Students explore evolutionary marvels during a journey to the Galápagos Islands
Fifteen undergraduate students spent their spring break in the living laboratory of Charles Darwin.
“This is an opportunity for students from all backgrounds and majors to experience the marvels of the Galápagos,” said Ignacio Moore, professor in the Virginia Tech’s Department of Biological Sciences. “For the natural science majors, this can be the culmination of their studies where they can experience what they have read and learned about. For the other majors, this is a chance to learn about the natural sciences and to share their knowledge with the rest of the class.”
Moore served as the faculty guide on the students’ week-long trip to the rugged islands in the Pacific Ocean, alongside Bill Hopkins of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The Galápagos are known for inspiring Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species,” which was published in 1859.
Both affiliates of the Global Change Center in the Fralin Life Sciences Institutes, Hopkins and Moore have been leading undergraduate study abroad courses to South America for over a decade, but their last three trips have been to the Galápagos.
“Even though we have been running these courses for years, we always have unique encounters and life-changing moments that make each trip extra memorable for the students and for us,” Hopkins said.
For Max Nootbaar, the Galápagos proved to be a paradise of biodiversity and ecological wonder. Nootbaar, an avid birdwatcher, was specifically captivated by his observations of the finches of the Galápagos.
“They've only existed for a couple million years, which in evolutionary time is very short,” said Nootbaar, a senior studying wildlife conservation. “It was really cool to see this crazy diversity of finches that evolved and radiated from a common ancestor that found its way to this volcanic island chain out in the middle of the Pacific.”
Likewise, Sophia Detrick, a sophomore in biological sciences, said the trip helped her understanding of conservation and environmental stewardship.
“Literally everything you do is directly going to affect something in one shape or form,” she said. “I'm realizing that my actions and what I do can directly affect the environment and conservation efforts.”
Detrick and Nootbaar both said they found inspiration in the innovative conservation efforts they witnessed and gained insights into the intricate relationship between humans and their natural environment.
“The culture here is not something that you can really replicate,” Detrick said. “Yes, I'm focusing on evolution and ecology, but a massive part of the experience was related to people and how they live there.”
In particular, a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station where Detrick met with Ainhoa Nieto Claudin, a scientist working to save a diversity of native fauna on the Galápagos islands, gave her a glimpse into the parallels between their research.
“Seeing her working in a lab behind the scenes reminded me a lot of what I was doing as a lab assistant studying genetics and cell division. My experience at the Darwin Station helped me realize that what I could do with genetic work could be crucial in conservation,” said Detrick.
Nootbaar, who visited several Galápagos giant tortoise breeding facilities, shared that these experiences solidified his desire to study and best conserve imperiled species.
“A lot of the species in the Galápagos are understudied and imperiled because islands are one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. They're especially threatened by things like climate change and human activities. Seeing this firsthand solidified my desire to study understudied and imperiled species to learn more about them and how we can conserve them.”
As for Detrick, Nootbaar, and their peers, the semester-long course and spring break adventure was more than just a trip — it was a transformative experience that reaffirmed their passion for understanding and protecting the wonders of the planet.
“Studying abroad connects theory to practice through unique and powerful experiences, bringing students to a deeper understanding of their connectedness to the world, and their place in it, in ways that no other activity can, and promotes development of the skills needed to thrive in a diversity of contexts," said Theresa Johansson, director of Virginia Tech's Global Education Office. "This, in turn, can have a remarkable impact on students’ lives and careers. I do not doubt the student's experiences will likewise continue to benefit and impact them throughout their future careers."
“I think the beauty of genetics and microbiology is that it can be coupled with just about any other field like medicine, public health, and wildlife conservation,” said Detrick. “There are endless possibilities and I'm excited to see what new research efforts come out of the Galápagos in the years to come. And maybe one day my line of work will take me back there again.”
Written by Michaella O'Brien
