summer session II

Turks & Caicos Islands

Marine Megafauna

At A Glance

04 Weeks | 04 Credits
Summer 2023

Jul 7 - Aug 6

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Prerequisites

None

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Marine Megafauna

South Caicos Island

Spend your summer studying sharks, turtles, and rays in the waters surrounding the island of South Caicos. In this specialized course, you’ll learn about the ecology and conservation of these and other marine megafauna through in-water field lectures, snorkel or dive sessions, and video tracking exercises.

  • Deploy Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations (BRUVS) and collect video footage of sharks and other predators to analyze species abundance and diversity inside and outside protected areas.
  • PADI SCUBA certifications are available on this program. Learn more here.

Application deadlines:
Summer 2 – April 15
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Program Costs & Financial Aid

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‌Academics

This academically rigorous program follows a six-day/week schedule. The interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to help students actively discover and understand the complexities of environmental, social, and economic issues in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Read more about the SFS program model.

Major academic themes include:

  • Marine ecology and conservation
  • Climate change and ocean acidification
  • Marine species population health
  • Large fauna behavior and tracking
  • Marine protected areas

Courses

On the Marine Megafauna program, you will take one 4-credit course. This course is participatory in nature and is designed to foster inquiry and active learning combining lectures, field exercises, assignments, and tests. This course is taught in English.

Click on each course to view a description and download the syllabus

SFS 3131 Marine Megafauna Ecology and Conservation 4 credits

Core Skills

You will gain practical skills in the field such as: GIS use and applications, tag/recapture, marine population monitoring, habitat and biodiversity assessment, underwater video surveys, use of the I3S suite of programs to identify individual animals based on their natural markings, snorkel and scuba skills, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, and PADI Open Water Diver certification (offered at an additional cost, upon request).

Field Sites

You will visit different ecosystems and communities which may include coral reefs, mangrove islands, seagrass beds, fishing communities, carbonate platform flats, coastal ecosystems, beaches, marine protected areas, and numerous shallow-water snorkeling sites.

Resources

A summer with SFS!

Take back-to-back summer sessions and get the hands-on learning and skill-building experiences of an internship, while also going off the beaten path and exploring the world. Each summer session focuses on a different topic, and you’ll have time to travel independently between sessions.

RECOMMENDED PROGRAM COMBO
Fundamentals of Marine Conservation (Turks & Caicos Summer I)
Marsupials of Australia (Australia Summer II)

Check it out
All program components are subject to change.

‌Where You'll Be Living

The Center is a small converted hotel overlooking the crystalline waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Spectacular sunsets, open-air facilities, warm sunshine, and a refreshing ocean breeze define this marine field station. A five-minute walk brings you to the small, historic town of Cockburn Harbour, where students and faculty frequently engage in community activities.

  • Dorm living in 4-6 person bunkrooms
  • Small, open campus with direct access to the ocean
  • Air-conditioned classroom and computer lab
  • Open-air dining space, and on-site cooking staff
  • Dock, dive shack, and small fleet of research boats
  • Volleyball, hammocks, and swimming pool overlooking the ocean
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