What began in 1923 as a small field station on Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal Zone is now one of the world’s leading research collaboratives, used annually by some 1,400 visiting scientists. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution employs 45 research scientists not just in Panama’s tropics but around the world in studies of forest dynamics, coral reefs, climate change and more. Since 2006, UW-Green Bay has developed close ties with STRI, including an annual student trip to Panama and establishment of a long-term forest research plot in northern Wisconsin. These activities, funded largely through the generosity of Dr. David and Mary Ann Cofrin, have provided hands-on research opportunities for 10 to 25 UW-Green Bay students every year. On Friday (Sept. 18) at 11:40 a.m., Matthew Larsen, director of the STRI for the Smithsonian, will lead a seminar informing the UW-Green Bay community and the general public on the history and scope of STRI research. Titled “A Century of Smithsonian Science in Panamá,” the program will take place in Room 103 of the University Union. Larsen is a hydrologist/geologist who has published widely on topics ranging from landslides to global climate change, and he served previously as chair of the U.S. committee to UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme. His Sept. 18 presentation is free and open to all. For further information about Dr. Larsen’s visit contact Dr. Amy Wolf or Dr. Robert Howe.
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