Rainy Research – DP Science Trip🌳

The Group 4 science trip is a requirement by the IB, in other words, there is no way out of it. Okay that sounds bad, I’m sorry and I was kidding. The trip is a nice requirement, and even though it was wet and damp and we were in full on leech territory, I learned a lot from it. This year our teachers took us to Sinharaja Rain Forest, which amazingly enough is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. What is so incredible about Sinharaja, is that it is one of Sri Lanka’s last primary tropical rainforests. According to the UNESCO World Heritage website, “more than 60% of the trees are endemic and many of them are considered rare”. Along with that, Sinharaja is home to a lot of wildlife, and for me it was an appreciation of how many forms nature’s beauty can come in. I’m used to seeing a lot of underwater nature, beaches, desserts, and Southern African national parks; so this was definitely different to me. Furthermore, I was really able to see how different nature is all around the world, and really visualize how important it is to conserve all kinds of different ecosystems.  

On this trip we got introduced to the reality of scientific field work, as well as working with students from other sciences. I am a biology student, and my group consisted of a chemistry, physics and ESS student; a full combination of science. We collaborated in an efficient manner, where the strengths of all sciences were put together in order to collect our data. This was no easy task, and I’d say the most challenging part about collecting our data was having to work on a steep slippery slope and being surrounded by pretty dense forest. Everywhere I’d move to, I felt like a twig was poking my ear, or a leaf was getting stuck in my hair. My worst enemy of all however, were the leeches. You see, I get it if they are enjoying their time on the ground, maybe attach themselves on my foot or so, but when they get above knees – that’s when it gets serious; and at that point they are just invading my personal space bubble. Not appreciated. Moving on, I learned about some chemistry and physics instruments whilst collecting our data, which were used to measure the humidity, luminescence and soil PH; concepts I am unfamiliar with. Also, it was really nice to bond with the ESS kids, who are learning extremely similar content to me as a bio student. It was also very enjoyable to apply the theories and concepts we learned in class to the field work, as well as to the rich ecosystem around us. Additionally, we also got introduced to the concept of citizen science. This is where the public volunteers to do scientific research in a certain area in order to increase scientific knowledge. In a nutshell, this is what we did. If I’m being honest, being part of something larger like this is actually really cool, and I hope that the data we collected is valuable and will contribute to understanding Sinharja’s rainforest better.

From an IB perspective, this trip was a great effort of us being risk takers, open minded and knowledgeable. From my personal perspective, this trip was a great experience to understand the importance of field work, as well as the reality of it. Applying theoretical knowledge to the physical world was also exciting to me. And finally, it of course was also fun to have another trip with friends and classmates.