By Dr. Kristin Drexler
Faculty Member, School of STEM
For a seven-day research trip in Costa Rica this November, faculty members are searching for two to four graduate students to act as field research assistants. Graduate students can apply using this registration link, and applications are due by April 15, 2026. Finalists will be selected in late April or early May.
Modeled on my eight years of experience creating and delivering faculty-led international programs at New Mexico State University (NMSU), this Costa Rica trip will offer an incredible opportunity for personal, academic, and professional growth for both student and faculty participants.
The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page. – Saint Augustine
This Costa Rica research is fully supported by a research grant from the University’s Research Grants office. We have invited interested graduate students to apply for the trip through class announcements and on social media posts such as LinkedIn®.
An Interdisciplinary Research Team
In Costa Rica, the research team of five University professors and their graduate student assistants will conduct rapid biological and socio-ecological assessments. The professors involved in this trip come from the University’s School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and School of Security and Global Studies.
The professors on the research team are:
- Dr. Kristin Drexler, who is examining sustainable farming practices in the Monteverde socio-ecological system
- Dr. Danny Welsch, who is investigating water quality and nutrient pollution using water quality testing kits
- Dr. Kelly Reiss, who is modeling energy flow systems connected to ecosystems services
- Dr. Suzanne Agan, who is mapping and observing selected sites for wildlife biomonitoring
- Dr. Michelle Watts, who is conducting exploratory research on the impact of environmental policies on water quality and protected areas
Michelle and I will also conduct a participant evaluation of the program for the purpose of future field research. We both worked together on a recently completed four-year study on the COVID-19 pandemic impacts to Indigenous communities.
Seven Days in Costa Rica
During our short time in Costa Rica, we’ll travel and conduct our research in four ecological zones:
- The Arenal volcano and protected areas with waterfalls, hot springs, and wildlife
- The Monteverde cloud forest, a biological reserve and sustainable farms
- Rio Tarcoles, a river abundant with tropical wildlife
- Manuel Antonio National Park, a coastal zone of forest and beach environments
The team will meet in San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital city. The first morning in Costa Rica, I’ll lead a workshop on designing field courses before we meet with our CPI-Costa Rica driver and guide. I’ve worked with CPI’s long-term staff before during my time as co-founder and coordinator of NMSU’s faculty-led international programs.
Our first stop will be La Fortuna town and the Arenal volcano, a protected area with rainforest, wildlife, and waterfalls.
Our second stop will be Monteverde, known for its cloud forest, biodiversity, and conservation efforts. I will spend some time here on my study of sustainable agriculture practices.
We will also explore wildlife, watersheds, and protected areas by visiting hanging bridges and walking the cloud forest trails.
Hanging bridges in Monteverde Cloud Forest during one of my visits there in 2018. Image courtesy of Kristi Drexler.
Our third stop is Rio Tarcoles to explore the river and riparian forest wildlife by boat. Our fourth and final stop is the town of Manuel Antonio and Manuel Antonio National Park.
I’ve been to each of these sites several times, both on family trips and during field courses.
Logistics and Language by CPI-Costa Rica
CPI-Costa Rica will provide the logistical support for our research team while we’re in Costa Rica. CPI is a language school with decades of teaching experience and three campuses:
- Heredia (near Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José)
- Monteverde (near the cloud forest)
- Flamingo (on the northern coast)
Thanks to a small grant from Academics and the School of STEM, CPI-Costa Rica will offer Spanish language classes for all five faculty members (and for the graduate students if they wish) before and during the Costa Rica field program.
CPI’s experienced staff will coordinate all of our lodging, meals, and in-country transportation during the 7-day program with a full-time driver and guide.
I’ve been working with Jonle Sedar, the Administrative Director of CPI-Costa Rica, to plan this experience. Jonle has customized the entire program for our group, including our language and culture lessons.
We’ll take online Spanish classes prior to travel. Some of our faculty members have limited Spanish while others are more fluent, so we chose CPI’s private language instruction.
