By Giovanni Torres ’14

During the fall semester of 2011 I was fortunate enough to attend the Duke University Marine Lab (DUML) in Beaufort, North Carolina and it was an amazing experience. The Marine Lab is on its own island with constant access to the surrounding estuary and the marine life within it. Field experiences and studies were done weekly and included both daytime and nighttime experiments. I was also able to do an independent research project with one of the world’s leading experts on deep sea hydrothermal vents, Dr. Cindy Van Dover, on Scale Worms. While at DUML, during the fall break, a small group of us went to Panama to study ecology on both the Pacific and the Atlantic sides of the country.

Research docks outside the dorms at DUML

Atop of the Ancon Hill overlooking Panama City

The class at the Goethals Memorial outside the Panama Canal Administration Building