Skip to Main Content

News

Marine Biology 2023 Begins!

May 04 2023

Ten students arrived on Tuesday, ready to begin class on Wednesday morning! We started the day with breakfast together and orientation to the course, then we loaded our equipment on the boat and headed to the Bight. The Bight is a protected mudflat dominated by the seagrass Thalassia testudinum. We also observed the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopeia xamachana and several species of green macroalgae. We spent most of our time just getting used to snorkeling and conducting research in a marine environment! After supper together, we were sitting at the edge of the water observing some small fish when we were surprised to see a nurse shark and then a moray eel. It has been a good beginning and we are looking forward to more exploration of this unique marine ecosystem.

  • What Mindo Taught Me to See

    Since being stationed in the town of Mindo for my service portion of SST, I’ve noticed a big cultural difference between U.S. Mennonites and Ecuadorian “Mindo-nites” – pun intended 🙂 approaches to life. There’s a palpable sense of serenity and…

  • Photo of pink flowers on a tree

    A Day in the Life: Working on a Flower Farm

    For my service, I work in Cayambe with an organization called FACE. Under FACE there are other organizations; Casa Hogar, Sumak, Centro Medico Emmanuel, and Forever Flowers. They work together to help break the cycle of abuse and neglect in…

  • Where Art Meets History

    While being in Ecuador, I’ve noticed how people value their history. It was so impressive and inspiring to see how much they know about their history. They’re not afraid to share it, even through their art. During my first weekend…