The Island School, Cape Eleuthera, Bahamas

In 2007, Ryan Calsbeek and I began a collaborative research and education project with The Island School in The Bahamas. The Island School is a "semester abroad" program for high school students from the US, Bahamas, and elsewhere. Under the guidance of scientists from the Cape Eleuthera Institute, a fully-equipped, on-campus research facility, students take courses in science and spend two days per week planning, executing, and analyzing research projects on local marine and terrestrial ecology. We recently received funding from the National Science Foundation to involve Island School students with our anole research. These pictures highlight our initial interactions with Island School students. 

The best part about collaborating with The Island School is their commitment to local education and outreach. Students help to educate Bahamian middle school children about their local ecology and present their research projects at a Community Outreach Fair. At the end of the semester, students present formal slide shows of their projects at a research symposium that is attended by local Bahamians, government officials, and scientists. Students also prepare written reports that are circulated to government officials, The College of the Bahamas, and various science and conservation groups. In upcoming semesters, we will integrate our research projects and related studies of terrestrial ecology and conservation biology with student curriculum at The Island School.

In 2010, we initiated the first “student exchange” project in which Island School student Mickey Mitermyer (above) traveled to Great Exuma to assist us with our field research.

Saint Andrew’s Anglican School, Great Exuma, Bahamas

A major focus of our outreach is to extend the Island School’s model of science education to local primary schools on a second island, Great Exuma. In September  of 2010, Dartmouth students Elizabeth Parker and Nichole Brown participated in the first of a series of educational visits to Saint Andrew’s School on Great Exuma. Libby and Nikki taught the 11th grade students at Saint Andrew’s about the behavioral ecology of lizards and discussed the importance of preserving the unique terrestrial and marine ecosystems of their island. In the future, Saint Andrew’s students will participate in our fieldwork, design field guides to local vertebrate fauna, and participate in “student exchange” visits with students from Eleuthera.