Hopkins Students Conduct Field Research in the Andorran Pyrenees

This summer, from June 30 to July 9, a group of ten Hopkins students, accompanied by science teachers Dr. Ashley Sjolund and Dawn Card, traveled to the Andorran Pyrenees. Partnering with the organization Earthwatch, they conducted critical field research on the diverse wildlife and ecosystems of the mountains.

The team's work involved daily hikes to six different high-elevation research sites. Their hands-on field techniques included checking small mammal traps and nest boxes, banding birds, reading dendrometers, conducting soil decomposition studies, and maintaining camera traps to analyze images of large mammals.

In the evenings, the students attended lectures on the project's ongoing research and findings. This larger scientific effort aims to understand how climate change and human encroachment alter the mountain environment and to develop sustainable solutions for preserving its biodiversity.

“It was a physically demanding trip, but all the students were phenomenal,” said Dr. Sjolund. “The views were breathtaking!”