A Deeper Dive into the Ecology of Ecuador
By BARBARA ALLISON
In summer 2025, students studying abroad in Ecuador spent two weeks conducting research, including one week at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station (TBS), and the second week across several sites in the Ecuadorian Amazon, including a day at the Yanayacu Biological Station. “One of the biggest pros is that it gets students out into the world in a place that they're not likely to go at any other point in time; to a place that not a lot of people get to go,” said Vanessa Hilliard, assistant professor of Biology, who leads the research experiences. “It lets students see firsthand the things that they read about in books. So they get to see pink river dolphins that they may have only seen on the Discovery Channel.”
Conducting research in the world’s most biodiverse area is a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience for Saint Mary’s students. Naturally, the preparation that goes into getting ready for such an undertaking begins long before the packing starts.
In Ecuador, students work collaboratively on long-term tortoise survey projects at TBS, learn about the culture, the unplugged lifestyle, safety information, and tips on making the most of their experiential learning. Students live in community with teams of researchers from around the world. The guides who lead the teams are Kichwa, indigenous people of the Ecuadorian Amazon who’ve lived in the region for thousands of years.
“We get the cultural aspect, the cultural exchange, and we have the opportunity to engage with them as they're guiding us through the jungle,” Hilliard said, “We're all working toward this same goal of finding these tortoises and collecting these data.” Along the way, guides share their knowledge of the local area and native species, immersing students in the environment.
On the 2025 Ecology of Ecuador trip, students learned from their guides which plants take the sting out of insect bites; how a species of ant, that when rubbed into the skin, acts as a natural insect repellent; and also discovered a highly pigmented fruit that they can use to stamp their clothing or their field notebooks. “They learn about traditional medicine and cultural practices that you cannot effectively bring into the classroom. It adds an additional level of richness and a human connection in a way that is hard to recreate a different type of environment,” said Hilliard.
The students learn about traditional medicine and cultural practices that you cannot effectively bring into the classroom. It adds an additional level of richness and a human connection in a way that is hard to recreate a different type of environment
- Vanessa Hilliard
Anna Vernetti ’26 participated in the summer 2025 program. Before leaving, she joined fellow students in a prep class co-directed by Hilliard and Joel Ralston, also an associate professor of Biology. “In it, we read a lot about Ecuador, about the environment there,” Vernetti said. “We talked about what we needed to do to prepare because we were going to be working at field stations,”she said.
Hilliard said part of the preparation for students is to adjust to fewer comforts of home. For example, the Tipuitini Biodiversity Station has continuous electricity only in the labs and dining hall. The area is so remote that it’s powered exclusively by generators. Power to the residential buildings is on for a few hours each morning and evening, so students have to plan ahead when it comes to charging phones and laptops and using appliances.
“We couldn't get internet access, but that was probably the best part. It was an amazing experience to not have to worry about looking at text messages. I didn't realize just how less stressed out I would be off the grid,” Vernetti said
Combatting the heat and staying hydrated present additional challenges. “You have this oppressive heat. You need to stay hydrated, you need to make sure that you're wearing sunscreen, and that you're protecting yourself from the heat,” Vernetti added.
We couldn't get internet access, but that was probably the best part. It was an amazing experience to not have to worry about looking at text messages. I didn't realize just how less stressed out I would be off the grid
- Anna Vernetti ’26
All of it was worth it to the students who experienced life in a tropical rainforest for several weeks. “When we went with the group in 2025, we saw two spectacled bears, which are extremely rare. We saw two within 24 hours, which was just mind blowing,” Hilliard said.
Vernetti analysed the tortoise data she gathered last summer, along with previously gathered data of the vulnerable animals, for her senior comprehensive project. The project focused on sexual dimorphism, or body size differences, between male and female yellow-footed tortoises.
As she prepares for her upcoming trip to Ecuador with Hilliard this summer, Sofia Dahl-Santoro ’27 has been reading and designing and researching her project: the movement patterns and mapping the locations of yellow-footed tortoises in the Amazon Rainforest of eastern Ecuador. “In my Introduction to Research course, I’m preparing with other biology majors for our senior composition work, and reviewing literature and bibliography writing. On top of reading, I’ve begun preparing grant proposals to secure funding for my travels and research supplies,” she said.
Throughout the process, openness and flexibility are key, Hilliard said. “You go into the field with a plan of how things are going to go, and things never go according to plan. This becomes the opportunity for real-world critical thinking and problem solving, which is an excellent opportunity for development.” she said. “It's not a disaster. It teaches creative problem solving, the ability to recalibrate, and to address something that goes in an unexpected way.”
May 11, 2026