Costa Rica Primatology Program Accepting Applications

Undergraduates at Humboldt State have more experience than most when it comes to studying in the forest, but this summer 22 students will take that experience to a whole new level.
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The Anthropology Department at HSU is currently accepting applications to its rigorous, Costa Rica Primate Field Program. The three-week, nine-unit summer program is open to all students. Summer 2011 marks the third year of the Primate Field Program.

Students admitted to the program will immerse themselves in Costa Rican culture, including music, art and verbal traditions, in order to study the country from an anthropological viewpoint.

In addition, students will spend hours hiking in the 3,900 acre La Selva tropical wet forest, scouring over 700 species of trees for the chance to study the ecology and behavior of capuchin, howler and spider monkeys.

Professor Mary Glenn, who runs the department’s Biological Anthropology Research Laboratory, is the course instructor for the program. She says fieldwork is key for anthropology students to build their experience, but also to discover their own passions.

“It’s really important for anthropology majors to get hands on experience, especially if they’re going to grad school,” Glenn says. “It really gives them an edge up. It also helps them see and learn about the area of anthropology they’re interested in.”

The Anthropology Department encourages all interested students to apply by the February 11, 2011 deadline.

More information on the program can be found at the program’s website, http://www.humboldt.edu/costaricaprimate/index.html, and applications can be downloaded at http://www.humboldt.edu/costaricaprimate/application.html.