Hello,

We are winding up July field experiences for Advanced Inquiry Program and Earth Expeditions courses, and we're prepping for August and September. It's been a busy summer, and we're looking ahead to September when applications open, and we start recruiting for a new cohort of students!

Please read below to learn about the incredible work and conservation action of some of our Dragonfly students.

On behalf of the Dragonfly Team,

Jamie

AIP & GFP students awarded scholarships

Fifteen Miami University graduate students in Project Dragonfly’s Advanced Inquiry Program and Global Field Program recently received scholarships totaling $11,200.

Congratulations to our 2022 scholarship winners: Anna Brown, Morgan Buehlmann, Amy Castaneda, Amanda Dale, Mattie Forte, Sydnee Foster, Ava Goodale, Andrea Haugen, Emily Hemeyer, Serenity Kemp, Taylor Kennedy Frenchi, Ilana Morris, David Owen, Julianne Turner, and Gretchen Uhrinek. ... learn more about the recipients.

AIP student Jim Spanikow published on Edutopia

Advanced Inquiry Program student and eighth-grade science teacher Jim Spandikow of Oceanside, California, is creating opportunities for his students to study outside and connect to nature through hands-on lessons. As an AIP student, Spandikow participates in experiential learning through the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

“As a teacher, it’s great to get feedback from colleagues, but your efforts are really validated when students are talking positively about your class. I have been a middle school science teacher in Southern California for 30 years now, and I’ve found that engaging students in activities outdoors provides a spark that allows them to think about the environment and their place in it.”... read more about Spandikow's project.

AIP graduate Bee Redfield named new marine science center leader

Miami University graduate student Bee Redfield MA ’19 of Port Townsend, Washington, was recently hired as the new Executive Director of the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and was featured in her hometown newspaper, the Peninsula Daily News. 

Redfield earned a Master of Arts (MA) degree in the biological sciences from Miami University while participating in Advanced Inquiry Program field study through the Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo, and working full-time as a Community Relations Manager for a local animal shelter in South Elgin, Illinois. After receiving her MA degree, Redfield began pursuing her doctorate in quantitative ecology at Purdue University in Indiana. ... read more and access the article about Redfield.

AIP student Britta Moore published in Green Teacher

Miami University graduate Britta Moore MAT '21 of Lakewood, Colorado, is promoting plant conservation in her classroom. Moore earned a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree in the biological sciences from Miami University through Project Dragonfly‘s Advanced Inquiry Program while working full-time as a science teacher in Lakewood, Colorado.  

“To promote plant conservation and prepare our students for a future in which they will need to work with botanical knowledge, we need to intentionally incorporate a more plant-centric curriculum.”... read more about Moore's project.

GFP graduate Brooke Mitchell-Norman featured on VoyageDenver.com