Belize: Mayan Culture and the Interface Between Tropical Rainforests and Coral Reefs
WT2010: January 6 - 16, 2010
BSCI 279M (2 credits)
Belize is a subtropical country situated on the East Coast of Central America in the heart of the Caribbean Basin. It borders Mexico to the North and Guatemala to the west. On the east is the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Belize has a 174-mile coastline that is home to the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. The coast mangroves constitute an excellent habitat for birds, fish, shellfish and marine organisms. Belize is also graced with tropical forests, mountains and superior agricultural land.
The Mayan history in Belize is extremely rich. With more than 600 Mayan cities, Belize is the center of the ancient Mayan world and an active participant in the Mundo Maya program.
Students will visit archeological digs, study the architectural phenomena of various Mayan temples, visit tropical rainforests in the Jaguar reservoir, navigate and sample the Sittee River and surrounding floodplain, visit mangrove forests at the junction of the Sittee River and the Caribbean and snorkel the reefs and islands in the barrier reef system.
Accommodations
Participants will stay at Hotel Mopan in Belize City during the Mayan Ruins section of the trip. The remainder of the time will be spent in cabins at the Wee Wee Caye Marine Station.
Faculty and Staff
Dr. Reid Compton is the Director of the Life Sciences Program in College Park Scholars. Dr. Compton holds an undergraduate degree in Biology from the College of William and Mary, and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Virginia. After postdoctoral work at the Fox Chase Cancer Center and Princeton University, he was a faculty member in Anatomy and Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine for several years.
At the University of Maryland, Dr. Compton has been Director of Undergraduate Studies in Biology since 1997, an active participant in the Life Sciences Scholars Program since 2002, and a member of the College Undergraduate Program Committee since its inception. He has distinguished himself in the classroom in courses in Cell Biology and Physiology and Mammalian Histology. He was the first recipient of the Provost's Faculty Advisor of the Year Award.
Dr. Lee Hellman, emeritus professor of Entomology and former Scholars program director. Dr. Hellman's main interests are the ecology of tropical rainforests and agro-ecosystems. He has traveled extensively in Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Australia, Africa, and South and Central America. Dr.Hellman has led students on trips to Belize for eight consecutive years.
For questions about the application, registration and pre-departure logistics, please contact Becky Zonies Kenemuth or the Study Abroad Office.