Day 3: Project Time

This morning all students awoke to a peaceful morning in the tropical rain-forest that was relatively calm compared to the usual chirping of birds and numerous amounts of insects in the background. The beautiful scenery captures your eyes the moment one steps out of the cozy cabins. The students mingle among each other learning more new and interesting things such as what each person likes or what it is like in their respective cities. Breakfast soon comes to mind as we made our way down the road to the cafeteria near the processing plant. The native food is phenomenal, unlike any standard American breakfast one has ever had. Through more chatting each student develops a greater bond with their fellow members. Afterwards the day became science intensive. While there may have been no field work today their was much more to do involving the experiments we will be working on throughout the week. In specific my group,Team Indeciso (which is quite the oxymoron actually) using the scientific method to aid us in our decision making. Our question we decided upon to research and perform our experiment upon was, "How would the Leaf cutter ants react if we were to move their Queen?" This question we took into greater detail going into the background of why we came up with such a question, the hypothesis, predictions, and the experimental design making sure to note our variables and controls. We presented our materials in front of the other students, teachers, and scientists Abraham and Pinto. Abraham and Pinto I respect very much and looked up to them for as much help as possible as their are well respected individuals in their respective fields. After we finished our presentation they helped formulate our ideas into more finished products. Both insanely beneficial and full of quality is trip was the correct move for any person even somewhat interested in science. Getting this real world experience is something I will hold onto when applying for colleges and later on for when I apply for jobs. In between this time we as students get a decent amount of free time in which we explore the land of Costa Rica.

- John Hughes