Project Dragonfly

Sitting in a cubicle at a high-tech semiconductor firm in Silicon Valley, Jill Korach realized something terrifying: there were 17,000 jobs at her company, and she didn't want a single one of them.

That realization launched a global journey—from the strict discipline of Army ROTC to riding horses across the Mongolian steppes. Today, Dr. Jill Korach is a cornerstone of Project Dragonfly, where she uses her unique blend of logistics and empathy to lead Earth Expeditions. In this conversation, Jill dismantles the idea that a leader must be the expert in the room. Instead, she argues for th...

Molly Maloy is the Graduate and Adult Programs Manager at Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance. She has overseen the AIP since it began at Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance in 2012. Molly has worked at Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance for 20 years in the fields of Conservation Education and Community Engagement. She also works with the Field Conservation department on Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance’s Botswana program and AZA’s African Vulture SAFE program. Molly recently was invited to be a member of the IUCN Vulture Specialist Group to assist in global conservation efforts for vultures. She has a great affinity for Africa and...

Dr. Archana Godbole is the Founder Director of the Pune-based NGO- Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF).

https://www.aerfindia.org/

She is also the in-country partner for Project Dragonfly's India Earth Expeditions course.

https://miamioh.edu/cas/graduate-studies/project-dragonfly/earth-expeditions/courses-landing-pages/india.html

A plant taxonomist and ethnobiologist by training, Archana has developed various programmes of AERF through the work on the ground for the last 28 years. She has been responsible for developing various programmes and initiatives of AERF, from protecting sacred groves and forests...

Imagine feeling safer floating in pitch-black water than standing on dry land.For Megan McDonald, the ocean isn't just a field site; it is a portal. While she technically holds the title of Executive Director at the Vermilion Sea Institute in Baja, she prefers to view herself as a bridge. Whether she is navigating the dusty roads of a fishing village or the complex emotions of a student panic-stricken by a snorkeling mask, Megan’s work is about dissolving the lines between "local" and "tourist," and between "fear" and "awe."In this conversation, Megan takes us beyond the typical fi...

Born and raised in The Bahamas, T'Noya cultivated a profound affinity for the ocean, which inspired her career trajectory from an early age. She has had the opportunity to volunteer and work with many diverse organizations and communities throughout her 25-year career. Currently, T'Noya is a Ph.D. candidate studying organizational leadership at Southeastern University. Additionally, she owns Wild Spark Consulting, a consulting business dedicated to igniting and cultivating leadership in conservation organizations. Furthermore, she is a Coexistence Fellow with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and a Vermilion Sea Institute and Ecology Project International board member. She serves on...

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

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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...

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. bas...

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 Cour...

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.

Dr. Laura Abondano is a Visiting Assistant Professor (VAP) with Project Dragonfly at Miami. She’s just wrapping up her first year and is now with Dragonfly working full time as an instructor. Originally from Colombia, Laura is a primatologist and received her PhD at the University of Texas at Austin. A lot is covered in this episode: her excitement over her first Earth Expeditions this past summer, the origins of her interest in anthropology and primatology, and her studies with spider monkeys and woolly monkeys. Laura discusses her research into the sexual behavior of woolly monkeys and how it...

Jennifer Redmond is a 2022 graduate of Project Dragonfly’s Advanced Inquiry Program with the Denver Zoo. Jennifer works as an optometrist for her day job, but on weekends she serves as a raptor ecologist with the Raptor Education Foundation in Brighton, Colorado. In this episode, Jennifer discusses her conservation experience with kestrels, a species for which she has set up dozens of nesting boxes, monitored them for birds and chicks, and banded individuals to track geographically and over time. Jennifer is excited about getting kids to interact with nature, and she is an exceptional model of pursuing and sharing on...

Chris Myers and Lynne Born Myers are the founders of Project Dragonfly. Through their out-of-the-box thinking, they have created a master’s program that is now the largest at Miami University and also the largest in the world dedicated to social and ecological change. This is an engaging, in-depth conversation for anyone interested in the origin story of Project Dragonfly. You will hear about Chris and Lynne's early field work in Baja and Borneo, the children's books they wrote together, their National Science Foundation grants, and the creation of Dragonfly, the first magazine to feature the scientific investigations of ch...