Science, Science, and More Science!

Yesterday was a lot of physical activity, but today involved a lot of brainwork!  We started off our day with delicious scrambled eggs, beans with rice, tomatoes, toast with fresh jam and cacao nibs, and exotic pineapple-papaya juice.  We had a short break before meeting in the classroom to begin today’s science activities.  While two of the lab groups worked on readings and activities from our science packet, the other two groups began culturing the fungus gardens that had been collected.  Each group formed a hypothesis, predictions, and procedure to answer the question: “Where is the fungus Escovopsis found within the ant colony?”.  The groups used tweezers to grab sections of the fungus garden and place them in petri dishes to observe them after overnight incubation. The groups switched activities so each would have the opportunity to complete the reading and culturing. Finally we were given a break after the long hours of work.

For lunch we had delicious homemade spaghetti, garlic bread, and fresh papaya juice.  We had about an hour of free time; most girls decided to walk to the village to purchase snacks from "the mall".  Those who speak Spanish helped the rest of the group communicate with the owner to purchase delicious Costa Rican ice cream, candy, and pastries.  We loved receiving the unique Costa Rican currency in exchange for our American money.  As the clouds parted, we headed back to the classroom, glad to have eaten the cold treats.

Back in the classroom, we divided into our groups to begin forming our individual research projects.  We continued following the scientific method; we formed our own question, hypothesis, and predictions based on our field observations from yesterday.  We met numerous times with our instructor Pinto, who guided us and answered our questions. After a few hours of work, we took a well-needed coffee break, enjoying delicious Costa Rican coffee and pastries. This gave us the boost of energy we needed to continue our difficult work! The groups quickly cleared the table and rushed back to work, eager to finish their upcoming presentation in time.

After adding the finishing touches, the groups took a break for dinner. We had delicious beef stroganoff, mashed potatoes, salad with balsamic vinegar, and mixed vegetables, followed by coconut flan sprinkled with cacao nibs. Filled with sugar, we headed back to the classroom to practice our presentations.

After a quick practice, each group stood in front of our class to deliver their research proposal.  After each presentation the group gave constructive criticism, pointing out flaws and giving helpful suggestions to improve the experiment.  While it was difficult to hear the flaws in our hard work, we know it will only make our experiments better.

Finally, after a long day filled with science, we head back to our cabins and try to get some sleep despite the heavy thunderstorms.  We are excited for tomorrow’s activities, and we miss you all!

Much love,

The Visitation Scientists J

Blog written by Janeve and Gabby

Cacao pods/beans being harvested outside our classroom today