IAN facilitates the Second Laguna de Bay Report Card Workshop
IAN's participation in the development of the first Laguna de Bay Environmental Health Report Card continues. On 1-3 June 2015, Simon Costanzo, Dave Nemazie, and Vanessa Vargas met in the Philippines to facilitate the second workshop held at the Holiday Inn in Clark, Pampanga, Northwest of Manila. It was co-sponsored by the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia Resource Facility (PRF) and the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), and funded by UNEP/GEF. Four external experts from the University of the Philippines in Diliman and Los Banos, University of Santo Tomas, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources were tapped to analyze the different potential indicators from LLDA's monitoring data. The initial scores for the four sections of Laguna de Bay were calculated and a framework for the report card was developed. A timeline for key activities and milestones was set to be able to launch the report card in time for LLDA's 46th Anniversary on October 2015.
IAN attends NSF STEM Design Week in NY Harbor
IAN team members made their way up to New York City for Summer Design Week, a three day conference organized by Pace University. The week was an opportunity to bring partners on the NY Harbor STEM project together in order to give updates, collaborate, and encourage team building. It was here IAN unveiled the new digital platform, an app that students will use to record data at restoration sites. A highlight of the trip was Billion Oyster Project's inaugural STEM Symposium at Governors Island, where partners on the NY Harbor project were able to meet and interact with the middle school students and teachers who will be engaging in the program. Out on Governors Island everyone enjoyed seeing environmental projects done by graduating seniors at The Harbor School, eating oysters and cheeseburgers while looking out on the harbor from the admiral's house, and watching 'Superhero Clubhouse' perform a NY Harbor restoration themed musical production entitled 'Salty Folk'.
The Meta River Report Card Workshop
The Orinoco Basin Health Report Card was officially kicked-off in June 2015 with the first stakeholder engagement meeting in Puerto López, in the Orinoquía Region of Meta Department, Colombia. Alexandra Fries and Simon Costanzo traveled to Colombia along with our partners from the WWF office in Washington DC, Sarah Freeman and Catherine Blancard. More than 40 representatives from 19 organizations attended the workshop aimed at identifying the environmental, social and economic indicators that will form the basis of the Meta River Report Card. Indicators were chosen based on the top values identified as key to the future sustainability of the Meta River basin. Participating institutions included the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Humboldt Institute, Corporinoquia, Omacha Foundation, Fundacion Orinoquia, and WWF Colombia.
IAN welcomes Karen Luffman
Karen is very excited to join the IAN team at UMCES, and hopes to stay with IAN until she retires. She has an Associate's degree in Financial Management, a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, and a Master's degree in Accounting. Karen began her career in finance in 1997 when she joined the US Air Force and continued on in 2011 when she began working for the Wicomico County government. Numbers have always fascinated her and she is passionate about keeping them in check. Spare time is spent with her husband, Rick, and children; Jeremy (13), Cameron (6), and Ava (2), swimming, or checking out new places.
On the Horizon...
- Register now for the International RiverSymposium in Brisbane, Australia. 21-24 September 2015. IAN staff will be conducting a special session. Registration information can be found here.
- Two new courses will be offered by IAN and University of Maryland Marine, Estuarine, Environmental Sciences graduate program during the fall semester 2015. The first, "Communicating Science Effectively", will focus on developing effective strategies for communicating scientific findings using a variety of data visualization tools, including conceptual diagrams, informative maps, photographs, and video clips. (3-credit course.) The second, "Scientific basis for a Chesapeake headwaters report card", will focus on developing an ecosystem health report card for the Upper Potomac River. Students will interact with scientists and resource managers, synthesize data and deliver their results to policy makers at the end of the semester. (2-credit course.) Faculty from IAN and Appalachian Laboratory will participate. Please stay tuned for registration information!