Into the Puma's Den: Directed Research

The semester is coming to an end and we are starting the final segment of academic studies. The last three weeks are completely dedicated to our directed research project. The 31 of us broke up into 4 groups, each with one of the professors, to develop a project, collect data, and write a paper.

Ellie tagging and measuring the
diameter of the trees!

I chose to study with Achim, our Natural Resource Management professor and one of the most interesting guys I've ever met. Our project was to study the overall biodiversity and carbon storage capacity of a forest fragment in the Atenas area. We were a group of 8 students and we delved into topics ranging from aboveground carbon storage and soil organic carbon storage to the influence of surrounding forests on certain coffee farms. The overall project is a continuation of a study started in 2008 that has been exploring conventional and organic coffee farms and forest fragments. We were lucky enough to get to spend the week collecting data in a beautiful secondary forest located near a huge coffee plantation.

Before heading out for our first visit of the study site, Achim warned us to be careful of all the usual things: steep terrain, snakes, spiders, etc. We were'nt expecting what he was about to say next! Apparently the forest was home to a large cat that had been bothering the surrounding community for a few years. The puma was rumored to have killed an eaten a few dogs as well as a horse! Naturally, we were even more excited to get into the forest and start our work!

Leslie and I measurin diameter and height

Unlike the other groups who traveled to different parts of Costa Rica for their DR, we got to stay on campus! Hot food and a comfortable bed were perfect after the long days hiking through the thick jungle that was our study site. Each day we would leave by 7:30am and get to work tagging, measuring and identifying trees as well as taking soil and leaf litter samples. We got to know the forest better than any forest I've been in before.

After the field work, we spend a week analyzing our data and writing our papers. I can confidently say I've used more statistics in that week than in my whole academic life. Our papers are due 4 days after the end of data collection and a presentation and poster are due only a couple days after that. Stressful and busy, we powered through our last days of work this semester.
But as we finish, we are also getting closer to the time we have to say goodbye and leave the center and Costa Rica!