Dr. Joseph Dirnberger
338 Science Building
(770) 423-6546
jdirnber@kennesaw.edu
Dr. Scott Reese
323 Science Building
(770) 423-6168
sreese@kennesaw.edu
“If the world had any ends,” Aldous Huxley wrote in 1934, Belize — then known as British Honduras—
“would certainly be one of them. It is not on the way from anywhere to anywhere else. It has no
strategic value. It is all but uninhabited.”
This hands-on field course will introduce students to various tropical marine ecosystems utilizing the
coast of Belize as its study site. The course will focus on the ecology of these systems as well as
examining environmental impacts and conservation efforts as they relate to the cultures and politics of
Belizean society. This is a course, not a tour, so our main objective in designing the mechanics of this
class is to get you to look closely, and to synthesize what you see!
LEARNING OUTCOMES
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Demonstrate a basic understanding of major marine ecosystems, especially coral reef,
seagrass, and mangrove systems.
Recognize important marine taxa.
Be familiar with basic natural history of important marine taxa
Develop critical thinking skills for explaining observed differences within and among
ecosystems visited during the trip.
Be able to assess the environmental impact of land use practices by various
cultures on marine ecosystems.
THINK SAFETY!:
We do not want anyone hurt.
Not only is this a bad thing in of itself, but
also, any disruption due to injury could result in postponement or cancellation of activities. For details,
go to
http://science.kennesaw.edu/%7Ejdirnber/MarBioBelize/ResourcesMarBioBelize.html/SafetyBelize.doc
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
7 May – 9 am to 1 pm - Lectures and group activities at KSU
 Introduction to course
 Checklist for travel / snorkeling equipment
 Safety overview
 Lectures
8 May - 9 am to 1 pm - Lecture and group activities at KSU
 Taxonomy quiz
 Lectures
9 May - 9 am to 1 pm
 Lectures
10 May – Day off
11 May – 9 am to 1 pm - Exam and a little bit more lecture
 Lecuture Exam
 Discussion on field journals and final papers
 Explanation of the group project
 Marine Conservation Issues
 Cultures of Belize
12 May – Meet at inside the middle doorway (D2) of the International Terminal (note
different directions than to Domestic terminals) at 7:30 am. Morning international
flight from Atlanta to Belize City. Then to Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, visit to
the Belize Zoo, and Kriol drumming and dance.
13 May – Breakfast. Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary river trip in morning. Lunch.
Catch the boat to Tobacco Caye.
14 May – Breakfast. Morning snorkel intro and workshop, gear fitting. Lunch.
Afternoon half-day boat excursion in the Tobacco Range. Return to Tobacco Caye
for journaling and dinner. Night snorkel from the dock on Tobacco Caye
(underwater lights provided).
15 May – Breakfast. Full day boat excursion in the South Water Caye Marine Reserve
with several snorkel stops. Picnic lunch on South Water Caye. Return to Tobacco
Caye in the late afternoon, journaling, dinner and overnight.
16 May – Breakfast. Half-day boat excursion. Return to Tobacco Caye for lunch.
Afternoon for local quantitative data sampling. Journaling and dinner, and
overnight on Tobacco Caye.
17 May – Breakfast. Half-day boat excursion. Return to Tobacco Caye for lunch.
Afternoon for local quantitative data sampling. Journaling and dinner, followed by a
lecture by TCMS managers. Overnight on Tobacco Caye.
18 May – Breakfast. Morning lecture by TCMS managers. Lunch. Afternoon for local
quantitative data sampling. Dinner and last overnight on Tobacco Caye.
19 May –Breakfast, then early departure by water taxi to Dangriga/ Belize City where
the Monkey Bay bus will meet group, load up gear and transfer to Belize
International Airport for return flight home.
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20 May – Discussion of final paper and presentation of individual projects at KSU
IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS
EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBERS:
Monkey Bay 24 hr on-site Manager: Fiona Martin (501) 662-8229
Monkey Bay Office: (501) 822-8032
MONKEY BAY STAFF CONTACTS:
Matt Miller: (501) 664-2731 (Belize) / 001 (770) 877-2648 (USA Cell)
Marga Miller: (501) 650-3888
Lincoln Wiltshire: (501) 600-2471
Rachelle Estephan: (501) 669-0893
Anna Brakeman: (501) 620-5198
INTERNATIONAL DIALING:
To dial direct from Belize use Access Code: 00 + Country Code + Area Code + Number To dial
direct from USA use Access Code: 011 + Country Code + Area Code + Number
Belize Country Code: 501 + Monkey Bay Area Code: 822 + Monkey Bay Number: 8032 USA
Country Code: 1
Example 1 : To call Monkey Bay from USA dial: 011+501+822+8032 Example 2 : To call number
in USA from Belize dial: 00+1+Area Code + Number
BELIZE EMERGENCY NUMBERS:
Belize Communication Services Ltd. (BCSL- radio service): (501) 822-2149
Belize Emergency Rescue Team (BERT): (501) 223-3292
Belmopan Hospital - Medical Emergency: (501) 822-2263/4
Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital: (501) 223 1548/1564/1593/1671/1639/5691
Belize Disaster and Relief Response Team: (501) 822-2800
U.S. Embassy – Belmopan City (501) 822-4011
U.S. Embassy 24 hr Emergency: 601-5030
Canadian Honorary Consul – Belize City: (501) 223-1060
Belize Police Emergency Hotline: 90/911
Mahogany Heights Police Station: (501) 802-8001
Belize Tourism Police Hotline: 0-800-878-0000
Tourism Police - Mahogany Heights Police Station: James Pascual (501) 634-1263
TAXONOMY (LAB) QUIZ
Students will take a quiz based on an on-line tutorial made available to students prior to the first day
of class. Go to http://science.kennesaw.edu/~sreese3/Marine%20Biology-Belize.html and click on
Identification Tutorial. The user name is “Marine” and the password is “Biology”.
