Location:

Caribbean, Caribbean

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Summer

Program Overview

Program Description:

The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to sustain the biodiversity of coral reefs through research and education. The CCMI recently built the Little Cayman Research Centre, the Caribbean’s newest tropical field station, where you will participate in ecosystem monitoring and coral reef research as part of your program.

You will spend your days in the field before gathering in the evenings for lectures and to discuss your findings. Under the direction of a principal investigator, you will master coral identification and other advanced marine biological techniques. At the same time you’ll be helping the CCMI in its collection of long-term data that may shed light on the causes of recent catastrophic declines in coral reef systems experienced on Little Cayman and throughout the Caribbean.

You will receive 4 credits upon completion of this program.

Setting Description:

The Cayman Islands were first “discovered” by Christopher Columbus, and are now a British dependency. Situated in the western Caribbean, south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica, they are in fact the exposed, flattened tips of a subsea mountain range known as the Cayman Ridge. The Cayman Ridge rises 25,000 feet from the bed of the Caribbean Sea—just high enough to break the surface and provide the spectacular shallow and wall diving for which the islands are renowned. The Cayman Islands are one of the world’s centers of marine research and conservation, offering remarkable biodiversity both in and out of the water. They consist of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, which is of course the smallest. Despite its relative lack of size—it’s a mere 10 miles long by one mile wide—Little Cayman has superb diving at Bloody Bay Wall and Jackson’s Bight.

Cost:

Please visit our website for the current program cost.