While we’re in Monteverde, we’ll have in-person private language lessons at CPI’s Monteverde campus. We’ll also enjoy a cooking class, a salsa dance lesson and guided tours of natural local areas and sustainable farms, like the LIFE Monteverde coffee farm.
A few faculty members are planning to stay for a couple days after the program to continue their Spanish conversation lessons.
All five faculty members believe it’s very important to integrate language and culture into any scholarly or research endeavor, as it aids our understanding of the holistic environment where we conduct our research.
The Purpose of Our Research in Costa Rica
We’ve chosen to conduct our research in Costa Rica for several reasons. We want to:
- Provide a hands-on field research experience that engages graduate students in collaborative research with faculty, including an analysis of our findings and scholarly writing
- Develop baseline data from our preliminary findings, which can guide the team’s future research and contribute to a growing body of knowledge
- Establish an innovative, interdisciplinary faculty-student research collaboration with international partners in field research
- Amplify global initiatives at the University, such as the Global Digital Journey and Spanish language
Center for Research in Earth/Environmental Sustainability and Technology
This field research experience to Costa Rica is part of the University’s new Center for Research in Earth/Environmental Sustainability and Technology (CREST). CREST’s mission is to engage students in applied science research. Students and faculty will collaborate in research teams and explore different topics, including:
- Earth and environmental sciences
- Sustainability
- Climate resilience
CREST aims to provide hands-on science research experience for our students and faculty, which is needed for academic and career development. In this way, CREST will promote the University as a global leader.
So far, 16 Professors from various schools and departments at the University are a part of CREST. It’s an exciting forum for ideas and developing opportunities to serve our students and the development of faculty in field research.
Get Involved in Scientific Research
If you’d like to know more about how you can participate in field research through this Costa Rica trip or other student-faculty research collaborations, please email CREST@apus.edu.
Another way to get involved in science and research is to join one of our student organizations. Current students, alumni, staff and faculty members can join any of these organizations. Many organizations provide multiple opportunities to become involved in science and research, including:
- Women in STEM (wSTEM)
- Association of Women in Science (AWIS)
- The Research and Scholarship Team (RAST)
- The National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP)
- The Society for Advancement for Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
Note: Some organizations are free, while others have a membership fee because they are part of a national organization. For some organizations, the membership fee may be covered by our University chapter budgets. Membership in these national organizations offer several benefits, such as:
- Networking with like-minded professionals
- Information sharing
- Attending national conferences
Join Us for the CREST Conference on April 22
In addition to the Costa Rica research trip, CREST offers a free online conference – called “CREST Con” – this April. This first conference (we hope of many annual conferences!) is open to our University’s students, alumni, faculty and staff.
CREST Con will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on April 22, 2026, which is Earth Day. All are invited to hear talks by faculty and students about fascinating science topics, such as:
- Climate change
- Environmental policy
- Environmental justice
- Emerging contaminants
For more information or to register for CREST Con, visit our conference site.
About the Author
Dr. Kristin Drexler is a full-time faculty member in the Space Studies and Earth Sciences Department. She teaches geography, environmental science, earth and planetary sciences, and sustainability for the School of STEM.
Dr. Drexler holds a master’s degree in Latin American studies with an emphasis in natural resources management from Ohio University. She earned her Ph.D. in educational leadership at New Mexico State University with research in socioecological systems, sustainable agroecology, and community education.
Dr. Drexler earned the Undergraduate Excellence in Teaching Award for the School of STEM (2020) and the Dr. Wallace E. Boston Leadership Award (2021). Dr. Drexler has conducted numerous community surveys in Belize and Guatemala regarding agroforestry, conservation, sustainable agriculture, and COVID-19 impacts and is a co-investigator for the multi-year research study “A Case Study Comparison of Pandemic Experience of Indigenous Groups in the Americas.”
In the late 1990s, Dr. Drexler served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Belize; she co-founded Full Basket Belize, a 501(c)(3) and has served on its Board of Directors since 2005. She produced the award-winning short film Yochi; she also founded “Science Talks with Dr. Drexler and Friends” to assist teachers during the pandemic. She also serves as a faculty advisor for the University’s wSTEM, AWIS and SACNAS chapters.
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