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PROGRAM:  AMAZON RESEARCH INITIATIVE FOR EDUCATORS (ARIE)

PROGRAM DATES:  JULY 11–20, 2024

LOCATION:  IQUITOS, PERU

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Amazon Research Initiative for Educators (ARIE) is a 10-day professional development research experience for K12 teachers based in the Amazon rainforest of Peru. During this research experience, teachers will examine the broad theme of “Biodiversity in the Changing World through Time and Space” by participating in Morpho Institute’s ongoing research projects. Teachers will learn key scientific methodologies, such as plant phenology monitoring, animal behavior observations, citizen science protocols, basic statistical analysis, and science communication. Teachers will contribute to the long-term data sets of the Morpho Institute, which will be used to monitor the changes to biodiversity and be available to teachers to use in their classrooms. Teachers will work closely with Morpho Institute faculty to investigate research questions in the amazon. Additionally, teachers will have the opportunity to connect inquiry, Morpho’s research projects, and their research interests to their classrooms in curriculum connection brainstorming sessions.

PROGRAM LOCATION

Based in one of the most biologically diverse forests in the world, the Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies (ACTS) supports tropical research, educational initiatives, classes, workshops, and sustainable development projects in the Peruvian Amazon. The ACTS Field Station and ACTS Canopy Walkway are located within the private 4,136-acre Napo-Sucusari Biological Reserve in the upper Amazon basin of northeastern Peru. An extensive trail system through thousands of acres of primary rainforest is available for research and exploration.

The Napo-Sucusari Biological Reserve has one of the longest canopy walkway systems in the world, extending horizontally 500 meters throughout the treetops and reaching a maximum height of nearly 35 meters (115 feet). This system of aerial platforms and pathways allows scientists, educators, and students to observe and study previously inaccessible parts of the rainforest. With access to all levels of the rainforest, the ACTS Field Station and ACTS Canopy Walkway provide the resources to advance tropical research and conservation.

PROGRAM CONTACT HOURS

15+ hours of pre-departure preparation via online readings, discussions, and webinars. 50 hours of active participation in daily field activities while in the Amazon.

PROGRAM GOALS

The Amazon Research Initiative for Educators (ARIE) is a professional development program offering participants the opportunity to engage in scientific research within a compelling context for developing a global perspective, understanding biodiversity and ecological systems, and learning about the key elements of inquiry-based learning, STEM learning, and national curriculum standards and curricula to better meet the needs of a changing society and an increasingly diverse student population.

Program goals include:

1. Engage teachers in active research projects to increase understanding of science as a process and inspire the use of inquiry-based lessons in their classrooms.
2. Enhance teachers’ science literacy through personal experience with scientific thinking, research design, and excitement of discovery.
3. Introduce teachers to key research methodologies for monitoring ecological systems in a changing planet in the Amazon and ecological communities in the US.
4. Develop ecological databases that can be used to monitor and protect the sustainable use of the Amazon, and connect K12 students in comparative research projects in their classes.
5. Develop learning communities of teachers and researchers to provide inspiration, connection, and resources for inquiry-based learning in the K12 classroom.
6. Examine ways of communicating science to students, teachers, researchers, and the general public.
7. Develop inquiry-based curriculums that connect K12 US students with the scientific process and understanding of local and global environmental issues and inspire a broad diversity of students to consider higher education and careers in STEM.

PROGRAM RATIONALE AND RESEARCH OVERVIEWS

The Morpho Institute uses inquiry and scientific research as a way to build inquiry practices in the K12 classroom and support the Amazon conservation efforts of the Maijuna and other communities through evidence-based decision-making and inquiry. By engaging and designing inquiry projects, teachers identify themselves and their students as scientists, practice inquiry methods, develop a biodiversity dataset of the Amazon for use in the K12 classroom, and feel empowered to guide inquiries to examine the biodiversity in their home communities with the students.

To support these goals, the Morpho Institute focuses its research priorities on examining the biodiversity of a Changing World through Time and Space. Currently, the Morpho Institute is examining two long-term and two short-term research projects centering on how biodiversity is affected through natural and human-induced environmental changes over time and across spatial gradients. As tropical forest systems are always in flux both due to human and natural cycles, the Amazon provides a great framework to examine change in ecological systems, broadly defined. Throughout The Morpho Institutes research projects, teachers will examine the themes of biodiversity, adaptations, scale, and species interactions.

Sample Long-term Research Projects

Trees and Trails: Primary producers (trees and plants) are the basis for the food webs and nutrient cycles in the tropics. Tropical forests are constantly changing, from the timing of leafing, flowering, and fruiting of trees, to the changes in the community dynamics and energy available on the forest floor after a tree fall and the regrowth of the forest after flooding. In this research stream, we will monitor forest succession (natural changes in the structure and diversity of forests through time) of a tree fall. Through these activities, teachers will examine the theoretical frameworks of community ecology and forest succession while learning to measure the biodiversity of plants and animals, monitor phenology (timing of life), and ask questions about ecological community change.

