Help Josh botanize in Costa Rica

Greeting everybody! I am reaching out to raise funds to cover my tuition to participate in the Tropical Ferns and Lycophytes course of the Organization for Tropical Studies (OET).

 

This course is an intensive postgraduate level course that focuses on current ideas about the evolutionary relationships of ferns and lycophytes, teaching rapid identification of these plants in the field and teaching us practical techniques for studying these plants.

 

Since hearing about this course I have been ecstatic to possibly partake in this experience as I have never done tropical biology fieldwork nor have been outside the country! However, since the beginning of last summer, I have become finically independent. Being able to afford this class will be complex as I also will not be making any money working during that time while starting to think about starting to pay off my student loans.

While I understand participating in this course is not essential in the sense that it is not required for me to graduate college, the opportunity to botanize in Costa Rica and build important personal and professional contacts with fellow tropical biologists would be incredibly beneficial for my development as a botanist.

 

The course tuition itself is $3900. I am hoping to get a partial scholarship through the program which will cover a substantial amount of the fee. Transportation to Costa Rica is not under that cost so I am specifically looking to cover my flight and the remaining balance of the tuition.

 

The application closes 4/8/22 but I hope to submit an application by the end of this month along with a scholarship request letter.

 

I am appreciative that you have taken the time to read this fully and thankful for any help that can help me fulfill this dream of mine!

https://tropicalstudies.org/course/tropical-ferns-and-lycophytes/