Barbra Sobhani is the Director of the NASA Colorado Space Grant Program through University of Colorado Boulder and a Masters graduate from Project Dragonfly’s Adanced Inquiry Program through the Denver Zoo. She is an accomplished individual with dozens of publications and presentations on topics such as lunar network sensing and aerospace workforce development.

Dr. Doug Tallamy is an entomologist, conservationist, and professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. He has written and co-authored over 140 papers and several books, notably Bringing Nature Home, and he is a founder of Homegrown National Park®, a grassroots call-to-action organization working to regenerate biodiversity and ecosystem function by planting native plants.

Check out Aimee's website, created for her Biology in the Age of Technology course, (⁠https://sites.google.com/miamioh.edu/pollinatorark/home⁠) and YouTube channel (⁠https://www.youtube.com/@pollinatorARK) (@pollinatorARK⁠).

This week, Aimee Kemp (AIP WCS) joins as a Guest Host interviewing Dr. Kevin Matteson. We discuss what people can do to promote wildlife in cities and their backyards, especially pollinators. 

Check out Aimee's website, created for her Biology in the Age of Technology course, (https://sites.google.com/miamioh.edu/pollinatorark/home) and YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@pollinatorARK) (@pollinatorARK).Bee Quest (created by Dr. Kevin Matteson, Project Dragonfly/Miami University)-https://miamioh.edu/cas/graduate-studies/project-dragonfly/professional-development-courses/bee-quest/index.html

Have an idea or want to contribute to the podcast? Email Kevin Matteson at [email protected].

Susan Dorsey is a Consultant and Liaison with the National Park Foundation and the National Park Service. In this role, she supports communications and collaborations across organizations to bolster program impact. As an artist and educator, Susan is inspired by the constant iteration, evolution, expansion, overlapping, and layering of systems in the natural world. She is passionate about developing collaborative partnerships, iterative processes, and opportunities for co-creation while maintaining a reflective practice informed by equity research and critical theory. Susan was selected as a 2023 National Geographic grantee, a 2020 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic, received the 2019 Eastern Region Museum Educator Art Educator Award, and the 2017 Maryland Museum Art Educator of the Year Award.

Publication: View of Sciencing Out, an informal STEM education program in Madagascar: A case-study (j-stem.net)

https://www.j-stem.net/index.php/jstem/article/view/147

Art Website: Susan J Dorsey Artworks

https://www.susanjdorseyartworks.com/

Susan Jennifer Dorsey | LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-jennifer-dorsey

Angie Trumbo is a Project Dragonfly/Miami GFP graduate student. She is a Conservation and Education Specialist at the International Bird Rescue (IBR). For her work, she responds to oil spills and other wildlife emergencies and contributes to national literacy campaigns, including work in collaboration with Dawn Dish Soap. Angie has traveled extensively in Central and South America and has worked in China. Angie and her husband live in Salt Lake City where they enjoy birding and welcoming foster and guest dogs to their home they call the Hound Hotel.

Adam Kerins is a 2022 graduate of Dragonfly’s Global Field Program who works as the Executive Director of the Turtleback Zoo in New Jersey, one of the fastest-growing zoos in the country. We discuss how he ended up in his role, his favorite Earth Expeditions, leadership, fundraising, and more. In addition to his Master of Arts from Project Dragonfly at Miami University, Adam holds an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Adam has received an Emerging Leadership award from the Center for Nonprofits, Lead N.J.

Debbie Clemens is a 2013 graduate of Dragonfly’s Advanced Inquiry Program. She completed her masters’ work through Chicago Zoological Society at Brookfield Zoo, which she identifies as her happy place. Debbie’s Master Plan focuses on orangutan conservation and she strives to educate others about the red apes and raise awareness about the plight of wild orangutans. Following graduation, Debbie took on the role of Sr. Coordinator of the Advanced Inquiry Program at Brookfield Zoo for 4 years. She then dove even further into the world of orangutan conservation and moved on to become the Outreach Coordinator for the U.S. based charity, Orangutan Outreach (www.redapes.org). Her role with the organization includes managing social media, fostering new and existing partnerships, and managing special campaigns and initiatives. Debbie would love to connect with any and all orangutan lovers. She can be reached at [email protected]

Trevor Mia is a GFP alum who has worked at the Alligator Farm in Florida creating innovative programs to reach the greater St. Johns County and North Florida communities. An avid ocean enthusiast, Trevor enjoys any activity near the water, including but not limited to kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkeling, and diving. Trevor is a lifelong learner whose passion for wildlife conservation spills into his everyday life. In his “spare time” he volunteers with AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) programs as a member of the Conservation Education Committee, Education Advisor to the Eastern Indigo Snake SAFE program, and AZA Course Instructor for the Foundations of Education Course.Show Note Links:● Trevor on First Coast News - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN53D_w5vqs● https://alligatorfarm.com/● Kathayoon Khalils book on “Practical Evaluation for Conservation Education and Outreach: Assessing Impacts & Enhancing Effectiveness”● AZA Professional Development Courses - https://www.aza.org/courses

Agnes Kovacs is the Senior Manager of Graduate Programs at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. Agnes has decades of educational experience, with her students ranging in age from elementary school groups, to teacher workshops, to graduate learners. As Project Dragonfly and Brookfield Zoo Chicago approach the fifteenth anniversary of the Advanced Inquiry Program, Agnes and Kevin discuss the uniqueness and flexibility of this degree, the guest speakers and field trips she facilitates for her classes, the value of urban rooftop gardens for insect biodiversity, and the real-world impact of students' master plans on conservation and sustainability both locally and globally.

Julia Walz is the Learning Coordinator for the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington. Kevin recently visited with Julia and other Woodland Park Zoo staff to discuss regional conservation initiatives in the Northwest and human / predator interactions, including such species as bears, mountain lions, and orcas. In this episode, they explore Julia’s background as a high school science teacher and community college instructor, her experience as animal keeper (primarily working with primates), and her passion for hiking and the great outdoors.