Seven Miami University graduate students in Project Dragonfly’s Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) and Global Field Program (GFP) were recently awarded scholarships totaling $10,750.

About Our 2024 Scholarship Winners

Rosie Bloom Scholarship

GFP graduate student Shelby Elder of Amelia, Ohio, and AIP graduate student Lane Forthofer, are the recipients of the Rosie Bloom Scholarship. The scholarship, named for local Audubon Society charter member and nature advocate Rosie Bloom, helps support Earth Expeditions (EE) students who live or work in the Audubon Miami Valley membership area.

Shelby (she/her) is a science teacher at Goshen High School in Goshen, Ohio. Since joining the GFP in 2023, Shelby has studied desert biodiversity, island biogeography, and whale sharks in Baja, Mexico. This summer Shelby will travel to the Galápagos Islands to study the forces of evolutionary, geologic, and social change through work with ECOS, a newly established local Galápagos organization grounded by its start as a program of Ecology Project International. Through her Master Plan (a kind of personal mission statement for what she wants to accomplish in the program), Shelby would like to teach her students their required state content in a way that promotes inquiry by allowing students to investigate and discover their local community. Shelby is focused on enhancing the biodiversity in her community that has been impacted by a tornado and the recent addition of several new housing developments. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with friends, trying new restaurants, and training for her first full marathon!

Lane (she/her) is a junior high math teacher in Westlake, Ohio. Since joining the AIP in 2022, Lane has taken courses on the web from Miami University while also participating in unique learning experiences on the grounds of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and in natural settings around northeastern Ohio. This summer Lane will travel to Costa Rica to study ecology and ecotourism. She will trek through the lowland rainforest, montane forest, and coastal ecosystems while investigating the biotic, physical, and cultural forces that affect tropical biodiversity. Lane is focusing her graduate studies on creating opportunities for junior high students to become more environmentally and sustainability literate. This past school year, she started an environmental science club. In her free time, Lane enjoys working out, reading, doing puzzles, riding bikes, traveling and spending time outdoors.

Dragonfly’s Inquiry, Community, Voice Scholarship

AIP graduate students Diana Hunt of Lindenhurst, New York, and Tiger Irvin of Fairview Park, Ohio, are the recipients of Dragonfly’s Inquiry, Community, Voice Scholarship. Created in 2021, the Dragonfly scholarship supports Dragonfly students who are committed to furthering the fields of inclusion, diversity, environmental justice, and other related fields using innovative and relevant approaches to conservation.

Diana (she/her) is a bilingual science teacher for the Patchogue Medford School District. Since joining the AIP in 2023, Diana has taken courses on the web from Miami University while also participating in unique learning experiences on the grounds of the Bronx Zoo and in natural settings around New York. This summer Diana will participate in the global biomes course and explore the relationship between and among an area’s temperature patterns, annual precipitation and living organisms. Her master’s research focuses on spreading awareness to communities on Long Island of the dangers of poaching and deforestation through focusing on the Congo and the declining population of the western lowland gorillas. In her free time, Diana enjoys painting and playing with her dogs!

Tiger (he/him) is a student, volunteer, and seasonal horticulturist at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Since joining the AIP in 2022, Tiger has taken courses on the web from Miami University while also participating in unique learning experiences on the grounds of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and in natural settings around northeastern Ohio. This summer Tiger will participate in AIP courses focused on ecophysiology and primate conservation. His master’s research centers on how people think about and engage with the zoo. In his free time, Tiger enjoys dancing, making art and music, gaming, and being active outdoors.

W. Hardy Eshbaugh–T.K. Wilson Scholarship in Botany

GFP graduate student Emily Summers of Waialua, Hawai'i, is the recipient of the W. Hardy Eshbaugh–T.K. Wilson Scholarship in Botany. This fund is possible in part due to Dr. T.K. Wilson, a leader in Bahamian floral biodiversity studies, and Dr. Hardy Eshbaugh, a pioneer in the field of ethnobotany (people's use of plants) working in many global locations. These emeritus professors exemplify a model for what is possible in international scientific botanical research and global partnerships. This scholarship can be used toward relevant course costs.

Emily (she/her) of Waialua, Hawai’i, is currently pursuing her Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Biology in the GFP at Miami University. After studying community-based conservation in Belize last summer, she will be expanding her understanding of the nuances of CBC in Kenya this summer. She is dedicated to applying these concepts to O'ahu and is developing a master plan for fostering true community-based conservation on the island. Currently, she is developing a community powered coral reef monitoring program with aims of growing into community-led coral outplanting efforts. Emily is also a small business owner, and enjoys surfing and freediving in her free time.

José Pareja-Wendy Tori Scholarship

GFP graduate students Sanjana Ramesh of Washington, D.C., and Aurelia Valente of Sante Fe, New Mexico, are the recipients of the José Pareja-Wendy Tori Scholarship. José I. and Wendy, who are natives of Peru, were a part of the Dragonfly team at its inception in 2008, and they are currently both faculty members at Earlham College.

Sanjana (she/her) works as a program operations associate specialist for the World Wildlife Fund in Washington, D.C. Since joining the GFP in 2023, Sanjana has studied golden lion tamarins in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. This summer she will travel to India, where she’ll journey through the stunning ecological, cultural, and spiritual landscapes of the Western Ghats, and explore sacred groves and forest temples. Her master’s research focuses on promoting wildlife education among women and children in rural villages near wildlife reserves in Karnataka, India, her birthplace. In her free time, Sanjana enjoys exploring Washington, D.C.'s museums and cultural sites, going to the movies, spending time with her dogs, and discovering new environmental spaces with the South Asian environmental group she founded in D.C.

Aurelia (she/they) is a biology graduate student and ex-secondary biology educator from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Since joining the GFP in 2022, Aurelia has been a part of field studies in Baja, Mexico, and was part of the RedHawk Talks, a Ted-like talk hosted by Miami's Graduate School in April, 2024. Aurelia's presentation, titled "Disability Inclusion in STEM Academia" focused on the challenges associated with being a disabled graduate in STEM, as well as how her own journey has shaped her research as both a master's and doctoral student.

Aurelia's master portfolio is focused on adaptability and accessibility in biological education, communication, and research. She is currently working on a series of op-eds relating to the critical need for accessible science communication, and will travel to Australia this summer to study public conservation outreach exhibits that can be re-applied to conservation efforts in her home state. 

Aurelia will also officially begin coursework for her Ph.D. at The University of New Mexico, in August, 2024, where she will be studying comparative behavioral biology. She will travel to The Flathead Lake Biological Station in Montana in June, to begin making initial observations for her dissertation research.

Aurelia spends most of her free time resting, and has spent the past year recovering from five major surgeries. "I'm kind of terrified to get back out into the world," she shares. But I'm too passionate to quit now."

Carrie R. Wilson Memorial Scholarship

GFP graduate student Emily Summers is also the recipient of the Carrie R. Wilson Memorial Scholarship. Pelecanus Inc., a non-profit organization co-founded by AIP graduate Austin Parker and his brother Taylor, created this scholarship in 2021 in memory of Carrie Wilson, who served as Dean of Students at the University of San Diego Law School and believed in community inspiration through direct and intentional action.

Since 2009, Dragonfly graduate students have received more than $71,000 in scholarship funds. If you are interested in learning more about these scholarship opportunities, please visit the Dragonfly Scholarships webpage. If you are interested in becoming a scholarship donor, please contact Jill Korach at korachjk@miamioh.edu or contribute to our ongoing Dragonfly scholarship here.