types of programs

Regularly-offered university programs for learning about the rainforest at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station as well as other ecosystems in Ecuador range from a few weeks to a full semester. We can also work with you to design specialized workshops (i.e. birding, medicinal plants, etc.) according to the interests of your group. Development of short courses to be based at TBS for high school or college level students by scientists/instructors is welcome. We do expect learning to be a major component of any visit to TBS.

The University of North Carolina at Wilmington

The program called Tropical Ecology was originated with the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 1988 as an opportunity for students to come into contact with a broad variety of tropical biomes and includes an extended visit to TBS. This summer course (taught in English) lasts approximately five weeks and is worth 6 semester credits of senior level ecology. Tropical Ecology puts the student in direct contact with ecosystems from the Andean highlands (2-4 days) to coastal dry forest (4-5 days) along with the shallow marine environment and the Amazon rainforest at Tiputini (about 2 weeks). Contact for enrollment is either through UNCW or USFQ. A more detailed syllabus is available upon request.

Boston University Tropical Ecology Program

The most extensive program that is partially based at Tiputini is the Ecuador Tropical Ecology Program which is a full semester developed in conjunction with Boston University. The BUTEP (Boston University Tropical Ecology Program) is actually a series of four senior level courses in ecology and environmental science that is worth 16 credits. The program begins in Quito with a short intensive course in Spanish (2 more credits) while we study the surrounding ecosystems (Tropical Montane Ecology) from paramo (1-2 days in the field) to Andean forest (1 day) down through cloud forest (2-3 days in the field). Next, we move on to Tropical Coastal Ecology and a visit to the central Ecuadorian coast in the area of Machalilla National Park to study the coastal dry forest, various shoreline habitats and the shallow marine environment (about 1.5 weeks in the field). This course continues with a one-week excursion through the Galapagos Islands. Afterward, there comes a course in Tropical Rainforest Ecology that includes the unique opportunity to spend one full month at TBS for a real immersion into this ecosystem. The BUTEP is a project-oriented program and the last course, “Studies in Tropical Ecology,” is carried out at the USFQ campus in Quito and involves formal presentations based on data collected during the time in the field. This program is offered both during Fall and Spring semesters and is taught in English.