Abstract: Tropical Biology: An Ecological Approach is an intensive graduate field research experience that has been offered by the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) for the past 60 years. A significant percentage of the tropical biologists of the Americas have passed through this OTS foundational course, the core of which consists of an intensive daily field research cycle in a tropical setting, repeated over a six to eight week period. OTS courses are exclusively collegiate. Beginning in 1995 I designed and implemented a curriculum to extend the OTS approach to field education to advanced high school students. I stretched the timeline of each research cycle from one day (OTS) to two weeks, during which time students did bibliographic research, developed hypotheses, carried out field investigations, analyzed data, and made verbal and written presentations. Field trips in secondary schools are not uncommon, but commitment to a field centered secondary curriculum is a major challenge, in my experience justified by student enthusiasm and engagement. I will be discussing the details of this adaptation, the challenges confronting secondary teachers who might wish to emulate it, and potential choices that might be made to adapt the curriculum to many budgets, schedules, and administrative frameworks on the secondary level. The value of field study to student experience and outcomes is supported by a considerable literature and contributes profoundly to students’ excitement, engagement, and long-term connection with nature.
