Spring break in the Cayman Islands conducting research in one of the worlds’ most unique ecosystems while earning course credits? That’s a class worth taking.
Instructor Stephen Glaholt’s E482 course, “Coral Reef Restoration & Conservation,” includes a Spring Break trip to the Cayman Islands where students learn about and conduct their own research at the Central Caribbean Marine Institute, which works to study and preserve the natural ecosystems present in the Cayman Islands with a focus on coral reefs and coral restoration. Emma Campolattara, a junior studying environmental management at O’Neill, heard from a friend about the unique course, and after hearing how research-heavy and academic-focused the trip would be, she knew it was for her.
The students conducted various research projects alongside the CCMI teams. Campolattara and her partner began a research proposal weeks before the trip aiming to look at the biodiversity of mollusks in tide pools, including methodology and other aspects of a research proposal. She also learned more about sustainable living.
“Being an environmental student, I try to live sustainably,” Campolattara said. “But I think that being a part of a community for that week, being in a small island country where resources are very limited, what you have is very valuable. Getting perspective on the value of resources was very interesting.”
IUPUI student Megan Hill was interested in a study abroad program during the spring and was pointed to the O’Neill Cayman Islands program, which matched her environmental interests. She attended classes online throughout the semester and met up with fellow students from Bloomington when it was time to go to the Caribbean.
Hill’s project consisted of studying the queen conch, which is significant to the area’s economy and biodiversity. Hill looked at the success of protective zones established for the queen conch compared to the unprotected hunting zones by measuring adult and juvenile populations.
Hill discovered that protective zones were more effective at preserving the species but found fewer juvenile queen conches than adults overall, a troubling sign for the species. Additionally, she was limited to studying in shallow water, which could impact the results of the research. Luckily, Hill said the project will continue long-term at CCMI.
“I am so glad I did this,” Hill said. “It gave me a lot of confidence in creating my own research project in the field by hand, and I gained that as a skill through that experience. It was an exciting way to get out of the classroom, and I experienced a lot.”
Campolattara didn’t think she would be able to study abroad in college due to financial constraints, but the O’Neill course allowed her to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“The fact I was able to go with help from the O’Neill International scholarship program and the Hutton Honors [College]—what other time in your life will you be paid to go out of the country and have this experience?” Campolattara said. “You’re with your peers, not ones you necessarily know but ones of similar age and interest. There’s really no other time in your life you can do this kind of thing.”
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