Dowling College and The Dowling Institute in collaboration with the Department of Earth & Marine Science hosted a trip to Costa Rica, the land between two oceans. The trip was held in January 2007 and students and faculty enjoyed the trip while having the option of completing credits or not. Participants did not need to be a science major to enjoy the trip! Students had the option to earn up to 12* undergraduate college credits during the Winter Session 2007 while exploring Costa Rica! They enjoyed courses such as Volcanoes: Live and In-person, Tropical Ecology, Marine Ichthyology and Coastal Ornithology.

During the trip, students visited San Jose with a Boat Ride to Tortuguero, Tabacon Hot Springs, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Butterfly Gardens, Hummingbird Gallery, Ecological Farm, Carara Biological Reserve, Sunset visit to Tarcolas River to see sunset flights of scarlet macaws; Take Jungle Crocodile boat ride, Forest Aerial Tram and white water rafting on the Reventazon River Rapids. The trip leader and course instructor for ESC 4182A is Dr. John T. Tanacredi, a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Earth and Marine Sciences at Dowling College. He has over 35 years experience as scientist, researcher, and educator and has led expeditions in many parts of the world. He is a Research Associate in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Aquarium, and Columbia University’s LaMont Doherty Earth Observatory, as well as a Fellow of the Explorers Club.

Dowling College offers three exciting degree programs in the environmental sciences: B.A. in Earth Science, B.A. in Marine Studies and B.S. in Environmental Sciences. This "Special Topics" course brought students up-to-date with the latest techniques, information, and experiences that will be important in shaping a future in the natural sciences and technology and helping fulfill degree requirements.