Summer Program: Coral Reefs Issues

This is a New College of Florida five-week study abroad course in Honduras taught by Dr. Sandra Gilchrist.

Reef environments provide the opportunity to understand how the land and ocean environments are connected. Students will learn about general ecology of reefs. They will engage in projects that use underwater photography and field collection techniques. They will be stationed at Cayos Cochinos, a part of a reef reserve area. Students can choose from projects focused on areas such as coral disease, octopus behavior and distribution, crustacean behavior, and invertebrate distribution.

The course will not be focusing on fish biology, though it will talk about different fish as a part of the system. Students will learn to identify a minimum of 25 reef invertebrates by sight, learn about the ecology and geology of the Bay Islands reef system, fundamentals of underwater photography, and how to design and carry out a field project. 

Program Dates

Course runs from 6/26/23 – 7/28/23.

Weeks 1 and 5 are taught via online course delivery. Weeks 2-4 are spent on site in Honduras. Students should expect a 40-hour-per-week commitment. The course may be taken for credit or audit (no credit).

Registration Information

New College Students – register using the Course Request System (CRS) through NewCLEIS (NCF login required).

If you’re an eligible student and currently enrolled in NCF’s undergraduate degree-seeking program, you may enroll in summer courses for audit or for credit, with a designation of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory; no written evaluation will be provided.

Students from Other Colleges or High Schools, and Community Members — apply here.

Summer courses can be taken for graded credit or for audit. If you are from another college, please remember to secure approval from your home institution for any course you would like to apply toward your degree requirements.

If you are a high school student, please note that NCF courses are not designed to fulfill high school dual enrollment credit requirements, and that parental approval is required if you are under the age of 18.

In addition to registering for the course, all participants must submit some important forms and documents here.

Program Info

Weeks 1 and 5 are taught via online course delivery. Weeks 2-4 are spent on site in Honduras. Students should expect a 40-hour-per-week commitment. The course may be taken for credit or audit (no credit).

Credits: This course is four semester credit hours or one New College of Florida unit. The course counts toward the 31 required units and other relevant requirements of New College students. Since It is not an Independent Study Project or part of a contract, this summer class does not count toward the minimum requirement of 7 contracts.

Housing/Meals: Please contact Dr. Gilchrist at [email protected] or 941-487-4597 as soon as possible for housing fee and housing refund information.

Transportation: Students must arrange for their transportation to Honduras and contact Dr. Gilchrist for information on how to meet as a group.

Cost: In addition to tuition, students must pay for their transportation to Honduras as well as housing/facility with meals (about $2,500).

It is recommended that students purchase international travel insurance that provides coverage in case of sickness or accident overseas, as well as medical evacuation and repatriation, as the College assumes no liability nor responsibility for our sponsored Summer Programs participants.