Shortly after their last activity during the Pangasinan fieldwork, some delegates of the Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) Philippines Study Abroad Program (PhilSAP) shared some of their most memorable experiences.

For Sarah Chong, Alejandra Padilla, Eunice Gonzalez and Selena Infante, the mangrove and giant clam observations were very interesting because their first-time experiences were assisted by Museum of Natural History. As biology students, they appreciated the way the fieldworks were conducted.

For the final fieldwork of the TAMIU Study Abroad Program in the Philippines, the UPLB Museum of Natural History guided the delegates in exploring Mt. Makiling and discovering some of the fauna that inhabit the mountain last 30 June and 01 July 2017.

The TAMIU delegates were composed of ten students together with their professors Drs. Marcus and Ruby Ynalvez. The MNH team was composed of Director Juan Carlos Gonzalez, extension specialist Florante Cruz, entomologists David Emmanuel General and Jeremy Naredo, as well as field biologists James Alvarez and Camila Meneses. Museum technicians Edison Cosico and Orlando Eusebio along with two interns completed the team.

The Museum of Natural History is currently working with the National Museum of the Philippines in documenting, identifying, and assessing fungi that are present in the Cordillera mummies as the initial approach in the preservation and conservation of the mummies and associated material culture (coffins, textiles and burial sites). The Kabayan Mummy Burial Sites are listed as National Cultural Treasures by the National Museum of the Philippines pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 260 in 1973.

For the third fieldwork of Texas A&M International University (TAMIU)’s Philippine Study Abroad Program (PhilSAP), the Museum of Natural History took the delegates to Pangasinan last 21 - 24 June 2017 to observe marine and cave habitats. The delegates also visited a mangrove propagation center as a continuation of what they initially observed in a mangrove forest in Oriental Mindoro.

Accompanying them on the trip was the MNH team including extension specialist Florante Cruz, marine biologist Julius Parcon and entomologist Jeremy Naredo. Also extending a helping hand for the students’ learning experience was the caving group Balincaguin Conservancy’s adviser, Jerry Rendon.

Delegates of the Texas A&M International University (TAMIU)’s study abroad program travelled slightly for more than an hour from Batangas port to the island of Mindoro with the staff of the Museum of Natural History last 16 June 2017 to start their second leg of observing various island ecosystems. TAMIU’s students were accompanied by professors Drs. Marcus Augustus and Ruby Ynalvez along with MNH Director Juan Carlos T. Gonzalez, marine biologist Julius A. Parcon, extensionist Florante A. Cruz and two student interns.

Although it was the first-time for some students to ride a commercial passenger outrigger pump boat, the blue waters between Batangas and Puerto Galera in Mindoro island presented a very calming view that soon, everyone was enjoying the trip. Upon reaching Puerto Galera’s shores, the delegates were welcomed by White Beach’s fine sand which stretches for a few kilometers. Amongst people busy buying items, eating local food and getting hair-braids and massages, they got their fill of lunch before gearing up for the day’s activities.

With the help of the Museum of Natural History (MNH), students of the Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) study abroad program explored parts of UPLB’s Forestry Campus to learn about vegetational analysis and specimen preservation techniques last 13 June 2017. The two topics are part of the sets of learning activities that the Museum has prepared for the ten TAMIU students who will explore several sites in the Philippines to get acquainted with tropical biology and social issues.

The day started with the TAMIU students’ short tour of the museum followed by a welcome and orientation on the Mt. Makiling leg of the study program. During the orientation, TAMIU faculty Dr. Ruby Ynalvez said that the reason why they chose Philippines to be the location of the elective course, aside from its rich biodiversity, is the Filipino culture.