This May, nine LSU students conducted research in a coastal village in Mozambique, as part of a new course in Coastal African Field Studies. According to assistant professor and organizer Reagan Errera, Mozambique was selected in particular for several reasons. The town exists at roughly the same distance from the equator as Baton Rouge, but in the opposite direction, so students are able to see firsthand the diversity of environments that occupy similar latitudes. Mozambique only gained its independence in 1975 (from Portugal, the bitter-ender of African colonization) and achieved democracy in 1993, so while there is interest in conservation within the country, relatively few initiatives have been adopted, which gives students the chance to see such strategies and programs at an early stage. Finally, Mozambique is just cool: the particular under-ocean geography of the Mozambican coast and its proximity to Madagascar raise eddies of cold water, which bring ordinarily deep-dwelling animals closer to the shore, where they can be encountered and studied; students were able to make friends with Rodney, a docile whale shark.
To participate, students needed to have achieved a 3.0 GPA, developed a research plan, and not have demonstrated the kind of behavior that makes someone hesitate to accompany you abroad. Student projects included the study of plastics in coral reefs, investigations into fishing’s effect on sharks and manta rays, and a sea urchin census, among other contributions. Asked what the most striking part of the experience was, Errera cited the students’ enthusiasm to travel far and endure some discomfort in the service of science and discovery. And while the advancement of science is its own reward, it needn’t be the only one; on the way back, the group visited Kruger National Park in South Africa to see cheetahs, antelope, lions, elephants, and giraffes.
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