Photos courtesy of Dragonfly student Ginger Levinson of Nashville, Tennessee, in Belize; AIP graduate Joanna Volavka of San Diego, California, in India; AIP graduate Myranda Parker of Tampa, Florida, in the Okefenokee swamp (Georgia–Florida line); GFP graduate Jacqueline McGonigal of Foley, Alabama, in Belize; and GFP graduate Melissa Neufer of Santa Rosa, California, in Baja; and GFP graduate Nicole Wroblewski of Phoenix, Arizona, in Baja. | |
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Hello,
WOW - it's been a very busy few weeks! Our summer field courses are off and running, fall course preparations are underway, and we want to commemorate two June historical events—Juneteenth and Stonewall.
The Juneteenth holiday commemorates the date enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, learned of their emancipation, more than two years after the proclamation. The holiday has long been celebrated by African Americans, and in 2021, President Biden signed legislation establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Miami University will observe Juneteenth on Monday, June 19.
Stonewall, also called the Stonewall Riots/Uprising, began in June 1969, when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in NYC's Greenwich Village. The event served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement and led to the creation of various gay activist groups in the U.S. and around the world. In 2000 President Clinton officially declared June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, and the observance was later expanded to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month by President Obama. Project Dragonfly is a proud supporter of and ally to the LGBTQIA+ community. We hope you'll join Dragonfly, Miami, and the world in championing and celebrating #Pride.
It's also National Pollinator Month—a time to recognize the significance of pollinators and promote their conservation. Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators play a crucial role in our ecosystems but are on the decline worldwide. Learn how you can help on our pollinator webpages and at websites of non-profits like the Xerces Society and the Pollinator Partnership. And please continue reading below to learn about recent conservation initiatives of our students, alumni, and partners.
On behalf of the Dragonfly Team,
Jamie
Jamie Bercaw Anzano
Director of Communications
bercawj@MiamiOH.edu
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Miami University graduate Kim Lamb '23 of Jacksonville, Florida, who participated in experiential learning through Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, took this photo during a project comparing plant species richness between two urban parks. Pictured is a Honeybee (Apis) on Rose Glorybower (Clerodendrum bungei). | |
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GFP graduate named Grosvenor Teacher Fellow
Global Field Program (GFP) graduate and teacher Helen Corveleyn MAT ’20 of Hopewell, New Jersey, has been named a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow by the National Geographic Society and Lindblad Expeditions. Corveleyn is among 50 educators who will embark on expeditions around the world for professional learning and an educational experience of a lifetime. Read more
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GFP student named Fulbright Scholar and contributing columnist
Current GFP student Greg Harris of Cambridge, Massachusetts, was awarded a Fulbright Scholar Award to Iceland for August 2023. Harris will live in Reykjavi and teach at the University of Iceland while researching and writing on conservation and climate change in the Arctic. Earlier this year, Harris was invited to be a contributing columnist on environmental issues for his local paper, Cambridge Day. Read more
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Project Dragonfly joins Miami University Science Week
Last month more than 1,000 local Oxford, Ohio, students engaged in science experiments in Miami classrooms and labs. Miami faculty, staff and students—including Dragonfly faculty Dr. Laura Abondano and program assistant Spencer Pate—facilitated activities. Dr. Abondano and Dr. Kelsey Ellis, of Miami's department of anthropology, helped students learn about the different traits that characterize primates and research techniques to become hands-on primate detectives. Pate met with fourth-graders who learned about the structure and function of DNA in living things and how to extract DNA from fruit, using household items.
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Setting aside the pathway to tragedy through commoning
GFP student Beth Jackson of Orono, Maine, recently co-authored an article for Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability, an online interdisciplinary journal from the University of Maine that seeks to widely increase engagement with current environmental issues. The authors define commoning as a "focus on how particular types of relationships can address, or inhibit, the challenge of managing global resources, such as the atmosphere, as a commons. ... When the collective we, as a global society, decide to view the atmosphere as a vital resource that connects us all in a global scale commons, we set aside the pathway to tragedy." Read more
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Evaluating plant communities
GFP graduate Caryn Beiter '22 of Wells, Maine, co-authored an article about phenological ranking in the International Journal of Biometeorology. The research evaluated the phenological consistency of 132 species across 84 sites in the northeastern U.S. Read more
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Presenting on behalf of lemurs
GFP graduate Lynne Venart '22 of Washington, D.C., will be presenting "Bringing Hope To Messaging About Endangered Species on Zoo Websites: A Focus on Lemurs" at the 2023 Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference in September in Columbus, Ohio. Venart conducted this research during her degree and as part of her work for the Lemur Conservation Network (LCN), which she helped launch in 2014. Venert now serves as LCN's digital communications manager. Kudos to all Dragonfly students and graduates accepted to present at AZA in September. Additional Dragonfly presenters at AZA will appear in an upcoming newsletter. Read more
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Call her Dr. Fowler
Since earning her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction, Science Education from the University of Washington in 2022, GFP graduate Kelsie Fowler '14 has been busy partnering with local communities, schools, and organizations in the Seattle area—amplifying their voices and visions for learning science to help realize social and environmental solutions. Outside of this work, Dr. Fowler is a member of the leadership team at the Vermillion Sea Institute (VSI), Dragonfly's Baja partner. She serves as a science education research partner and teaches several science methods courses. Dr. Fowler also works closely with VSI's Aventureros Program. Read more
