Language Requirement: None
Academic Standing by Program Start: Sophomore or above
Location: Americas, Ecuador
GPA: 2.5

Program Overview

20200225_SustainableGoals_ClimateAThe tropics, which occupy about seven percent of the Earth’s surface, contain the bulk of our biodiversity. Unfortunately, they are also the regions that are experiencing some of the highest rates of destruction. The destruction of tropical systems has many adverse consequences including drastic changes in regional and global climate patterns and loss of potentially important medicinal compounds and other useful products. There still exists an immense amount of knowledge to be gained from studying tropical ecosystems and a desperate need for more experts in the field of tropical biology. 

The Tropical Ecology Program consists of two 4-credit courses that offer students the chance to gain firsthand experience in studying key tropical ecosystems. These ecosystems include lowland rainforests, montane cloud forests, and the high-elevation shrublands of the Andes mountains (known as páramo). The first course, worth 4 graded credits, involves students in developing and conducting a research project in Ecuador. They will create presentations to share their findings with their peers. As part of this course, students will also learn how to maintain a daily 'field journal' to record observations and reflections. Additionally, a series of preparatory meetings will introduce students to the topics and organisms they will encounter in the field. The second course, which is ungraded (Pass/No Pass), provides hands-on experience in all the aforementioned ecosystems. This includes identifying organisms, practicing field research methods, and attending lectures conducted by an international team of biologists and naturalist guides.

See the program in action!

Check out all of the species our 'Tropical Ecology in Ecuador' alumni have observed here. 

Watch Professor Peter Wetherwax discuss the origins of the Biology Department’s Tropical Ecology Program.

 

Dates and Deadlines

 
TermYearDeadlineArrival DateDeparture Date
Summer202602/15/202606/14/202607/05/2026

This program has a rolling admission application process: GEO staff (and the program faculty leader, if applicable) will complete a review of the application materials of complete applications in the order that they are submitted (“first come, first serve”). Decisions about acceptance will be made shortly after you submit a complete application. Some programs fill fast, some even before the deadline. Students are encouraged to complete applications and commit to programs early.

Acceptance is based on a holistic review of your application.  This includes a review of your GPA, transcripts (including courses taken and in-progress), any additional requirements or prerequisites (see section "Additional Requirements"), and the short statement.

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Hear from Our Students

Waterfalls, Rainforests, and Research in Ecuador

Two people kayaking in a river in Ecuador.
Image If you are on the fence about studying abroad — go! I spent three weeks in the cloud forests, highlands, and rainforests of Ecuador and it… read more

Faculty-Led Scholarship Opportunity

Applicants to this program are eligible for program-specific scholarship funds. Award recipients are chosen based on academic merit, financial need, and overall quality of their essay. Individual awards range from $500-$1,500. To be considered, apply to the GEO General Scholarship by the advertised deadline for the term you will be abroad. Students who apply will automatically be considered for all available funding within the General Scholarship, including this program's scholarship funds.

Discount for Pell Recipients

To expand access to study abroad, GEO is offering a $500 discount for this program to UO students who currently have the Pell Grant as part of their federal financial aid (FAFSA).

Academic Details

In this program you will earn eight upper division BI credits. The program will include mandatory meetings beginning in the spring. All courses are part of the regular BI curriculum at the University of Oregon and fulfill several degree requirements. You can learn more and view syllabi by clicking "View all Courses" on the righthand side of the page. 

Course Equivalencies

UO students: please refer to the UO Course Equivalency Process and the UO Office of the Registrar Course Equivalency Database.

Non-UO students: Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad advisor for more information.

Additional Requirements

The academic standing of at least 25 credits by departure for UO students. Completion of UO BI 213 or 283H or equivalent by the end of spring term, or by approval of faculty leader. This program involves some significant hiking and outdoor activity, students should be in good physical condition to participate.

Faculty and Staff

This course will be led by Dr. Clifford Keller (Kip). Kip is a Research Scientist at the University of Oregon’s Institute of Neuroscience. His research focus at the UO is to understand how auditory systems allow animals to locate and identify sounds in complex auditory environments. Kip’s interest in comparing how different organisms solve similar sensory problems drives his comparative approach to teaching “Sensory Physiology” and “Systems Neuroscience” among other courses. Ever since his graduate work at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Kip’s fondest research interests focus on the weakly electric fish of the neotropics. These fish produce weak electric fields for communication and navigation and are closely related to the electric eel. Kip has studied and collected weakly electric fish first in the Venezuelan Llanos of the upper Orinoco River, then in Peru’s Parque Manu under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution with Drs. Mary Hagedorn and Hernan Ortega (where they discovered a new species, Sternarchorhynchus hagedornae!), and more recently in the Rio Negro and Rio Branco of Brazil with Dr José Gomes. Kip is hopeful of encountering several weakly electric fish species in Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park. When not in the lab, Kip enjoys rowing, biking, hiking and cross country skiing.

This course will be supported by Dr. Adrienne Keller. Adrienne is a Research Assistant Professor in the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science at Michigan Technological University and is affiliated with the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science. Her research focuses on enhancing our understanding of, and providing guidance for, effective and equitable land stewardship in the face of climate change and disturbance.  Collaborating with research scientists and land managers, Adrienne investigates how social-ecological factors interact with one another and with environmental changes to drive ecosystem functioning, such as carbon and nutrient cycling. Adrienne has always been particularly interested in neotropical forests, which she first explored as an undergraduate studying abroad in Ecuador. She then went on to conduct graduate research on plant-soil interactions in the wet lowland forests of Costa Rica. Adrienne grew up in Eugene, but now enjoys cross country skiing, biking, and other outdoor adventures in the Midwest when she’s not visiting Oregon to hang out with her young nieces.

Housing Description

While in Quito, you will stay in hotels. Other nights will be spent in shared dormitory-style rooms at remote research stations and lodges.  All meals are included in the program fee with the exception of four meals. You will enjoy meals as a group.  Vegetarian meals are available, but vegan meals are not always available.