The Galápagos Science Center, Ecuador

Description of Elective Experience

This opportunity will allow clinical year veterinary students to experience a unique, equatorial archipelago and much of its natural history and cultural offerings.  The Galápagos Science Center (GSC) will serve as the base of operations.  Dr. Gregory Lewbart, who has worked at the facility 25 separate times, will be the program leader and guide, assisted by Dr. Diane Deresienski. Local and visiting scientists will assist him.  Lectures, laboratory sessions, and learning excursions will cover a wide variety of zoological and medical topics dealing with native invertebrates, fishes, reptiles, birds, and mammals. 

 

Institutional and Educational Resources - staffing, equipment, etc.

The NC State team will work closely with the staff of the Galápagos Science Center (GSC) and the Galápagos National Park (PNG). Drs. Lewbart and Deresienski, assisted by the GSC staff, will make all travel, lodging, and board arrangements during our stays in Guayaquil, Quito and in the Galápagos.  Here is a link to the GSC, a partnership initiative, between the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and the University of San Francisco in Quito (USFQ): http://galapagosscience.org/

Learning Outcomes: What You Will Learn

  • Understand techniques of safe capture, restraint, physical examinations, and how to obtain diagnostic samples from multiple species including sea turtles, marine iguanas, sea lions, fishes, and marine invertebrates.
  • Describe the main anatomical and physiological attributes of the species listed above.
  • Understand the main health challenges, both natural and anthropogenic, to the species listed above.
  • Explain the logistics involved with permits and protocols necessary to sample protected species in a foreign country.
  • Describe the challenges of practicing veterinary medicine with restricted resources and support.
  • Describe the benefits and drawbacks of living and working on small, sparsely inhabited islands, where tourism is a key economic driver. 
Student Responsibilities - what is expected of students in terms of hours, days of the week, shadowing or actual support?

For 3 days we will work in field and laboratory doing research and collecting data for approximately 10 hours each day.  Students are heavily engaged with hands on work and responsibilities. The other 3 full days will be more leisurely with excursions to important natural history, cultural, and wildlife locations in the Galápagos archipelago.

Supervisor
Gregory A. Lewbart MS, VMD, DACZM, DECZM (ZHM)
Contact email
Address

Avenida Alsacio Northia S/N
200101
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
Ecuador

Animal Type
Practice or Institution Type
Is student housing available?
Yes
Hours of supervision by a licensed veterinarian per week
40-plus
Global engagement opportunity
Yes
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