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Writing for climate and social justice
First-generation Latina Miami graduate student Savannah Wheeler of Dallas, Texas, wrote an article for GreenLatinos on how the industry of single-use plastics profits from those most affected by the climate crisis: poor and brown communities. Inspired by the work of GreenLatinos in fighting for climate and social justice, Wheeler wanted to address the issues of classism and sustainability. Read more
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Interpreting nature and exploring visitor motivations
GFP student and outdoor educator Meghan Manary of North Platte, Nebraska, was published in the May/June 2023 issue of Legacy magazine, a journal of the National Association for Interpretation (NAI). Manary's article, entitled "The Nature of Identity: An Interpretive Exploration of Visitor Motivations," was written as part of her master's coursework and is available online to NAI members. Read more
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Filming the art of nature
AIP graduate Hilary Hirtle ‘20 of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, recently collaborated with fellow filmmaker Cameron Mackie and artist Anthony Bagley to create a short documentary film called "A Different Lens." The film follows Bagley through green spaces in and around London as he reveals how he creates art from nature. Hirtle hopes those viewing the film will engage in their own unique dialogues and perspectives with the natural world. Read more
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In a STEAM state of mind
AIP student Chelsea Holmes of Dayton, Ohio, participated in a local podcast, STEAM State of Mind, as a representative from the informal education field from Boonshoft Museum of Discovery. The experience provided an opportunity for Holmes to discuss her master's work about informal education in formal settings and her passion for inquiry and education. Inquiry-based learning is also the subject of Holmes' recent Edutopia article. Read more
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Studying and enriching zoo animal experiences
AIP graduate Meaghan Carrick '22 of San Diego, California, was recently published in the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) Animal Keepers' Forum (AKF). In the article Carrick describes outcome-based husbandry techniques used to enhance the enriched experience of animals in managed care. The article provides an example with an experience created for mountain lions. Carrick earned her Miami degree while working as a veterinary assistant and currently works at the San Diego Zoo. AKF is available for purchase on the AAZK website. Read more
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Making climate change more relevant for kids
AIP student and middle school teacher Kelly Kleinertz of La Jolla, California, was recently published on Edutopia.org. In the article, Kleinertz shares how as a middle school science teacher she grapples with the question: How do we prepare today’s youth for a future defined by the climate crisis? For starters, Kleinertz recommends teaching climate change in a local context. A global context can often leave kids "feeling disconnected and powerless," she writes. She also offers a few online tools for place-based learning about climate change. Read more
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Grant awarded to EE partner tackling plastics for a better Baja
Following a highly competitive review process, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program awarded the Vermilion Sea Institute (VSI), our EE partner in Baja, the 2022 Marine Debris Removal and Prevention Grant. VSI was among 14 recipients awarded funds.
Our partners at VSI are working closley with other Bahía de Los Ángeles community stakesholders in reducing single-use plastics and marine debris by expanding the work and research of local youth in their Aventureros educational program. Together, they are tackling marine debris at its source through a place-based debris prevention initiative. Read more
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Belize Zoo celebrates 40 years; Dragonfly and world-renowned conservationist Jeff Corwin attend
What an incredible weekend celebrating 40 years of accomplishments by Sharon Matola and the Belize Zoo team. The event was hosted by world-renowned biologist and wildlife conservationist Jeff Corwin, who is pictured above with Dragonfly Field Programs Assistant Director Jill Korach (left) and our Earth Expeditions (EE) partner and Director of the Belize Zoo, Celso Poot (right), in front of the newly opened otter exhibit. It meant a lot to us to be there after 15+ years of partnership and friendship together.
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San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance celebrates its newest group of graduates and Miami holds spring commencement
Congratulations to the newest group of Miami-Dragonfly alumni! Check out the photos above from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Spring 2023 AIP Graduation Celebration (top) and from Miami's Commencement Ceremony in Oxford.
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Project Dragonfly is committed to dismantling the structures and forces of exclusion and oppression, particularly in our education systems and in the environmental and conservation movements. To learn more about our diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, please visit our DEI webpage. | | | |
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A transformative education initiative within Miami University's department of biology, Project Dragonfly oversees the world's largest graduate degree programs dedicated to community-driven ecological and social change. Dragonfly students join the frontlines of community innovation, working across an extraordinary network of leading U.S. zoos, botanical gardens, and community organizations around the world. Dragonfly offers the Advanced Inquiry Program and the Global Field Program master's degrees, which combine online and on-site experiential learning, as well as individual field courses through Earth Expeditions.
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Project Dragonfly
111 Upham Hall, Bishop Circle
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056
513.529.8576, dragonfly@miamioh.edu
www.ProjectDragonfly.MiamiOH.edu
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