Iowa State animal ecology professor William Franklin takes students thousands of miles south for spring break.

The trip to Belize is actually a two-credit field seminar on tropical coral reef ecology offered through the university.

“I wanted to give students an opportunity to learn about tropical forests and coral reefs … firsthand,” Franklin said.

He said 15 to 21 people from a variety of majors go each year.

Kelly Swanson, junior in zoology who went on the trip two years ago, said the students spent much of their time scuba diving or snorkeling. She said she took scuba diving lessons at ISU to become certified, while other students just snorkeled.

The students experienced Belize firsthand by sleeping outside in tents.

“We stayed in the rain forest the first three nights,” Swanson said.

One of the highlights for Swanson was “taking our baths in the river.”

Students on the trip also studied tropical ecology and spent a day with indigenous people who played marimbas for them.

“That was definitely the most fun 10 days of my life,” Swanson said.

Franklin said the class will meet every other week during fall semester to talk about plans, papers and articles. Then over spring break it will go to Belize to learn about the “unsurpassed bio-diversity of contrasting tropical ecosystems.”

The group will go to the Mayan ruins in Guatemala, then to southern Belize where they will stay by a fresh-water, 85-degree stream and its connecting azure pools — which Franklin said are ideal for night swimming.

The final part of the trip will take students by the marine barrier reef, where they will scuba dive and snorkel.

Students participating in the seminar also are required to prepare a presentation beforehand and present it to the group during the trip.

Franklin’s group this year will be the third group that has gone to Belize.

“Other past field seminars have been to kayaking in the Apostle Island, backpacking with llamas near Glacier National Park, canoeing on the Rio Grande river in Big Bend National Park … each with a theme of learning about the area we were visiting, each with direct participatory learning, each with students giving seminars,” Franklin said.

The class will cost about $2,100.

For students interested in the field seminar, a meeting will be held Wednesday night at 7 in the first-floor lobby of Science II.