Center Scientists Conduct 2nd College-prep Field Course in Conservation Biology & Global Health for Native American Youth
For 25 years, Prof. Randy Kyes, in partnership with his
international colleagues, have conducted annual field courses
focusing on conservation biology and global health for university
students and professionals in several countries including Indonesia,
Nepal, China, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Condo, Thailand,
and Mexico.
More recently, he and his colleagues have begun providing similar
programs locally. “Given the growing national calls for greater
STEM-based education in the U.S., and a desire to engage and inspire
our own “local” indigenous youth, we have begun to expand our
training programs here at home for students in the tribal secondary
schools” notes Kyes.
Two years ago (June 2012), Prof. Kyes along with colleague Dr.
Pensri (“Elle”) Kyes conducted their first “mini” field course,
entitled “college-prep Field Course in Conservation Biology & Global
Health: At the Human-Environment Interface,” for 18 middle and high
school students at the Quilluete Tribal School in La Push, WA.
Earlier this month (June 2014), they conducted their second cp-Field
Course for 14 middle and high school students at the Chief Leschi
Tribal School in Puyallup, WA. The cp-field course is modeled after
their successful university-level field courses and is designed to
give students a “big picture” of the close relationship between
environmental and global health.
The
three-day field course consists of daily lectures and related field
and lab exercises. Lecture material is presented at an
advanced (college-prep) level to expose the students to
college-level lectures. Students are introduced to topics such as
conservation biology, field study methods, management and
conservation strategies, primatology, aquatic bioindicators, the
human-wildlife interface, issues in global health, animal research
and translational science. Polly Olsen, Community Relations Director
of the UW Indigenous Wellness Research Institute along with UW
undergraduate Cassie Halls also partnered in the recent field course
providing lectures and hands-on demonstrations of local ethnobotany
and traditional medicines. Based on the success of these initial
cp-field courses, Kyes plans to expand this outreach education
program to other tribal schools in the area.
Prof. Kyes is Director of the Center for Global Field Study and
Research Professor in Psychology and adjunct in Global Health. He is
also Head of the Division of Global Programs at the Washington
National Primate Research Center. Dr. Elle Kyes is Affiliate
Scientist in the Center for Global Field Study.