Over the years, I’ve had opportunities (thanks to the willingness of my incredible wife) to travel with Luther students during J-term to Ecuador nine times, the Bahamas five times, and the Big Horn Mountains one time.  My goals as a field biologist in these study-away courses are to immerse my students in parts of the natural world they would normally not experience, to have them learn about the incredible diversity of life we share this planet with, our interconnectedness with and dependence upon that diversity as a fellow species, and how we can be better stewards of this awesome creation. Each group of students and trip has been unique and memorable. This seventeenth J-term trip for me with Luther students was no exception, and has some special memories.

This was my first (and hopefully not last!) time bringing a group of Luther students with my biology colleague Dawn Reding to the Roatan Institute of Marine Sciences.  Having scouted RIMS last January I knew what to expect, but I think the quality of the facility surprised the students. Accommodations and meals were much nicer than we needed, but RIMS provides a wonderful learning environment for our study of marine biology which is specifically why we went there. The support of the dive shop, dive masters, and expertise of the education coordinator Jennifer at RIMS is unsurpassed.

Despite several pre-trip meetings to introduce students to one another, the first week of class began a bit quietly and tentatively as we got to know one another. But soon the students began to bond, and develop new friendships that may last for a lifetime. Their flexibility with schedule changes (when our departure was moved up to 3 am with maybe 8 hours of notice due to a pending snowstorm in Chicago) and excitement about the trip was contagious.

During the course they developed research questions, designed research projects, collected data (under water of course!), and took ownership of those projects. They now are analyzing and working on posters and research papers on the results of these projects to share with the Luther community in the poster symposium tomorrow. This is developing their skills as scientists that will help them in whatever future direction their Luther education takes them.

What was most pleasing was seeing these students represent Luther College well and the choices they were making. I’ve had numerous contacts with student groups and faculty from other institutions over the years, and very few come anywhere close to the quality of this hard-working, hungry-for-learning, and fun-loving bunch of Luther students I seem to always get to work with. Watching this particular group of students develop into confident SCUBA divers, who by the end performed a “no big deal” underwater rescue on our last dive when one of them ran out of air, made me grateful I was with them. These are quality young biologists!

It is my sincere hope that my efforts as your professor have made a difference in your lives.  I hope we’ve provided you with some unforgettable experiences, maybe a wee bit of wisdom, and that you will stay connected with us Luther profs long into the future.  We’ve learned from you as well, so I thank you for making this a great J-term!

- Capt Kirk (a.k.a. Dr. L)