Every two years, Joshua Feingold, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Division of Math, Science, and Technology, takes his marine biology students on a field trip to the Galapagos Islands. Located 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, the islands are a unique natural laboratory.

Feingold encourages his students to hone their observation skills, and he finds photography an aid to this process. “I incorporate photography into every lab class I teach,” he explained.

He also regularly takes his biology students into the Everglades to observe local creatures in their ordinary activities. While photography is not a required activity for students on these explorations, “it’s supplemental to the experience. The students want to record these trips and many of them are very good photographers. It’s an opportunity for them to find some creative expression in a scientific context. And you don’t need professional gear. You can get amazing images from relatively inexpensive cameras. It isn’t the equipment, it’s the photographer who can create a compelling image.”

On January 2-4, Feingold brought students north of Tampa to Crystal River to observe manatee behaviors in their natural habitat. “Though this is an optional field trip because it precedes the semester, it usually fills up,” Feingold said. “Most of the students take pictures, which is good. Photography supplements the student’s experience because it encourages closer observation.”

When asked whether taking photos is helpful to the students or a distraction, he answered, “For the most part, photography sharpens the student’s focus. It hones your eye in on what you’re looking at. It also records what happened, rather than what we may remember. We can see later whether what we think we saw is what was actually there.”

Students from Feingold’s last Galapagos trip took part in a December photo exhibit in the Alvin Sherman Library Gallery. Some won prizes in different subject categories. “They appreciated being honored, having their efforts recognized. It encourages another avenue of learning beyond their notebooks. There’s an added benefit too. I like to hope that if we can appreciate such beauty as they photographed, we can appreciate the place that nature has in our broad existence.”

[For further information about any of the Galapagos pictures, click on a photo.]