Bees and Biodiversity: With the high level of biodiversity in the Amazon, many species are still unknown, let alone monitored for changes in these diversity patterns over time and space. Scientists often use indicator species to learn about other species' diversity and monitor change. In this research project, we will be examining and monitoring orchid bee biodiversity and conservation. Orchid bees are diverse, relatively easy to identify, ecologically important, and relatively easy to inventory. In the process of building a long-term inventory of orchid bee species and genera of ACTS, we will test hypotheses about their distribution and species richness for the forest floor and the canopy. The long-term aspect of this project will enable us to look for environmental trends.  In addition, orchid bee research already accomplished at other lowland tropical sites in Peru will allow us to make valuable comparisons with ACTS.

Sample Short-term Projects

Herps and Heights: Tropical forests are three-dimensional spaces, with each level of the canopy experiencing different challenges and opportunities for the animals that live within them. Found throughout canopy levels in the Amazon rainforest, reptiles and amphibians (collectively, herpetofauna or “herps”)  are incredibly diverse groups of organisms that are often used as models for scientists to understand the processes of local adaptation.

In this research stream, teachers will investigate if and how herps experience varied predation over an elevational gradient via an experiment with clay lizard models. This investigation will consider how animals are exposed to varying selective pressures at different layers of the canopy. The research project is adaptable for classroom use, and the results can generate discussions about why species may differ in antipredator strategies or time budgeting over environmental gradients.

Heliconia and Herbivory: Plants and animals have dynamic relationships- some being mutualistic (pollination and seed dispersal) while others being detrimental (herbivory). These relationships are the foundation for explaining the physiological process but also the diversity of species in the tropics. In this research project, we will focus on the charismatic giant herb genus Heliconia. We will document the distributions of heliconia colonies around ACTS, learn to collect voucher specimens, study both flowering and leafing phenology, and study patterns of herbivory. Though relatively well studied in Central America, heliconia biology in Amazonia is very poorly known, creating significant opportunities for contributing to biodiversity and conservation science.

PROGRAM FORMAT

Pre-Departure:

The rainforest is an exciting and dynamic learning environment, and in order to take full advantage of the opportunities available through the ARIE program, participants will be provided with key background information, readings, and reflection activities prior to departure. These resources are carefully constructed to build requisite background knowledge and will be delivered in a variety of ways, including print and web-based resources. In addition, participants will engage in web-based community-building activities and discussions to make connections with fellow participants prior to arrival in the Amazon. All participants are expected to take full advantage of the resources provided, complete pre-departure readings, and contribute to online interactions.

In the Field,

The field component of the ARIE program takes full advantage of the learning resources only the Amazon can provide – amazing biodiversity, complex ecosystem structure, indigenous cultures, and a global learning environment.

Prior to departure, teachers will indicate their preferences for their research streams. They will be assigned one main and one secondary research stream. Throughout the week, they will work with researchers and teachers testing hypotheses, collecting data, analyzing results, and communicating their findings. In addition to the time working on research projects, teachers will learn about other research projects in the Amazon, discuss key topics in science education, and develop ways to connect their activities to their classrooms.

FEES AND REGISTRATION DETAILS

https://morphoinstitute.org/arie

CONTACT INFORMATION

Christa Dillabaugh

Director, The Morpho Institute

director@morphoinstitute.org

(913) 214-6126

Sample Itinerary (subject to change)

July 11 - DAY 1:   Arrive in Iquitos, Peru.  Upon arrival, you’ll be met by our ground team and transferred to your Iquitos hotel.  A city tour and other activities may be arranged for an additional fee.

July 12 - DAY 2:  Iquitos to Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies (ACTS) Field Station.   

• 9:30 AM Departure for the Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies (ACTS) Field Station.
• Lunch at ExplorNapo Lodge.
• Hike to ACTS.
• Program and Facilities Orientation

July 13-15 - DAY 3-5:  ACTS Field Station

• AM and PM Research Projects with Faculty

July 16-17 - DAY 6-7:  ACTS Field Station

• Independent Research Projects with Faculty

July 18 - DAY 8:   ACTS Field Station

• Maijuna Stingless Bee Pollen Project

July 19 - DAY 9:   ACTS Field Station

• Program Debrief, wrap up, and next steps

July 20 - DAY 10:  Iquitos to Lima and return flights to US

•  Transfer to Iquitos for return flight to Lima and international flights.  Most flights to the US are overnight flights and will return you to the US on July 21, DAY 11.

When you join the Amazon Research Initiative for Educators (ARIE) you get much more than a field experience.  We have developed a comprehensive pre-departure course that will help you make the absolute most of your time in the field.  Participants are provided with key background information, readings, and reflection activities via an on-line course hosted on Canvas.  The goal of the ARIE pre-departure course is to provide you with key background on the Amazon and the field research in which you will participate.

