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Dragonfly Monthly Newsletters

Three decades after its creation, Project Dragonfly continues to play an essential role in inquiry-driven learning and shared action to support conservation and sustainability. Members of the Dragonfly community — students, alumni, staff, instructors, advisors, and partners — are doing great things. Find out what great things have been happening in Project Dragonfly in our monthly newsletter!

A parrot snake (Leptophis ahaetulla) peaks through vines at Hacienda Herrera in the Madre de Dios region of Peru. Photo by Dragonfly graduate student Cara Stofa of New York, New York, during her Earth Expeditions: Amazon course. Stofa integrated the field course into her degree path with the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP). Her AIP experiential learning occurs at the Bronx Zoo and at locations in New York.

March 2025

We celebrate the accomplishments of so many Dragonflies, notably this month, the career and recent retirement of Dragonfly assistant director Karen Plucinski. Thank you so much for your dedication, and congratulations! Read more here!

"In a community, it’s important to still be yourself and shine through! This illuminated moon jellyfish shows just that!" said Miami University AIP graduate Lara Vezard '24 of Edison, New Jersey. Vezard took the photo during her 2024 Urban Ecology course at Wildlife Conservation Society's New York Aquarium.

January 2025

As we finish another journey around the sun, the Project Dragonfly team is reflecting on the past and is looking to the future. In December, we celebrated 151 students receiving their master’s degrees through the Advanced Inquiry Program and the Global Field Program. It was so wonderful to talk with those who made the trip to Oxford, Ohio, for the ceremony. Read more here!
Earth Expeditions students in Guyana at Kaieteur Falls. Kaieteur is one of the highest, most spectacular, and most powerful waterfalls in the world. Its thunder can be heard long before visitors glimpse this magnificent cascade. Photo by Global Field Program graduate Scott Vincent '18 of Cincinnati, Ohio.

November 2024 Newsletter

With International Education Week (IEW) right around the corner (it's November 18-22), we want to take this opportunity to reiterate our commitment to international education. Never has international education been so relevant and so necessary. A joint initiative of the U.S. state and education departments, IEW celebrates the benefits of international education and exchange. Read more here!
After a rain storm, a three-toed sloth climbs to get back into the rainforest canopy. Photo by Dragonfly graduate Justin Grubb '21 of St. Louis, Missouri, during his Earth Expeditions course in Costa Rica.

October 2024 Newsletter

In late September we welcomed leaders from our zoo and botanical garden Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) sites to Miami University's Oxford campus for our annual AIP retreat. Thanks to all who traveled throughout the country to Oxford to engage in another productive, engaging event! We are incredibly proud of our AIP collaborators and the vigorous work they do in providing invaluable community connections, expertise, and environmental leadership! Read more here!
Skeletonized leaf in an aquatic exhibit at Missouri Botanical Garden's Climatron, the first geodesic dome to be used as a conservatory. Photo by MBG AIP advisor Susan Baron.

September 2024 Newsletter

As I walked across the Miami University campus this week, I witnessed the first leaves changing colors. The changing of the leaves marks the changing of the seasons, and causes me to stop and reflect on the idea of change. Change is always present, and change is the basis of Project Dragonfly. We have developed a community of people who observe problems, ask questions, and develop actions promoting social and ecological change. As we study the changes in ecological processes and encourage changes in our community, we often forget that we have grown and changed. Read more here!
An underwater photo of coral from the Great Barrier Reef.

August 2024 Newsletter

As we soak in the final weeks of summer, it's time to turn up the heat on our appreciations and fundraising and recruitment efforts. A note of thanks: With the close of summer term, we'd like to thank our instructional team for their leadership and thank all of our international and U.S. partners for hosting new summer adventures. Thanks for your commitment to scientific research, conservation, immersive learning, and community engagement. Read more here!

Golden lion tamarins being observed by Miami University graduate students during the 2024 summer Earth Expeditions course in Brazil. Photo by our course partner, Associação Mico-Leão Dourado, a Brazilian non-profit organization that has played a central role in golden lion tamarin conservation.

July 2024 Newsletter

Ahh, summer! There are so many reasons to love summer here in the northern hemisphere — longer days, warm weather, swimming, ice cream, and more! The season provides an unparalleled opportunity to immerse ourselves in face-to-face learning opportunities within the beauty and tranquility of the natural world. Above all, it's the time of year when we have a chance to meet many of you in person and develop genuine, lasting connections! Read more here!
A rainbow of paints sitting on a shelf.

June 2024 Newsletter

Over the past few weeks we have said goodbye to our co-founders/co-directors, Dr. Chris Myers and Lynne Born Myers, as they move on to their next adventures as retirees. And we've welcomed a new director (more on that below!) — all the while managing to get our summer courses off and running and fall course preparations underway. The Dragonflly team has been busy! Read more here!
Chris and Lynne Myers

May 2024 Newsletter

Our co-founders/co-directors are retiring after 30 years! At the start of his Miami University career in the early 1990s, Dr. Chris Myers began teaching tropical ecology courses in Costa Rica. Within the next few years, he, Lynne Born Myers, and a group of interdisciplinary studies professors had written a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation. And with the success of that grant, Project Dragonfly was born. Read more here.
Colorful umbrellas hanging from wires.

April 2024 Newsletter

A warm welcome to our newest cohorts of Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) students — we’re so glad to have you join our network of world changers! We're also excited to get back into a full suite of summer AIP and Earth Expeditions (EE) courses. We'll have close to 300 students participating in our 20th year of EE field courses and more than 170 new AIP students ready to start their summer foundational inquiry courses. Read more here!

