2017 Trip

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3 Students Return for Turtle Research

Three Trinity students return to Costa Rica to participate in ongoing sea turtle research. They are traveling from Jan 6th to the 9th to work with professors from Purdue University, Drexel University and members of The Leatherback Trust's Goldring Marine Biology Research Station. These young men will be helping the scientist with nesting Eastern Pacific Green Turtles (aka: Black Sea Turtle).

Scott Graehler, Sam Roth, and Jacob Sedgwick

Wish them luck as they continue their journey in Costa Rica.

Mr. Heintz

The Perfect Ending To A Wonderful Trip

Day 10 was a perfect ending to a wonderful trip, (science, research, and the culture of Costa Rica). We began our day with a long hike through the dry forest of Horizontes Research Station. Our guide, Julio, was an excellent source of information as we made our way through the thorny brush and muddy trails. When we finally arrived back at the dorms, we got to see a large troop of monkeys in the trees. After lunch, we took off for an afternoon in the sun, surf, and BBQ on the beach.

 view from the observation tower

 view from the observation tower

 hike with Julio

 monkeys

 our beach from above

our beach from above

 Trinity boys having fun

The remote beach, only used by locals, is several kilometers long with white sand and clear blue water. The students spent all afternoon playing in the surf before eating skewered beef, chicken, and pineapple (slow cooked over a pit fire). Nothing but the best for a job well done.

Thanks to all those that made this trip possible. Pablo y Ana, John Doleman, our guides, cooks, drivers (shout out to Felix and Ecolife Tours Costa Rica) and especially the parents for allowing your son to participate with us. THANKS.

We are leaving tomorrow morning and will be arriving in Louisville around 11:40pm tomorrow night. I look forward to seeing everyone at the arrival terminal.

Flight DL 2491 07JUN2016 Depart ATL1021P  Arrive SDF 1140P
DEPART: ( ATL ) Atlanta Ga ARRIVE: ( SDF ) Louisville Ky

Thanks,
Mr. Heintz

Blog for June 5th, 2016

       After some awesome presentations the night before, breakfast was pushed back until eight o'clock. We all caught up on some well deserved sleep and had some delicious rice and beans with fresh papaya. We said goodbye and thanked  Pinto, Juan and Ibrahim. Then we departed from Finca La Anita at around 9:30. It felt good to be done with our research and have presentable information but Finca La Anita will be missed.

       Trinity  students rode in a big white van from Finca La Anita to a place called Horizontes. The ride was extremely interesting because of all the mountain ranges, different ecosystems and quite a few villages and towns. We got to see a lot of Costa Rica and all that it had to offer. The ride was a little bit bumpy but after about 3 hours we arrived to Horizontes.

     Once we arrived at Horizontes we had a quick lunch after settling in to our new rooms. The rooms are a bit different from the ones at Finca La Anita. There are 4-6 students in each room, and the rooms are complete with bunk beds and a small shelf. They are definitely not as nice as Finca La Anita's but were are still very grateful to have somewhere to sleep.

      After lunch we headed over to the class room to listen to a presentation by Horizontes director, Vanessa. It was a very interesting and informative presentation about Horizontes' research and conservation efforts. After her presentation Mr. Doleman had a small presentation of his own. He talked about the decline in creativity caused by the school system and consequently the decline of Americans that choose to be scientists or engineers. He then told us about the Acacia tree and psuedomyrmex ants that are completely dependent on each other. We were then sent out into the field to see if we could find out why. We noticed the ants live inside the trees thorns and feed of the tree. In return they defend the tree against predators, in this case it was us! After this we sat back down and listened to a presentation about sea turtles by Dr. Nathan Robinson who is part of the leather back foundation.

  After dinner, we were all geared up and ready to go find a sea turtle. We left Horizontes at about 7:30 and arrived at the beach at 8:05. When we got to the beach we split into groups and set up a "base camp" with blankets and towels. One or two groups would walk down the beach while the other groups rested. We would switch about every 30-40 minutes. Unfortunately we did not see any turtles. It was still a great night as the sky was extremely clear and the stars were shining very brightly. It was very nice to just sit on the beach and listen to the waves crash. We left to beach around midnight and we all got to bed as soon as we got back.

By: Jake Sedgwick


 

Day 8... Sensoria and Research Presentations

It’s been a crazy few days, but yesterday may have been the craziest. We journeyed up to a resort called Sensoria in the middle of the rainforest. To get there, we had to drive through bumpy roads in the wilderness for an hour and a half. Needless to say, the drive was exhausting, mostly because it felt like riding a small boat in a hurricane. It was fun too though, because the combination of headphones, great music, friends, and scenery distracted us from the jolts. We stopped, had lunch, and drove again.

 

When we finally arrived at the resort, it didn’t take long for us to get on the trails and out towards our mystery destinations. Most used the restroom, applied some bugspray, and were off. The hike wasn’t nearly as bad as the one we experienced early this week, mostly due to the presence of stairs and the lack of a muddy slope with a 45 degree angle (if you can’t tell, I’m still bitter over that hike).

