The Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands is an undergraduate course from the University of California, Berkeley, that has been taught each fall since 1991. For the 1994 session, seventeen upper division students were selected through an application process to participate in the program. The academic term began with four weeks of lectures and research planning at the Berkeley campus before students traveled to the Richard P. Gump Biological Station on the island of Moorea, French Polynesia. During their seven-week stay on the island, students engaged in total immersion that included field trips to various islands, cultural interactions, and the execution of original research projects. The instructional staff consisted of faculty experts and three graduate student instructors who provided guidance in the field. Upon returning to Berkeley, students presented their research results at a symposium and compiled their final reports into a published volume.