#  Field Trips 

 



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##  OEB 51: Biology and Evolution of Invertebrate Animals 

### Instructors: Gonzalo Giribet & Cassandra Extavour

   ![OEB 51 2019 Field Trip](/sites/g/files/omnuum6811/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/oeb/files/oeb51_group.jpg?itok=amTujPph) 

 

 OEB 51 students spend spring break in the Archipelago of Bocas del Toro, in the Caribbean side of Panama, close to the border with Costa Rica. This archipelago is home to a state-of-the-art laboratory from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and is located in an area of high marine biodiversity including mangroves and coral reefs.

   ![OEB 51 2019 Field Trip-2](/sites/g/files/omnuum6811/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/oeb/files/oeb51discovery.jpeg?itok=waSemVjo) 

 

In addition, it always offers sheltered localities for working in the water even for those students who have never snorkeled before. There, students explore different marine ecosystems, from mangroves to coral reefs and sponge reefs, as well of areas of high and low currents. This offers students the opportunity to study a great variety of invertebrates from most animal phyla both in situ and in the lab.



 

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##  OEB 52: Biology of Plants 

### Instructors: Elena Kramer and N. Michele Holbrook

   ![OEB 52: The Harvard Forest](/sites/g/files/omnuum6811/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/oeb/files/oeb52-aa.jpeg?itok=St4QKIIt) 

 

OEB 52 takes four field trips each spring to Harvard Forest, the Arnold Arboretum, Ponkapoag Bog, and Garden in the Woods. All these trips are full of fun, food, and most importantly, flora!



 

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##  OEB 56: Geology and Biology of Life 

### Instructor: Javier Ortega-Hernández

   ![OEB 56 Students at Puertollano Spain 2023](/sites/g/files/omnuum6811/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-02/Puertollano1.png?itok=AYRR8Id2) 

 

OEB 56 (in conjunction with EPS 56) students spent recent spring breaks in Spain (2023) and Utah (2024) exploring several Paleozoic and Mesozoic fossiliferous localities. The 2023 visit to Central Spain drew considerable local interest including a radio interview with the Mayor of Puertollano that highlighted the geological richness of the area's sites.



 

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##  OEB 103: Systematics and Evolution 

### Instructor: Charles Davis

   ![OEB 103 2019 Field Trip](/sites/g/files/omnuum6811/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/oeb/files/oeb103_2019.jpeg?itok=324rL20o) 

 

OEB 103 students spend spring break in tropical southern Florida at The Kampong in Miami Florida. Students explore the rich vascular plant diversity of the unique ecosystems in the region including the iconic coastal Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, The Florida Keys and swamps.



 

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##  OEB 190: Biology and Diversity of Birds 

### Instructor: Scott Edwards

   ![OEB 190 Students in the field in Texas 2022](/sites/g/files/omnuum6811/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-02/OEB190_Texas%202022.jpg?itok=AC0N1EnU) 

 

OEB 190 students spend spring break exploring the rich avifauna found throughout places like the Texas Gulf of Mexico (2024) and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico (2022). Trip highlights include seeing highly endangered Whooping Cranes and songbirds, including Green Jays and Vermillion Flycatchers. Students submit their daily sightings and recorded bird songs to eBird, a citizen science tool.

   ![Whooping crane spotted by OEB 190 students during field trip to Texas in 2022](/sites/g/files/omnuum6811/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-02/whooping%20crane.jpeg?itok=3cWwVniN)