Special
events
STRI special events, Aug-Sep 2024
Smithsonian opens the LepiDome, Congratulations Lisa Barnett, Congratulations Rachel Page, Exhibition by Irene Kopelman, Human-wildlife coexistence and more!
Q?Bus at Cyberscout Olympics
The Q'Bus participated at the 2024 Cyberscout Olympics: for marine life and climate change, held at C.I.F. Nuestra Señora de la Merced in El Chorrillo. This event promoted interest in science, technology, recycling and environmental isues among children and young scouts. The Q'Bus team participated with an interactive table with educational activities and games about coral bleaching.
Smithsonian inaugurates the LepiDome
The butterfly house, called LepiDomo, is a joint exhibit with the Gamboa Heliconius lab, led by Owen McMillan, a Smithsonian scientist based in Gamboa, Panama. This component of the public programs was made possible by funding from the Smithsonian Women's Committee and the Adrienne Arsht Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative.
The White House Fellows visit Punta Culebra
The Punta Culebra Nature Center hosted a visit from a delegation of White House Fellows, where they toured the Center and met with STRI’s Director Josh Tewksbury to learn more about STRI's mission in Panama and the research we do.
Panama Golden Frog Festival
During the Golden Frog Festival, the Q?Bus, with amphibian expert Orlando Garcés, visited the Chicá Educational Center in Capira, to talk about the importance of amphibians in ecosystems and their relationships with other organisms.
Golden Frog Day in Punta Culebra
Punta Culebra celebrated Panama's Golden Frog Day on August 14 with educational activities celebrating its amphibians during the school program with the participation of 186 students, including visits to the Fabulous Frogs of Panama exhibit, and special activities and games.
Open House at PARC
To close the Golden Frog Festival, the Q?Bus headed to Gamboa to participate in an Open House organized by the Panama Amphibian Conservation Project (PARC), located in Gamboa, under the direction of Roberto Ibañez. During the event 4 Panamanian schools visited, and had the opportunity to learn about the work of PARC and the projects by other laboratories that also participated in the activity.
STRI’s Communications Department visits Washington D.C.
Communications staff participated in a series of meetings in Washington D.C. with their counterparts from various Smithsonian museums. This image, taken at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum from left to right: Linette Dutari, communications director, Alejandra Paton, social media specialist, Lina Gonzalez, design department manager and Sonia Tejada, media specialist.
Congratulations Lisa!
Congratulations to Lisa Barnett, Director of Development at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, for her 30 years of service. Lisa was surprised by receiving her service pin presented by STRI Deputy Director Oris Sanjur during an official visit to Washington DC.
Panama’s International Book Fair
As it does every year, STRI participated in the International Book Fair, invitated by of the Science in Panama Foundation. Punta Culebra staff participated with activities such as the “Q?rioso Restaurant” and a Golden Frog Jenga.
MINSA visit to Punta Culebra
Dr. Reina Roa, Director General of Public Health and Dr. Jesica Candanedo, Coordinator of Regulation and Research of the Ministry of Health of Panama (MINSA) visited Punta Culebra to learn more about STRI's mission, the public programs it maintains and the research it conducts in the country.
Ponte Q?rioso Monthly Talk: The Fascinating World of Butterflies
Butterflies took over the “Ponte Q?rioso's” monthly talk, with researchers from the Gamboa Heliconius Lab telling present visitors and Instagram Live followers about their main projects.
Human-wildlife coexistence
On behalf of STRI, Paulette Guardia from the communications department participated as a panelist along with journalists and communication specialists in the workshop Strategic media engagement for conflict management and human-wildlife coexistence, led by MiAmbiente and executed by Fundación Yaguará Panama in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and with the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the World Bank's Global Wildlife Program (GWP). The workshop focused on strengthening collaboration between the conservation and media sectors to promote more effective communication on human-wildlife conflicts, specifically jaguar conservation.
Congratulations, Rachel!
STRI researcher Rachel Page won the 2024 Distinguished Naturalist Award from the American Society of Naturalists. This award is given to an active, mid-career researcher who has made significant contributions to the knowledge of a particular ecosystem or group of organisms. Throughout her work in Panama, she has illuminated key principles of evolutionary biology and enhanced appreciation of natural history.
Rachel is an inspiration in her lab with her passion for bats, her work as a mentor, she is an outstanding researcher. congratulations!
Exhibition by Irene Kopelman
STRI and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Panama (MAC Panama) joined forces to present an exhibition by Argentine artist Irene Kopelman that highlights her collaboration with STRI that began in 2012 and has resulted in a series of art projects that explore Panamanian biodiversity, documenting ecosystems such as coral reefs, mangroves, and a video made by filmmaker Ana Endara, which documents Irene's creative process in different scenarios.
Congratulations, Sonia!
Sonia Tejada, media specialist at STRI's communications department, participated with a multinational team of journalists in creating an award-winning article for Covering Climate Now, a non-partisan, non-profit journalism collaboration with hundreds of media outlets in more than 60 countries.
