"The Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands" (ESPM 107 / IB 158) is an intensive undergraduate course offered by the University of California, Berkeley, designed to transform students into professional natural scientists through the design and implementation of original research projects. Based at the Richard B. Gump South Pacific Biological Research Station on the island of Moorea, French Polynesia, the class begins with three and a half weeks of preparatory scientific and logistical training in Berkeley followed by a nine-week field research portion in the South Pacific. Under the guidance of a teaching team from the departments of Integrative Biology and Environmental Science, Policy and Management, students conduct eight weeks of independent field research on diverse topics ranging from marine reef biota to high-elevation terrestrial flora. The course, which has been highly successful since its inception in 1991, culminates in a formal symposium presentation and the production of scientific papers, many of which are eventually published in professional journals.