Elephant internship

This is raw video of me visiting on of my biology interns at work.
Just another day at the office for Dr. Terdal.....

HelmZar zipline

This video clip shows a student in our "Summer Academy" on one of the many ziplines at the HelmZar challenge course.

Dr. Terdal snorkeling in Belize

Here I am pointing out corals for my "Coral Reef Zoology" course while snorkeling in the Hol Chan marine reserve in Belize.
For more photos, see http://picasaweb.google.com/drterdal/CoralReef2009

Earthquake rattles Belize

An earthquake off the coast of Honduras shook Belize early this morning.
The United State Geological Survey has details here:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009heak.php#details
News reports do not indicate any damage to the areas where we will travel next month, but apparently it was felt there.

No H1N1 flu in Belize

Belize is still on the shrinking list of North and Central American countries with no documented cases of H1N1 "swine flu." Tests on possible cases have so far all come back negative.
Here is a recent news story from Belize's leading newspaper:
http://www.amandala.com.bz/index.php?id=8578

Airfares keep dropping!

Here is the best I've seen on kayak.com. There are lots of other airfare websites you should check as well before purchasing, as well as your favorite local travel agent. 

The price is $458. I have not used Delta, but my understanding is that Delta includes Belize taxes as well as U.S. taxes (as with Continental but not American). Of course you should check this before purchasing, as all of the airlines change their terms regularly. 

The NSU in-state tiuition waiver would defray about 2/3 of this cost. That is pretty cool! 

Depart – Sun Jun 21 2009
	Delta   Flight 5456	Departs: 7:50a  Tulsa (TUL)		Arrives: 10:55a  Hartsfield- Jackson (ATL)
	Coach  | Fare code: TSL01  | Canadair Regional Jet (Regional Jet )  | 2h 05m  | 672 miles  | 9+ seats remain
	Layover in Atlanta, GA (ATL) for 0h 40m
	Delta   Flight 665	Departs: 11:35a  Hartsfield- Jackson (ATL)		Arrives: 12:40p  Philip S.W.Goldson (BZE)
	Coach  | Fare code: TSL01  | McDonnell Douglas MD88 (Narrow-body Jet)  | 3h 05m  | 1138 miles  | 9+ seats remain

Return – Mon Jun 29 2009
	Delta   Flight 5890	Departs: 1:26p  Philip S.W.Goldson (BZE)		Arrives: 6:28p  Hartsfield- Jackson (ATL)
	Coach  | Fare code: TSL01  | Canadair Regional Jet 900 (Regional Jet )  | 3h 02m  | 1138 miles  | 9+ seats remain
	Layover in Atlanta, GA (ATL) for 2h 07m
	Delta   Flight 5277	Departs: 8:35p  Hartsfield- Jackson (ATL)		Arrives: 9:42p  Tulsa (TUL)
	Coach  | Fare code: TSL01  | Canadair Regional Jet (Regional Jet )  | 2h 07m  | 60% on time   | 672 miles  | 9+ seats remain

Tuition waiver!

Northeastern State University recognizes the value of international experiences for our students. NSU also realizes that the economy is tough right now and that many students who would like to travel abroad are having difficulty budgeting for it. To assist such students, NSU is offering to waive in-state Summer tuition for three credit hours for students in BIOL 3413 and/or ZOOL 4403 who go to Belize on the optional field trip this Summer. In exchange, students who go on the field trip will be required to "blog" about their learning experiences and make the blog accessible to NSU for promotional purposes.
This tutition waiver is worth about $321! That is about half of your travel costs.
As always, let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

News story on airfares to Belize

This press release covers the recent and precipitous drop in arifares to Belize for this Summer:
http://news.cheapflights.com/airlines/2009/04/discounts-on-american-airlines-flights-to-belize.html

Stayed tuned here for an upcoming offer from NSU that will save you even more!

Airfares go down!

The world-wide recession is hurting many people around the world--including those in the travel industry. We can take advantage of that, and help stimulate the world's economy.

As a case in point, airfares to Belize have gone way down in recent weeks. When I started planning for this Summer's field season, airfares were nearly $800. I bought my tickets when they dipped below $700. I bought too soon. Tickets are now a little over $500. 

Example for a flight leaving Tulsa on June 20 and returning June 29: 

	$533select		Continental	TUL  6:20a    BZE  11:26a	BZE  10:26a TUL  6:07p	(5h 06m)1 (5h 41m)1

If you are ready to purchase, I think this is a good time. Please check with me in advance for tips and tricks (e.g., Continental includes taxes paid to both the U.S. and Belize, while American only includes U.S. taxes, leaving you to pay ~$40 upon departure from Belize). 

Enrolling in Belize courses

To enroll in the Belize classes, you need to know the ZAP numbers. They are on page 28 of the Summer schedule, and not under the headings for the regular summer classes. This makes them easy to miss.
Here they are:
BIOL 3413 Environmental Problems ZAP = 0168

ZOOL 4043 Coral Reef Zoology ZAP = 0419

You use the same ZAP numbers whether or not you are going to Belize. If you are enrolling in both courses, you need to enroll in both. Classes start June 8 and end July 30, whether or not you are going to Belize. No portion of either course is held on campus or in Oklahoma, so you can take these courses no matter where you will be this summer. You just need a reliable internet connection. In Belize, you will use inexpensive internet cafes, or you can bring a WiFi laptop.

Belize summer classes

I have made a flyer describing my two summer classes that include an optional field trip to Belize. 

Note that these are online classes. You do not have to be in Oklahoma at anytime for these classes, whether or not you join us on the optional field trip. 

As always, post a comment if you have a question, or send me an email. 

I plan to offer "Coral Reef Zoology" this summer as a biology elective class. The theory will be presented online. Students will have choices about their term paper project. One choice will be SCUBA diving the world's second-longest barrier reef ecosystem in Belize, Central America. This is a photo of me doing just that earlier this month. If you are interested, please get in touch with me soon so we can begin planning.