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.
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.
Hello,
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. Thank you!
Don't miss tonight's Diversity Cafe when we'll talk with Antoinette Lee Toscano about her work promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion as a TV producer, writer, and motivational-wellness speaker. Register below; we hope you'll join us!
On behalf of the Dragonfly Team,
Jamie
Dragonfly Diversity Cafe
Our next Dragonfly Diversity Cafe is tonight, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET. This virtual cafe features Antoinette Lee Toscano, MBA, a U.S. Army veteran, outdoor industry consultant, writer, philanthropist, and motivational health and wellness speaker. Toscano also writes for America Outdoors Association, serving on its DEI task force; for Paddling Magazine; and for Culturs, a global, multicultural magazine. Toscano is also the executive producer of AdventureTV. Read more and register.
Women's History Month
Women's History Month (WHM) commemorates the movement for women's rights and celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. During the month of March, we celebrate the vital role of women in the U.S. and across the globe. Have a look at some of the great women of Dragonfly above and learn more about them and their accomplishments.
We also invite you to explore the WHM events (in-person and virtual) and resources sponsored by Miami University's Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion and MU Libraries. Read more.
Instructor/Partner Spotlight
Dragonfly instructors join Miami mentorship weekend
Dragonfly instructors Katie Feilen and Amy Sullivan participated as mentors-experts in Miami University's Social Innovation Weekend, March 3-5. The event integrated key public-private organizations with Miami undergraduate students to address significant societal issues including the global impact of climate change. The weekend included both in-person and virtual workshops. Read more.
Dragonflies in the News
Dragonfly's Rachel Arbor among 3MT competition winners
Congratulations to Global Field Program (GFP) student Rachel Arbor of Beacon, New York, for bringing in a second-place finish and a $750 award at the 2023 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at Miami in February. Several Dragonfly staff members were there in Oxford to cheer Rachel on. Pictured from left are Katie Feilen, Lynne Born Myers, Connie Malone, Arbor, Kevin Matteson, Kirsten Keener, Spencer Pate, and Marcia Nantz.
Matteson, who is associate director of master's programs, served as Arbor's advisor, and Dragonfly's Senior Program Associate, Marcia Nantz, was among the final round judges. Miami's 3MT competition is sponsored by Miami's Graduate School. Read more.
Saving birds, one grebe at a time
Current GFP graduate student Angie Trumbo of Long Beach, California, shares interesting facts about western grebes and Clark’s grebes – from chick care to their unique feet and leg structure – in an article she wrote for International Bird Rescue (IBR). Trumbo, pictured right in the Amazon with Ruth Torres, who manages lodging for our Earth Expeditions course in the Amazon, is IBR's conservation and educational specialist. Read more.
Giving hope for species struggling for survival
Current GFP graduate student Sarah Sherwin of Newtown, Pennsylvania, wrote an op-ed, "It’s a Bucks County Thing: Go Birds ... and Butterflies," which was published in her hometown newspaper, the Bucks County Herald. She writes: "Like bald eagles, monarch butterflies are being harmed by the use of pesticides and habitat loss. And now climate change is exacerbating their struggles ... The additional protections from the Endangered Species Act are what the monarch needs to help its population recover." Read more.