Additional web-based community-building activities provide opportunities to connect with fellow participants prior to arrival in the Amazon.  These will be available online via MorphoNet, our online community for alumni and current participants.  Participants will have access to MorphoNet upon the receipt of their registration form and deposit.  A recommended list of field equipment/supplies will also be supplied prior to departure.

Program Directors

Christa Dillabaugh - Director, The Morpho Institute

Christa Dillabaugh is the Program Director for The Morpho Institute and creator of our flagship program, The Educator Academy in the Amazon.    Prior to founding the Morpho Institute, she launched Amazon Rainforest Workshops, LLC and has coordinated numerous student and university field programs in the Amazon.  Christa began her love of the Amazon and neotropical rainforests while leading expeditions for her own students from Bexley, Ohio.  She has also worked as a free-lance science consultant to Pearson Education and Discovery Communications, contributing to curriculum and activity guides as well as educator in-service workshops and training materials focusing on STEM and Understanding by Design in the science classroom.  Her current area of focus is community-based conservation and conservation education.

Katie Feilen, PhD - Director of Conservation Engagement, The  Morpho Institute

Katie is a primatologist, conservation biologist, and engaged scientist. She has worked on a variety of projects, including teaching environmental education with Peace Corps Paraguay, studying white-faced capuchins in Costa Rica, mentoring Peruvian students in tropical ecology and conservation in the Amazon, researching seven primate species in the rainforest of Indonesian Borneo, and reversing the decline of monkeys with Disney's Conservation Team. Katie received an M.A. and Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology from the University of California-Davis and a B.S. in Biology and Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She uses behavior, ecology, and evolution to help understand how primates (monkeys, apes, and lemurs) adapt to changes in their environments and how we can use the scientific understanding of species to assist in their conservation. She also engages communities in conversations about climate change through art and works to increase science engagement to broad audiences.

Research Faculty

Faculty varies from year to year depending on availability and the number of participants.

Lindsey Swierk, PhD - Assistant Research Professor,  State University of New York, Binghamton & Director of Scientific Research, The Morpho Institute

Lindsey is a tropical ecologist studying the behavior and evolution of herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians). Lindsey heads an Organismal Ecology research laboratory at the State University of New York, Binghamton, where she and her lab investigate topics related to animal communication, social and reproductive behaviors, and adaptation to a changing world. Lindsey has conducted research throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean. Lindsey serves as the Associate Director of Research for the Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies (ACTS) in Peru, with a research focus on lizards living in the tree canopy. Lindsey received a BA in Biology and Environmental Studies and a Masters in Environmental Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in Ecology from Penn State. She was a Donnelley Environmental Fellow at Yale University’s School of the Environment. Lindsey is actively engaged in several initiatives to make science more accessible to the public and particularly to historically underrepresented groups in science.

Robert Naczi, PhD - Arthur J Cronquist Curator of North American Botany, New York Botanical Garden

Rob is a plant systematist whose research focuses on the flora of North America, plant conservation, the Sedge Family (Cyperaceae), and Western Hemisphere Pitcher Plants (Sarraceniaceae). He and collaborators are writing a comprehensive account of northeastern North America's wild plants, New Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Prior to working at NYBG, Rob was an Associate Professor of Botany at Northern Kentucky University and Herbarium Curator and graduate professor at Delaware State U. At Delaware State, he developed and co-taught “Tropical Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Conservation in Belize” for undergrad and grad students, and continues to work in Belize.  He also has conducted fieldwork in Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela.  Rob earned a B.S. in Biology from St. Joseph’s U., and a Ph.D. in Botany from U. of Michigan.

Randy Morgan - Curator Emeritus of Invertebrates for the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Randy holds an M.S. in entomology from the University of Wisconsin and his work managing a Leaf-Cutting  Ant  Colony earned the  Zoo a  Significant  Achievement  Award issued by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. This recognition was preceded by other awards in 1999 for Bullet Ants, in 2000 for the long-term propagation of the Peruvian Fire Stick, and two in 2001 for the long-term propagation and captive management of the Giant Water Bug. While regularly serving as faculty during Amazon Rainforest Workshops since 1991, Randy also led the JASON XV team of scientists in February 2003 during their Rainforests at the Crossroads expedition to Panama and served as a JASON X researcher in the Amazon in March 1999.

Nancy Trautmann, PhD - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Dr. Nancy Trautmann recently retired as Director of Education and currently serves as Visiting Fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, focusing on teacher professional development and curriculum development related to biodiversity conservation. Her passion lies in introducing people to the wonders of the natural world and helping teachers go beyond textbooks and lectures to get their students involved in conservation-related investigations and projects. She has published 10 books in collaboration with teachers, on topics ranging from biodiversity to toxicology. Publications by NSTA Press include a manual on citizen science and four environmental science research manuals. A recent book, Birds Without Borders, won the top educational award from the Association of American Publishers for supplemental science curricula in 2016.

Morpho Institute Study Sites in the Peruvian Amazon