The first destination greeted us with a massive roar of rushing water. We stepped down into a secluded enclave right next to a jungle stream, and in the enclave was a huge waterfall. It was 30, maybe 40 feet tall, and sprinkled anyone facing it with a fine layer of mist. I was mesmerized. I stood watching it so long that the mist had drenched me as surely as if I’d been swimming by the time I stepped away.

The next destination was a swimming hole downstream of the waterfall. Now, I didn’t get in it, because I didn’t want to get wet, but everyone’s insistent screeches about the water temperature being basically subzero let me know I made the right choice.

We then went to a swimming hole further up the main path. I didn’t want to swim, but I finally got in- and this one was a bit warmer. The water felt like heaven, and was incredibly clear. The boys all had fun roughhousing. Despite the joy of that one, our guides had saved the best for last.

The final swimming hole was a hot spring. I’ve never felt such a beautiful sensation. It felt like swimming in the nectar of the gods, like I was lounging in ambrosia. The hot spring was just amazing. We relaxed, wrestled a little, and then went back to the resort to eat some cookies and dry off. I changed into dry clothes and relaxed as best as I could on the bumpy car ride. I was so exhausted that I went through our science presentations on autopilot.

Side note: Olivia Simpson, Jacob Steele, and yours truly achieved success on our experiment! Our hypothesis was proven through extensive testing.

By: Jacob Romines

Last night was an extremely successful evening as each of the student groups presented their research projects. Mrs. Bohannon, Dr. Pinto, Juan, Ibrahim, Pablo y Ana, the other teachers, and myself were very impressed with how much they learned about planning, organizing, and executing a research project. Over the coming days, I will upload their research presentations for everyone to view. You should be very proud of their accomplishments.

We would also like to invite everyone to come see our students present their findings on Thursday, June 23^rd, at 7pm in Convocation Hall. Don’t miss a great time… and don’t miss a sample of Finca La Anita Chocolate.

Thanks,

Mr. Heintz

Swimming at Sensoria

Great Looking Group

Ecolife Tours Costa Rica

Want to see more pictures of the Trinity Costa Rica Trip for 06/03/16? 

Go to Facebook and search for "Ecolife Tours Costa Rica". Felix, our extra-special tour guide, has taken some great pictures of us horseback riding in the rainforest and ziplining in the cloud forest. Thanks Felix!

Fun without the sun

Fun without the sun

Today Trinity took a trip that none of us expected. It was a wet and wild ride.  To star the day off right we had the normal eggs, rice, and beans. After that we continued on our research for our projects. Some of the projects consist of leaf cutter ants, Frogs,and or even Lizards. When it was time we split from our groups and eat a meal with just our trinity brothers. This meal was one of the most American meals we have had through out this week. We had hamburgers and plantain chips. This was when the storms began. After lunch we departed on one of our non science fun trips. I know it's not possible for there to be a "non science" fun trip, but this was an exception. After another car trip with our favorite drivers Felix and John, we reached our first destination, Canopy. This was a zip-lining place where you went through several areas around the jungle zip-lining with professionals. Some people were scared (Mr. Heintz and Ms. Bohannon), but in the end they all conquered their fears and finished out the course strong. After we left the canopy, we began to drive to the horse ranch. We had to wait about an hour to let the downpour of rain lighten up. Let's just say, we all felt great after an hour nap. Hopped on some horses and walked a big trail. Seeing Costa Rica from a horse's back is a very cool experience. This place has been cooler than expected and starting to dread the end. Although, we do miss the flat American roads and the sidewalks.

Today was a breeze,
we wore shirtsleeves.
We went zip-lining
and it felt like sky-diving.

We got some horses,
and road the courses.
We stayed out awhile,
and it felt like a mile.

Published by: Joey Stickler and Anthony Farias

The Nuptial Flight

Today and yesterday we saw the queen ants start their colonies. Once a year something called the nuptial flight accrues when a queen ant and a male ant fly up into the air. After the queen gets what she needs from the male, she come back down to the ground and digs around a foot underground while the male ant dies from exhaustion. Once she's done digging she lays her fungus and starts  a new colony! Here's a video on what it looks like when a queen ant starts her colony.    

Its raining its pouring, Science so isn't boring

Day six, for some groups, began with an optional early morning search in the field for each group's needed research materials (Ants, fungus gardens, frogs, and/or lizards). When breakfast time came, we all rushed to the cafe ready to devour some food. Pancakes, eggs, and sausage were prepared and just like all the previous breakfast meals, it was absolutely delicious. After breakfast, each group met in the classroom to discuss the plans for the day. To our luck there was a Nuptal Flight, which is a once-a-year occurrence where the queens and male ants fly up and mate in the air, so we had the amazing opportunity to examine the new queens and dead males in the classroom as well. Additionally, we were able to see the smallest cockroaches in the world because they ride on the queens' back during the Nuptal Flight, which is a very rare and fortunate sighting.  From here, Sr. Pinto asked each group if they needed to do lab work, field work, or both and each group was separated based on their needs of research. Some groups went to the lab to prepare petri dishes, swab frogs, or look at bacteria under the microscope, while other went to the field to collect Atta Cephalotes ant colonies, frogs, and/or lizards. We researched until roughly 11:30 AM before it was time for lunch.


