The URC's graduate advisor/TA and Ph.D. student in the Ecology graduate group, Sarah Stinson has just returned from one of the most bio-diverse places on Earth, The Nouragues Natural Reserve in central French Guiana, where two research stations offer researchers the opportunity to explore this ecological paradise.   Sarah was a part of a small group of graduate students, postdocs and professors who helicoptered in for Metabarcoding School.  The course includes lectures and practicals designed to introduce techniques required for conducting DNA metabarcoding experiments and requires an understanding of molecular biology, bioinformatics, biostatistics, and ecology.  This time, it also included an encounter with something "slithery" during a 4-hour trip down the Arataye River!  Read the FULL STORY of this research adventure.