A field of clovers.

March 2024 Newsletter

For those of you in the northern hemisphere, happy spring equinox! So, with the start of spring, we're celebrating all things green, which often represents nature and good luck. We're feeling lucky to have had so much good fortune over the past month and very proud to celebrate the accomplishments of so many Dragonflies. Read more here!
A group of students kayaking on a river.

February 2024 Newsletter

With the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) application due date around the corner, in this newsletter we're highlighting the amazing work of some of our AIP students and alumni. Below are some great video stories about how AIP students made their way through the program and are making a real difference in the world today. Read more here!
A student standing on top of a hill.

January 2024 Newsletter

Happy New Year! We celebrated December with more than 170 Dragonfly graduates. It was great to have so many Dragonflies on campus and to meet their friends and families in person! And January has brought preparations for spring semester courses and reviewing applications for our newest cohort of students! Read more here!
A sunset over the water.

December 2023 Newsletter

Every December, Project Dragonfly looks forward to commencement to recognize the hard work and dedication of its graduates, reflect on the special journey of its students, and welcome a new cohort of conservation leaders. Read more here!
Students eating together at a picnic table.

November 2023 Newsletter

"WHEW" is the word that comes to mind when reflecting on the past month! ... you may be wondering how does Dragonfly do it! Whoever coined the phrase “it takes a village” was right. So, thanks to all of you, our Dragonfly village! Read more here!
Students walking along the edge of a field.

September 2023 Newsletter

Applications open today for all of Dragonfly's 2024 graduate courses and master’s programs! We've got some upcoming informational webinars, and new this year is a waiver of the $50 application fee for applicants who attend a webinar. Check out the details below. And please read on to learn about the recent great work of some of our Dragonflies. Read more here!
A group of students in front of a truck.

August 2023 Newsletter

Well, that's a wrap on our summer field experiences for the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) and Global Field Program (GFP) / Earth Expeditions (EE) - it's been a busy few months! Missing those adventures? Check out our #summerofinquiry highlights on our social channels. Read more here!
Two students attaching a motion camera to a tree.

July 2023 Newsletter

With 20 international field courses and 30+ AIP courses nationwide, we've been having a jam-packed summer of learning! Our students have been enjoying their time abroad and locally. So far, they've encountered whale sharks in Baja, hiked the sacred groves in India, met game scouts in Kenya... Read more here!
A collage of rainbow colored images.

June 2023 Newsletter

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. Read more here!
Dragonfly staff on the steps of Upham Hall.

May 2023 Newsletter

Welcome Dr. Paul Harding! Project Dragonfly faculty and staff recently met with Harding, the incoming chair of Miami’s biology department. Our current chair Dr. Tom Crist is stepping down to return full time to his faculty role. Read more here!
Pink coneflowers with bees on them.

April 2023 Newsletter

Spring is about starting fresh and experiencing transformations, especially for our newly accepted students who begin their master's journey this summer. A warm welcome to our newest cohort of Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) and Global Field Program (GFP) students. Read more here!
A group of dragonfly students.

March 2023 Newsletter

It's Women's History Month! We're proud to celebrate the exceptional women who contribute every day at Dragonfly -- bringing people together and mobilizing conservation action for a just and sustainable future. Read more here!
A grouping of the AIP Sites' logos.

February 2023 Newsletter

The Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) application due date is around the corner, so in this newsletter we'd like to highlight the amazing work of our AIP students and alumni. Below are some great stories about how they're making a real difference. Read more here!
Students graduating at Miami.

January 2023 Newsletter

Hello and happy New Year! We celebrated our December graduates in person for the first time since the pandemic, and what a great day it was! Many of our Global Field Program (GFP) and Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) graduates gathered for this photo at Millett Hall at Miami University in mid-December.  Read more here!
Collage of students graduating.

November 2022 Newsletter

Hello! Our December graduation celebration is right around the corner. It's been two years since we've hosted this celebration so we are over the moon for this year's festivities. It's going to be a blast!  Read more here!
Dragonfly staff at the AIP retreat.

October 2022 Newsletter

In late September Dragonfly held our first in-person Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) retreat since the pandemic began and welcomed leaders from our zoo and botanical garden AIP sites to campus. Read more here!
Students in the back of a truck.

September 2022 Newsletter

We're thrilled to welcome the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) as our newest Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) site! A renowned leader in humane education, wildlife conservation, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability, DZS operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Center. Read more here!
Group on students posing on a boat ramp.

August 2022 Newsletter

Well, that's a wrap on our summer field experiences for the Advanced Inquiry Program and Earth Expeditions - it's been a busy few months! Read more here!
A student with parrots on her head.

July 2022 Newsletter

We are winding up July field experiences for Advanced Inquiry Program and Earth Expeditions courses, and we're prepping for August and September. Read more here!
Student looking down into a bear enclosure.

June 2022 Newsletter

We are winding up June field experiences for Advanced Inquiry Program and Earth Expeditions courses, and we're prepping for July and August. It's a busy summer, and we're excited to be back out there! Read more here!
Students looking over the plane.

May 2022 Newsletter

As Miami University students, instructors, and staff get to work on summer 2022 Dragonfly courses that began this past week, we have a few updates. Read more here!
Students sitting in a circle on a some rocks.

April 2022 Newsletter

We hope you enjoy this newsletter about our Project Dragonfly friends and family - they're doing incredible work and implementing important change to benefit human and ecological communities. Read more here!

Contact Project Dragonfly

111 Upham Hall
Oxford, Ohio
Est. 1994
513-529-8576
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