What if you took a biology class and instead of dissecting rats in a laboratory, you got to observe kangaroos in their native habitat, or went snorkeling on a coral reef off the coast of Central America?

While laboratory classes are a long way from being obsolete, international field trips are now a reality for students at Iowa State.

The International Field Trips in Biology program was started in 1996.

It was created to offer students in the biological sciences a chance to study biology in places which are renowned for their biological interest, said Dr. Warren Dolphin, professor of zoology at ISU and a founder of the program.

By enrolling in the program, students earn credit in Biology 394 and travel for a few weeks to international sites of great biological significance, according International Field Trips in Biology program pamphlet.

Biology 394 is an “umbrella course,” said Dolphin, who has led trips to Australia and Costa Rica in the last 13 months.

The class allows faculty members in the biological sciences to design unique trips to various locations around the world.

Trips have been taken to Kenya, Costa Rica, Australia and the Galapagos Islands.

“It was probably one of the best experiences I have ever had in college,” Corey Roosevelt, a senior in biology, said.

Through the program, Roosevelt had the opportunity to spend time in Australia.

“I definitely would recommend international travel.

“And I think college is a great time to do that because you are freer than you are ever going to be,” Roosevelt said.

Dolphin said it is recommended that students have a year of biology course work before enrolling in the program.

“One of the things we are trying to do is emphasize the professional biological aspects here rather than just the vacation aspects,” Dolphin said.

“Certainly, you are in new areas and you are seeing new things. It is like a vacation, but there is a heck of a lot of learning that is going on as well,” he said.

To enroll in the program, students need to fill out an application.

About 20 students are chosen for each field trip.

The students who are accepted to the program then sign up for the course.

“It is not just a matter of seeing it in the catalog and signing up for it,” Dolphin said.

The course usually involves a semester-long seminar (Biology 394A) prior to the actual trip (Biology 394B), Dolphin said.

Roosevelt said the weekly seminars were worthwhile because they introduced students to each other.

He said the seminars also prepare students for what they would be seeing and studying on their trips.

Spring Break Biology

Typically, field trips leave during semester breaks and following graduation in May, Dolphin said.

Some students stay in the countries they are visiting after the scheduled activities for the course are complete, Dolphin said.

Prices of the trips vary depending on the length of the trip and the countries to be visited.

Dolphin said the prices for the trips range from about $1,600 to $3,500.

The prices pay for everything except snacks and souvenirs, Dolphin said.

Because the field trips are offered as a course in biology, students can pay for them with financial aid.

In addition, scholarships for international study are offered through the Study Abroad Office in 5 Hamilton Hall.

Dolphin said the trips have a relatively low cost, because often students stay at research facilities and universities rather than at hotels.

“It was a little expensive, I suppose, for your average college student,” Roosevelt said.

“But for all the things we did, there is no way I could ever have spent three weeks traveling in Australia on the budget that we had,” Roosevelt said.

Next year’s field trips will be announced next week in biology classes at ISU.

A trip to Roatan Island off the coast of Honduras for marine biology is being planned for Spring Break of 1998, Dolphin said.

In May of 1998, a trip to Kenya and a trip to Australia will be offered.

A trip to Antarctica in December of 1998 is also being planned.

Applications will be accepted starting next week and continuing through late October to December, depending on the trip, Dolphin said.

There is a waiting list for students if, for some reason, a student must drop out, Dolphin said.

However, plans need to be made ahead of time, he said.

Students are asked to give a deposit which they may not get back if they drop out.

A Great Way to Study

Biology 394 counts toward a biology major and has been approved as meeting the international diversity requirement, Dolphin said.

“I would encourage students to sign up,” said Brittany Goodenow, a junior in botany who went to Costa Rica in the spring of 1997. “You get a two-week trip and three credits for a very reasonable price,” she said.

“We got to see a lot of the real Costa Rica, not just the beaches like a lot of people do. It was a really cool experience,” she said.

More information on the international field trips can be found on the Iowa State Biology homepage (http://www.biology.iastate.edu).