Smith students to spend summer in Belize

Left to right: Alyssa Stenek '13, Sarah Alper '15, Kiara Gomez '14, Sarah Tucker '13, Dena Greenstreet '15, and Kayla Clark '14.

This summer, nearly 100 students living on an island off the coast of Belize will learn about the coral reef there through Smith College’s Coral Reef Ed-Ventures Program, now in its 14th year.  Six Smithies left this week to spend the summer teaching the young students about the reef and conducting research with Smith faculty.

During the camp, the team of Smith students will use a wide variety of active-learning techniques and creative materials to teach children concepts about reef ecology.  The program seeks to inspire conservation and sustainable use of coastal resources by providing children an opportunity to learn how healthy reefs function, how various organisms interact with the reef, what threats to the reef ecosystem exist, and how to protect it.

Students participating in this year’s program are Sarah Alper ’15, Kayla Clark ’14, Kiara Gomez ’14, Dena Greenstreet ’15, Alyssa Stanek ’13, and Sarah Tucker ’13. They will work alongside Al Curran (geosciences), Denise Lello (biological sciences), and David Smith (biological sciences) from Smith College.  The Coral Reef Ed-Ventures Program is sponsored by Smith’s Environmental Science & Policy Program.