The Dunes Center awards full scholarship for one student to attend the Smithsonian's Eco-Explorer's Program in Panama
The week of July 21st, 2008 marks a special event for the Dunes Center. We have partnered with the Smithsonian to sponsor one local student on a ten-day trip to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). The Dunes Center recruited and will mentor Joshua Sanchez as he explores the tropics and returns to the Santa Maria Valley to share his experience with the Dunes Center and our local community.
Mario Castellanos, our Executive Director, was asked to accompany the group to Panama and led these promising young students as they looked for poison-dart frogs, sloths, and spider monkeys in the tropical rainforests of Panama.
There are several ways that the tropical ecosystems relate to our local dune ecosystems. The habitats of migrating birds is one of the key links. Our coastline is part of the migratory bird route that links North America with regions far to our south. Joshua and Mario were part of cutting edge research focusing on the global amphibian crisis; now that they have returned, Joshua will study how the amphibian research he was a part of in Panama relates to our local amphibian populations.
Mario and Joshua have returned from their trip and you can learn more about their exciting journey here.
The Dunes Center Recruits and Mentors Three Students in Preparation for the "Future Stars in Science" Program
The second exciting project again involves the Dunes Center and the Smithsonian. We will recruit two to three local students who will have the opportunity to travel to Washington DC to participate in the “Future Stars in Science” program. They will spend two weeks participating in programming at the Smithsonian museums in Washington DC and at the Smithsonian’s Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia. The Dunes Center’s role will be to provide staff to mentor and support these local students and actively engage them in our local education programming. Two students are already serving as interns in our Summer Science Sand Bandits program here in Guadalupe, CA; they are working with local students, ages 7-14, and are providing interactive learning opportunities in subjects ranging from conservation to geology.
Participants will spend the first week of the program touring the Smithsonian Institution's science facilities in the D.C. metro area, meeting scientists, curators and science educators, and learning about research programs and internship opportunities at the Smithsonian. The program will include social events and special activities, such as lectures and behind-the-scenes tours at Smithsonian museums and research facilities. Students will spend the second week of the program in residence at the Smithsonian Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia, where they will learn basic biological monitoring skills and effective communication skills required to apply and secure science internships and scholarships.
