The TCD program certainly is looking forward to 2022!! Are you?

The TCD program certainly is looking forward to 2022, despite the challenges that are still in front of us.  Reflecting on 2021, there was much to be excited about including:

• A full, invigorating, and diverse Tropilunch series organized by TCD Student Group (see most of 2021 Tropilunch presentations on our you-tube channel – check out the TCD Tropilunch playlist
• TCD’s Governance and Infrastructure in the Amazon (GIA) project in collaboration with 25+ partners actively worked together on site and virtually in a Community of Practice and Learning with the goal of improving social-environmental governance and reduce threats from infrastructure development (see GIA website to learn more and see the 50+ GIA products)
• TCD and MDP graduate students were able to get to the field safely in 2021 and advance on research related to community-based fire-management in Peruvian Andes, reduced impact logging in Indonesia, native predators and invasive prey in Guatemala, resilience of coral reefs in Caribbean, water access and conservation in Morocco, among others.
• More than 12 TCD students received full or partial graduate assistantships in 2020-2021 academic year; 10 students received field research grants or practitioner experience grants; 2 teams led by TCD students received Schmink Innovation award; among other awards
• Opportunities to gather via virtual retreats, social gatherings and Fall Bingo brought wonderful energy and strengthened our community in 2021

As we look forward, TCD and GIA is excited to be involved in the Center for Latin America’s annual conference in February 2022, welcome back to campus 2019 and 2020 Schmink Outstanding Dissertation Award winners (Myrian Barboza, Andrea Baudoin), host Bolivian visiting faculty and students from our partner institution – Amazon University of Pando, provide resources and facilitate research and practitioner experiences of many TCD graduate students in the next year, among many other activities.

For those of you at UF, we welcome you back to campus – stay safe and healthy.  For our partners, alumni and community off-campus, we hope to see you virtually at TCD events and gatherings, and we wish you the very best in 2022.