(Editor’s note: Peter Phillips, associate professor of biology, traveled to Costa Rica this summer for a year’s sabbatical and shared this article about his work.)

My Rock Hill research focuses on river ecology and water quality in the Catawba River. Currently, I’m spending my sabbatical year as a visiting professor in the School of Biological Sciences of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma, Costa Rica.

I’m here to collaborate on research evaluating water quality in urban streams and rivers of the Central Valley, their major urban center. Previously, I’ve had the opportunity to conduct research on the major watershed of the Caribbean island nation of Dominican Republic so here in Costa Rica, I’m able to expand my tropical watershed research. 

I hope this will eventually lead to a comparison of surface water quality affected by urbanization in two developing country examples contrasted with our local Catawba River. Additionally I’d like to compare the function and effectiveness of government regulatory policy and the influence of various stakeholder groups in surface water resource management as well as the protection of aquatic ecosystems in general. 

Prior to departing for Costa Rica, I was fortunate to earn a “sabbatical-primer” trip at the initiation of my year away from Winthrop as a participant on a School for International Training faculty seminar to the Mekong River delta of Viet Nam. The opportunity to travel to this intensely utilized Southeast Asian river system was a wonderful contrast and addition to all I have previously experienced in my watershed research.

Upon returning from Viet Nam, my son, Jesse, and I prepared for our overland journey to Costa Rica. We departed Rock Hill on July 2 and after six international borders, arrived in Costa Rica on July 10 to set up residence in Heredia, Costa Rica. 

My original plans have already been modified; I have taught one course in bioremediation to senior-level biology students. As a result of this course, I have developed an additional line of research with Universidad Nacional colleagues that very specifically examines how to decontaminate water leaking from sanitary landfills that later pollute Central Valley rivers. 

Both this new line of research as well as the general examination of river and stream water quality will hopefully provide a long-term line of research linking Universidad Nacional with Winthrop.