<--Smallest cockroach in the world


     

 <-- The new queens that were collected after the Nuptal Flight.

Lunch, yet again, was wonderful. It consisted of chicken and vegetables, plantain chips and a rice, cheese, and vegetable casserole. After lunch, each group continued their research either in the lab or in the field, for we need to acquire as much data as possible to prepare for our presentations on Saturday night. We were granted a churro and coffee break at approximately 3:45 PM to rest our minds and prepare us for a final run of research before dinner. The coffee here is incredible and has been enjoyed by us all, even those who would not typically prefer coffee. The research process has been a lot of work, but a lot of fun as well.

                    - - Lexington Catholic and Trinity students performing lab work

          After the relaxing break we had to get back to work. For many it was collecting more field samples, and the rest collected data and made many observations. It had been raining on and off all day and started up just as we started working.



                                                                       Rain

                                                      Rain sounds like footsteps
                                             The drops pierce the sky like daggers
                                                      It falls soft like feathers  

                                                                      

  

                   

Day 6: Research day

Day six, like all of the previous days, began with a delicious breakfast consisting of pancakes, sausage, eggs, fruit, and yogurt. Before breakfast, however, each research group had the option to go out to the field to gather their necessary materials (ants, frogs, lizards, fungi, etc.)

Best Classroom Ever!

These students are utilizing the outdoor space to plan their experiment and decide how to collect their data. 

The view is inspiring, the science is engaging, and the experience is life changing.

This is just one of 8 different groups trying to solve a problem. Some of the groups are working with leaf cutter ant pheromones, some with leaf cutter ant natural repellents, others are diagnosing and culturing deadly frog bacteria. Come to our presentation on June 23rd to find out more about all the group research projects. 

By: Mr. Heintz

In Costa Rica, Science Comes To Your Door

Good Morning,

When we gathered this morning, we were very surprised to discover our ant colonies (Atta cepholates) underwent a nuptial flight. The light on our classroom attracted the ants and we were able to observe thousands of male and females (queens) coming down from 1000+ feet. The males and females mate in flight and the males (exhausted) come down to die. The females, carrying a fungus garden pellet, will start a new colony.

We also got to observe the smallest cockroach in the world. The Attaphila fungicola lives in the fungus garden disguised as an ant (by releasing the same pheromone). This is very rare to be observed and almost never during a nupual flight. Isn't science cool!

With all the new queens available, students collected and will be conducting experiments with their existing fungus gardens.

As Ibrahim (one of our excellent instructors) says: "In Costa Rica, science comes to your door."

By: Mr. Heintz

Day 5 Community Service, Cooking Classes and Frog Hunts

Greetings from Costa Rica

Here we all learned how to make a Costa Rican dinner, the dinner consisted of chicken, flour tortillas named pitas, Pinto Gallo (beans and rice), salad, Costa Rican cheese, juice and for desert ice-cream.

  

Above you can see the salad we ate for dinner at the restaurant where we learned how to make authentic Costa Rican cuisine.

Here a student named Anthony was taking skin samples from a frog 't get to test for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis more commonly known as BD, this is a virus that infects frogs and can end up killing them.

As you can see today was filled to the brim with service in the morning, research in the afternoon, cooking instruction in the evening and then finally individual research at night where our groups (Tres Amigos and the Frizards) hunted for specimens such as cane toads and pond frogs to help us complete our experimentsy.

In the morning we traveled into town to help some lady's weed their garden and paint posts so that they looked nicer, I thought this was a good way to spend our morning seeing as the community has received us so well and treated us with respect. This was just one way to help a community that needed some help. I thought it was a good way to spend our morning and I don't think it was bad for anyone to put back what the get out every day. The research portion of the day was well spent and productive for my group and many other groups as well I believe. The cooking classes that we took in the evening really showed us how much it takes to prepare each meal for our group and how to make very good food. At night the individual research combined with the frog hunts made for a very fun and busy night, while we didn't get all of what we needed it was still a very successful night and I enjoyed every bit of it.

Farewell and see you soon from Costa Rica

           Signed Edward Asseff and Harrison Graft                

Men of Faith and Character

"Only a life lived in the service of others is worth living." Albert Einstein

Before our students blog about their exciting day, I would like to share how proud we are of these young men. Today we spent 2 hours pulling weeds and painting fences in the center of Colonia Libertad, a small town of less than 200 people. The students were helping the local women improve and maintain the town craft shop and community garden. This is an important part of the local economy and a source of pride for the ladies that live and work here. Our young men, and the students of Lexington Catholic, worked very hard today to made a difference in lives of others. A great example of Catholic Education and service to others. 

Way to go Trinity Rocks!

By: Mr. Heintz