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| The Distinguished Student Researcher Award is given to an outstanding SFS semester student who has demonstrated exceptional skills in the areas of research as determined primarily by the Directed Research paper. Students receiving the award will also have made important contributions to related fields/disciplines, as well as Centers' Five Year Research Plans; they will have successfully presented or otherwise provided meaningful results to our clients and partners; and they will have demonstrated leadership ability in working with a team of student and faculty researchers. Students are nominated by SFS faculty. Nominations are evaluated by the SFS program dean and the president. 2009 Spring Awards October 26, 2009
Salem, Massachusetts – The School for Field Studies (SFS) presented its Distinguished Student Researcher Award to four students: Ms. Alyssa Irizarry, Ms. Heather Welch, Ms. Jane Zhou, and Mr. Callin Switzer in recognition of their exceptional environmental research during the spring semester of 2009 at our field centers in Mexico, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Costa Rica, and Australia, respectively. The Award is given to outstanding SFS college students who have made an important contribution to an environmental field or discipline and to their respective SFS Center’s Five Year Research Plan (5YRP). Recipients’ Directed Research (DR) projects provide meaningful results to SFS clients and partners in the field, while the students demonstrate leadership in working with a team of student and faculty researchers.
SFS President Bonnie Clendenning and Dean Dr. Robin Sears presented the Award this spring with nominations from Irizarry, Zhou, Welch, and Switzer's respective DR advisors: Dr. A.J. Schneller, Dr. Ben Holt, Dr. Sergio Molina, and Dr. Tim Curran.
Alyssa Irizarry - Tufts University
Irizarry’s pioneering research project, entitled Imagining Conservation: Sea Turtle Murals and their Affect on Communities’ Environmental Consciousness and Behaviors in Baja California Sur, Mexico is linked to a broader study conducted in the region directed by Dr. Schneller to examine public participation in sea turtle conservation. Dr. Schneller states, “Her work on muralism highlights the importance and utility of public art for the sea turtle conservation movement.” Irizarry’s work will be among the first published works relating to environmental muralism and community consciousness.
Heather Welch - Whitman College
Welch’s research project, entitled, A comparison of belt transect surveys and roving diver technique in determining species richness, morphological disparity and the respective correlation, served to examine the effectiveness of different methods for assessing biodiversity in coral reef environments. According to Dr. Holt, Heather's study, "improved knowledge of the capacity of different survey protocols to estimate the relative diversity of reef fish communities." This knowledge will have clear benefits for reef management in the Caribbean” and elsewhere.
Jane Zhou - Wellesley College
Zhou’s research project, entitled, Incorporating Sustainable Business Practices into a Tourism Development Plan for the Poás Region, sought to explore sustainable business practices and tourist preferences for patronizing sustainable businesses. Her results were presented in Spanish to the Poás Volcano Park Service and the Chamber of Commerce of the Poás Volcano Region and, according to Dr. Molina, “She was praised for her valuable and timely information, with direct implication for sustainable tourism development in the area.”
Callin Switzer - Gonzaga University
Switzer’s research project, entitled, Are leaf functional traits correlated with cyclone resistance to defoliation of trees in endangered rainforest of Far North Queensland concludes a three-year project directed by Dr. Curran on the functional traits of trees in rainforests affected by a major cyclone event on 2006. “The result of Switzer and others’ research “will be of direct use to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and other Mabi [type of rainforest] land managers as they work out how to best conserve Mabi species following future cyclone,” according to Dr. Curran.
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