When: Summer Session A (May 30 – June 20, 2026)
Where: UCF Costa Rica Center, San Jose, Costa Rica
Application Link: https://studyabroad.ucf.edu/_portal/tds-program-brochure?programid=11674
Application Deadline: February 15, 2026
Courses Offered
ZOO 3001 -Integrated Principles of Zoology
Course Description: ZOO3001 (Integrated Principles of Zoology) is an introductory level zoology course designed to give the student a basic understanding of zoological and biological principles such as evolution, physiology, anatomy, genetics, phylogeny, taxonomy, and animal behavior. The student will be presented with a broad overview of the Kingdom Animalia and how selective forces have driven the diversification of this kingdom.
The course discusses evolution, phylogeny, biodiversity, and ecology of both invertebrate and vertebrate animals. The course places an emphasis on problem-solving, analysis, synthesis of information, and applying data effectively as it relates to the course content and biological concepts discussed. To achieve this level of learning, in addition to lecture presentations, ZOO3001 makes use of online post-lecture quizzes to help students learn content and to prepare for in-class active learning and case study assignments that all focus on developing and testing problem solving and information synthesis skills.
Course Prerequisites: BSC 2011(Biology II)
Faculty: Dr. Michele Yeargain | michele.yeargain@ucf.edu
Dr. Michele Yeargain has been employed at UCF since 2007, first as the Laboratory Academic Coordinator, then moving into a Faculty Instructor position in 2018. In her capacity as Coordinator, she was instrumental in developing the virtual laboratory protocol for our BSC2010 laboratories. She currently teaches BSC2010 (Biology I), BSC2011 (Biology II), and ZOO3001 (Integrated Principles of Zoology). She developed Principles of Zoology as a new course within the Department of Biology, which involved building the course from the ground up and developing a unique system of student evaluations that demonstrate their acquisition and retention of knowledge.
Animal Behavior (ZOO 4513)
Course Description: ZOO 4513 is an upper-division elective Biology course that explores the topics of animal behavior with a comparative and integrative approach, linking evolutionary mechanisms with ecological and environmental factors that influence how animals behave. This course will focus on the indigenous animals of Costa Rica to explore course topics which include: Genetic, neural and physiological basis of behavior; Predation avoidance and foraging behavior; Territoriality and migratory behavior; Communication behavior; Mating systems, Reproductive and parental care behavior and Social behavior evolution.
Course Prerequisites: BSC 2011(Biology II)
Dr. Christa Diercksen is currently a Senior Lecturer in the UCF Department of Biology. Dr. Diercksen received her bachelor’s degree in Zoology with a specialization in Marine Biology, and a minor in Physical Anthropology with a certificate in Primatology from Duke University and her Doctorate in Biology from Boston University. In both her undergraduate and graduate research, she focused on how animals use chemical signals to mediate agonistic behavior and individual recognition. Through her post-doctoral studies at North Carolina State University, she continued her chemical signal research with a molecular biology approach, searching for genes that control the behavior of olfactory interactions. Throughout her career, she has helped lead students in field studies in several Caribbean islands and in Belize. Dr. Diercksen has been at UCF since 2012 teaching a variety of courses such as Biology I, Biology II, Genetics, Principles in Marine Biology and Animal Behavior. She is excited to bring her popular Animal Behavior course to Costa Rica, allowing students to learn the general principles of animal behavior but with a specific focus on the animals of Costa Rica and their unique adaptations and behaviors.
Summer 2025 Recap Video