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THE PRE-TRIP LECTURE QUIZ
The exam will cover major concepts discussed in lecture over the first four days at KSU. Because your
study time is short, most questions will come directly from a study guide that will be provided.
THE FIELD JOURNAL
Each student will keep a journal of his or her own experiences. More details will be provided on the
class website. The journal will contain:
 A record (through writing and drawing) of observations (both ecological and cultural) based on
your field experiences. The key to (and the purpose of) the field journal is to make careful
observations during our time in the field. These will be important in writing your research
paper.
 The observations and their interpretation from your individual project.
 A daily synthesis paragraph on physical and biological trends observed that day.
 A final synthesis section relating observations on cultural practices to potential and actual
environmental impacts on aquatic systems
 For detailed guidelines, go to:
http://science.kennesaw.edu/%7Ejdirnber/MarBioBelize/FieldJournalsInstruct.doc
You must keep this journal up to date on a daily basis. You will spend time before dinner each day
updating our journals, then together as a group after dinner discussing what we saw that day. Journals
will be due on Friday, June 12th
THE RESEARCH PAPER
The research paper will be based on the observations made in your journal and any data collected by
the class during the visit to Belize. In this paper you will describe and explain differences in
ecosystems (and within selected ecosystems) from inshore environments to the outer barrier reef as
these differences related to changes in the physical environment. You should incorporate concepts
from lectures and the literature on feeding strategies, abilities to cope with physical changes such as
wave stress, methods of dispersal, etc. to help explain distributions of organisms across these
gradients. You must cite at least three sources from referred journals. More details are provided on
the class website. For detailed guidelines, go to:
http://science.kennesaw.edu/%7Ejdirnber/MarBioBelize/FinalPaperGuidelines.doc
You will have extra time to prepare your final research paper beyond the maymester course. Each
section the paper (2) will be due on Wednesday over two consecutive weeks (June 3rd and 10th). You
must submit the paper electronically at turnitin.com.
The Class ID is “ 9884323”.
The
enrollment password is “Belize”.
INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS
On the final full-day on Tobacco Caye, you will be given time to go into the field and record in your
journals your observations on an organism (or set of organisms) of your choosing (e.g. frigate birds, a
benthic alga, a particular sea urchin, etc.). You might note behaviors, distribution patterns, variation in
coloration and morphology, etc. Record these observations in your journal. You will present the
patterns that emerge from your observations, and speculations on their causes, in a short oral
presentation/discussion on the final day of the course back at KSU.
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PARTICIPATION
Points for participation will be based on individual effort (including evening journal discussions), ability
to work with your team members, and punctuality and attendance. A sustained effort throughout the
course (including evenings) will be required from students. Points will be lost if consumption of alcohol
leads to any disruption to the progression of the course, or to any disturbance to other students,
faculty, or staff.
Individual effort and teamwork are critical to the success of this course!
CLASS WEB PAGE:
http://science.kennesaw.edu/~jdirnber/MarBioBelize
This will link you to lecture outlines and to other resources. While these outlines are detailed, they
are not complete lectures so take notes!
There is no required textbook for this course. However, links on the web page will direct you to
required readings.
GRADES:
Taxonomy quiz
Pre-trip lecture quiz
Journal
Research paper
Discussion on individual project
Participation and group work
50 pts
50 pts
75 pts
100 pts
25 pts
50 pts
350 pts
A= 90% ;
B=80%;
C= 70%;
D= 60%
PREREQUISITES:
Ecology (Biol 3370) or permission of the instructor.
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ACADEMIC POLICIES
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Safety must be a primary concern when in the field. You must review the safety guidelines
for this class located on the class webpage. No consumption of alcohol during scheduled
activities or the hours prior to scheduled activities. See class webpage for more details on
safety guidelines.
All rules and regulations in the Kennesaw State University Code of Conduct apply to all students
at all the time while studying abroad. Your instructors have the right to send you home at
your own expense for violating course or university policies.
Late papers will result in a 5% reduction per day.
Keep all of your returned, graded work (exams and lab reports). You must have these materials
if you decide to contest your final course grade.
Do not turn assignments in by e-mail or other electronic format. Hard copies only.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Any student with a documented disability or medical condition needing academic accommodations of
class-related activities or schedules must contact the instructor immediately. Written verification
from the KSU disAbled Student Support Services is required. No requirements exist that
accommodations be made prior to completion of this approved University documentation. All
discussions will remain confidential.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student code of Conduct, as
published in the Undergraduate and Graduate catalogs. Section II of the Student Code of Conduct
addresses the University’s policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism and
cheating, unauthorized access to University materials, misrepresentation/falsification of University
records or academic malicious/intentional misuses of computer facilities and/or services, and misuse of
student identification cards. Incidents of alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the
established procedures of the University Judiciary Program, which includes either an “Informal”
resolution by a faculty member, resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which
may subject a student to the Code of Conduct’s minimum one semester suspension requirement.
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