Project Inters- Summer 2009
The project has accepted several interns to work with the team this summer in Peru and Texas. This summer a student from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, Clayton Sublett, will be traveling to Peru to conduct insect research in the Amazon jungle. Clayton will work closely with Pedro Centeno to capture and identify the Sphingidae or hawk moths of Quincemil.
In August, two high school students (Delaney Vail and Cai Hopkins) will begin a two week internship at BRIT. These students will be working close with herbarium staff to scan and bar code specimens, assist in local field research and educational activities. We are very excited to share our knowledge of plants and insects with each of these students!
AABP RECEIVES CONSERVATION AWARD
The Como Zoo and Conservatory of St. Paul, MN, has given their annual conservation award to the AABP in recognition of their ongoing biodiversity science and conservation work in the Andes-Amazon region of southeastern Peru. The total monetary value of the award was $3,000, which is being used to support ongoing field investigations of the Andes-Amazon region of southeastern Peru.
Project Interns Update- Summer 2008
BRIT was fortunate to collaborate again with the Pinhead Institute of Telluride, Colorado. This past summer we offered internships to three Colorado high school students: Madison Crowell, Louisa Clark, and Kyle Rasmussen. Madison and Louisa joined the AABP team in Peru where they collected biodiversity data from the forests surrounding Quince Mil, in the department of Cusco and helped to establish a new native plant nursery at the new field location. Dawson White and Kyle Ward, both undergraduate students at the University of Colorado,
also worked closely with Janovec and the BRIT field team to install and
inventory forest diversity transects in the forests of Quince Mil,
Peru. Dawson and Kyle extended their summer internships in Peru and have greatly aided the team in conducting field research and helped to maintain the new plant nursery.
Kyle (a senior at Norwood High School in Norwood Colorado) returned to BRIT for another summer internship. This summer, however, brought him new experiences and allowed him to use more of his creativity in the creation of a documentary about BRIT . Kyle completed all the research and
development for this video, and he conducted each interview with a
professional attitude. He personally designed the docket of questions
he used in each interview, and conducted the research on who needed to
be interviewed. This documentary will be an important tool BRIT can use
in the future to better explain how BRIT was established, who we are,
provide information on the types of research we conduct and educational
programs we provide to the public as well as our work in conservation.
We also offered a summer internship to a local Fort Worth High School student, Kelly Ransom. Kelly worked closely with the BRIT staff in Texas to inventory and database the entire map collection at BRIT and aided in the sorting of specimens from Peru. Kelly was a major asset and the staff enjoyed having her help this summer!
Congratulations to the 2008 graduates from the TCU-BRIT collaboration!
Rebecca Repasky, Jorge Lingan, and Andy Waltke all graduated in the
spring semester of 2008 from the TCU Biology and Environmental Science
Graduate Program. Rebecca defended her thesis on her research of the Orchid Diversity within Wayqechas. Jorge defended his thesis on
his research of the Araceae found within the Peruvian Departments of Madre de Dios, Cusco, and Ucayali. Andy Waltke defended his thesis on his research
of the Sapotaceae family in the Los Amigos
Concession. We are very proud of each of the graduate students and wish them luck in their future endeavors.
Funding Update- December 2007
Throughout
the year, the team sought funding from donors, foundations, and
organizations. The AABP team received
over $800,000 in total funding from the Beneficia Foundation, Conservation
International- Melanesia Program, Texas Christian University, National Science
Foundation, Clayton Fund, Interamerican Development Bank, and BRIT donor's for
the continued enhancement of Atrium and biodiversity research in Peru.
Project Interns Update- Summer 2007
During
the summer, BRIT was fortunate to collaborate with the Pinhead Institute of
Telluride, Colorado,
to offer internships to one high school student and one university
undergraduate student. Dawson White, a
sophomore at the University of Colorado, worked closely with Janovec and the BRIT
field team to install and inventory forest diversity transects in forests of
Madre de Dios and Cusco, Peru. Kyle Rasmussen,
a junior at Norwood High School in Norwood
Colorado, interned at the BRIT offices in Texas for one month
where he gained experience in computer technology and botany. He then traveled to Peru to work with Janovec, Mathias Tobler,
and the BRIT field team in studies of the flora and fauna of the Amazonian
lowlands of southeastern Peru.
Thanks
to the generous support of the Stanley Smith Horticulture Trust, we were able
to offer a four-month horticultural internship to a Texas Tech University undergraduate student, Andrew Lutz.
Andrew lived at the Puerto Maldonado field site and worked closely with
Jason Wells, the manager of the AABP nursery and horticulture project, and
Janovec.
Congratulations to the first graduates from the TCU-BRIT collaboration!
Romina Gazis, Ethan Householder, and Tiana Franklin all graduated in the spring and summer semesters of 2007 from the TCU Environmental Science Graduate Program. Romina defended her thesis on her research of the Macrofungi of the Los Amigos Concession. Ethan defended his thesis on his research of the Vanilla Orchid found within the wetlands of the Los Amigos Concession. Tiana Franklin defended her thesis on her research of the Myristicaceae family in two different habits of the Los Amigos Concession. There are three more students currently enrolled and completing their research. All of them will graduate by the spring of 2008.
Discovery Channel- Spring 2007
The Discovery Channel conducted an in-depth
report on the study of tapirs in the Amazon.The film crew traveled to
Peru during February to visit the
tapir project.The BRIT scientists and
field teams working in the Amazon will actually appear on the Discovery
Channel, with a documentary that includes information about the tapir project,
with live filming in the field.
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