Native American and Pacific Islander
Research Experiences (NAPIRE) Program

June 2 - July 28, 2008

What is the program like?	Why work at Las Cruces Biological Station?
What are the program requirements?	Who can apply?
What does the award cover?	What are the program dates?
Application Instructions	More information
Mentors	FAQ's

With funding from the National Science Foundation, the OTS NAPIRE program provides a unique, intensive opportunity for field research to undergraduate students from the United States and the Pacific Islands.

What is the program like?

The NAPIRE Program is designed to introduce Native American and Pacific Islander undergraduate students to the biodiversity of the tropics. As part of the program, students will complete a field project, including experimental design, data gathering, and analysis and presentation of results, in collaboration with fellow students and a research mentor. Students will experience the process of applying the scientific method to ecological inquiry and discovery in a collaborative and team-oriented environment. In addition to completing a research project, students will participate in lectures, seminars and field activities that focus on tropical ecology and conservation. Participants will also have the opportunity to interact with indigenous groups of Central America, allowing a first-hand look at the role of Native Peoples in tropical forest conservation. Each student will be assigned a Research Mentor who will assist them with their independent project as well as provide support throughout the research experience. Two faculty coordinators and a teaching assistant will lead the program, which will be primarily based at Las Cruces Biological Station, with visits to other sites in Costa Rica.

Why work at Las Cruces Biological Station?

A mid-elevation site located near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, Las Cruces provides excellent opportunities for research in fragmentation biology and restoration ecology. Extending through an elevational range of 1,120 to 1,385 meters, Las Cruces encompass 235 hectares of premontane rain forest. The grounds surrounding the buildings have 8 hectares of cultivated collections and 4 hectares of fallow and experimental plots. A further 30 hectares of land, known as Melisa's Meadow, was a large pasture that was recently restored to young secondary forest using a variety of restoration treatments. The region has been undergoing conversion to coffee plantations since the mid-50s, resulting in extensive patches of forest fragments running along the ridges and bordering streams, including a patchwork of forest remnants extending from Las Cruces along the Paraguas Ridge to the Guaymi Indian Reservation, some 15 kilometers away. Courses and researchers working out of the Station can take advantage of these ready-made experimental sites for studies in conservation biology. An onsite GIS laboratory can provide regional geographic data as well as aerial and landsat images over the last 40 years.

The station serves as the principal center in the region for teaching, research, and on-site public education. The Wilson Hall comfortably accommodates course groups with sleeping and study quarters, and a new dining room situated a short distance away can serve three meals a day to 80 or more persons. Spacious lab space is outfitted with basic equipment, including dissecting and compound microscopes, balances, centrifuges, plant and soil drying ovens, and a leaf-area meter.

What are the program prerequisites?

The NAPIRE Program is open to biology students with a demonstrated interest in field ecology. Native American and Pacific Islander students are strongly encouraged to apply. As part of the application process, students designate the OTS program mentors with whom they wish to work. Student research interests should correspond closely to those of the preferred mentor, as all field projects will be designed in agreement with the mentors research interests and expertise. Please visit the Mentor List to find out which researchers and what projects are available. Students must also identify an on-campus mentor at their home institution that will support their preparation for the program and assist them in incorporating their research experience into the rest of their academic career after their return from Costa Rica.

Who can apply?

U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents who are undergraduate students enrolled in accredited institutions in the United States may apply to the program. Incoming freshmen and graduating seniors are not eligible.

Strong preference is given to students who are AMP students at LSAMP institutions. LSAMP is the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, a National Science Foundation (NSF) program that was designed to foster achievement in minority students seeking degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The goal has been to increase the number of minority students who pursue STEM majors; as well as to increase the number who complete baccalaureate and doctoral in STEM degrees and, ultimately, pursue a career in academia. A list of Native American-serving LSAMP schools can be found at the All Nations LSAMP website. To apply, students must complete the REU application, including 2 letters of recommendation (one from your designated on-campus mentor), official transcripts from universities attended, and a statement of research interests.

What does the award cover?

What are the program dates?

The program begins on June 2 and ends July 28, 2008. Students will be in residence at Las Cruces Biological Station during the eight-week research experience, with some travel to other sites included.

What is the application deadline?

For the 2008 summer program, the application deadline is March 1, 2008. All complete applications must be received by this date in order to be considered for the program. All applicants must send an official hard copy of their transcript.

Application Instructions (click here)
The application materials will include academic transcripts, a written statement of research interests, and two letters of recommendation, including one from a department faculty member who is willing to serve as on-campus mentor for the applicant. The on-campus mentor should be designated by the student at the time of application. This person will serve as a the primary contact for the student and is expected to provide support for student throughout the program, including application and selection, preparation for study abroad, and processing of the experience upon return home.

More information

For more information, please contact the Program Coordinator Dr. Doug Eifler via email at deifler@HASKELL.edu or via phone at (785) 749-8414.