Dean Chris Houser celebrates 50th trip to the Soltis Center in Costa Rica

This spring marks a significant milestone for Dean of Science Chris Houser, as he is leading his 50th student trip to the Soltis Center for Research and Education in Costa Rica. Since his first visit in 2007, the center has become integral to his teaching and research, shaping both the program and the many students who have learned in the rainforest.

To reflect on the impact of these experiences and what they have meant for students, research, and his career, we sat down with Dean Houser for a conversation.

1. Do you remember your very first visit to Costa Rica? What stood out to you then?

My first trip to Costa Rica was during spring break in 2007. We hiked through Casa Verde, a farm field on the edge of the rainforest, which is now home to the Soltis Center.

From there, we entered the Children’s Eternal Rainforest, a breathtaking forest home to a diverse range of wildlife, including pumas and howler monkeys. On that first walk, I knew I wanted to bring undergraduate students back for a study abroad opportunity. In 2009, while I was a professor at Texas A&M, I brought 20 first-year students to the center, most of whom had never travelled outside of Texas.

2. What makes the Soltis Center unique compared to other research hubs?

Costa Rica has many research stations, most of which focus primarily on rainforest ecology. The Soltis Center, however, offers something more than a traditional field station; it sits at the boundary between the rainforest and the surrounding community. This unique setting provides rich study abroad experiences, many of which I helped to establish. Students who visit can spend their days working in the community and then return to the rainforest each evening.

3. What role has the Soltis Center played in advancing your career?

When I first entered the rainforest, I had no idea it would transform my career as an instructor, researcher, and administrator. The experience reaffirmed my commitment to field-based learning and studying abroad. I later served as Global Faculty Ambassador at Texas A&M, supporting colleagues in building research and teaching programs. That role led to subsequent leadership positions, including Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development in the College of Geosciences at Texas A&M, Dean of Science and Interim Vice President of Research at the University of Windsor, and now Dean of Science at the University of Waterloo.

During one visit, I was contacted by the National Commission of Emergencies seeking my work on rip current hazards in Florida. I delivered the paper in person the next day, which launched a long-term collaboration across the geosciences, social sciences, and psychology. This work helped define the national understanding of rip current hazards and ultimately contributed to national legislation, the creation of a national lifesaving association, and the placement of lifeguards on most tourist beaches.

The Center also enabled me to expand my research in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, resulting in publications on student experience, the role of faculty, and other student-centred initiatives. Each time I enter the forest with a machete in hand, I am reminded how saying yes to a trip in 2007 advanced my career and enabled my return to Canada.

4. What is it about Costa Rica that makes it a rich learning environment, and what do you think students have learned that couldn’t be taught in the classroom?

Closing a water budget may seem straightforward when approached mathematically in a lecture or through a computer simulation. But attempting to close that same water budget through direct measurements in a spatially complex rainforest is an experience that cannot be simulated.

At a time when AI is transforming how we learn, it is more important than ever to expand student training in labs and in the field. You cannot experience a rainforest from a lecture hall or through chat. To truly understand it, you must stand beneath the canopy in pouring rain, hear howler monkeys at sunrise, sense an approaching storm from a shift in the breeze and the calls of birds, and watch termites emerge after an intense thunderstorm.

5. What is one memory from all those student trips that stands out to you?

Toward the end of each trip, we set aside a few days to catch up on field measurements and assignments. During that time, I often venture into new parts of the forest with the most intrepid students. Although I have surveyed much of the area, there are still remote sections of the rainforest that I have yet to explore. One of the greatest rewards is discovering new waterfalls and seeing the excitement on students’ faces when they realize they are quite literally exploring uncharted parts of the rainforest.

6. There’s now a trail leading to the waterfall named after you (the Houser Trail). What does that recognition mean to you?

It’s incredibly meaningful, and honestly a bit surreal. When I first came to Costa Rica 19 years ago, I never imagined that it would become such a central part of my professional and personal life. To have a trail, especially one leading to such a special place, carry my name reflects the many years, relationships, and shared experiences built there.

What makes it most significant to me is that it represents the hundreds of students, faculty, and alumni who have walked those paths together, learning and discovering the rainforest. In many ways, it feels less like individual recognition and more like a tribute to a collective journey.

7. Now that you’ve done 50 trips and this is your last trip with students to Costa Rica, what’s next for the GPS program at Waterloo?

The GPS program at Waterloo has grown rapidly from a single Costa Rica trip with 15 students in 2023/24 to more than 100 science students studying abroad in 2025/26 to Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Scotland, and China. Our goal is to continue expanding GPS opportunities through partnerships with organizations worldwide as the experiential (“E”) component of the IDEAL Scholars program.