In September, 2003, we collaborated with the State Department, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Fish Health Research Laboratory to support the Second Bilateral Conference on Health and Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, a project of our Science Without Borders program. The conference, held in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, brought over 150 scientists from the US and Russia together to discuss diseases of aquatic animals and conservation efforts. The conference was part of a collaboration between Russia and the United States that emphasizes environmental conservation and protection.
After the Storm: Standing with Our J.A.M.I.N. Family in Jamaica
There are moments in this work that feel heartbreakingly familiar.
Two weeks after we completed our Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) programming, Hurricane Melissa made landfall. A powerful Category 5 hurricane, Melissa is now tied with Hurricane Allen in 1980 for the strongest winds ever recorded in an Atlantic storm. Like Hurricane Dorian, which devastated The Bahamas in 2019, Melissa will be remembered as one of the strongest hurricanes on record in the region.
For 11 years, the University of the West Indies Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory and William Knibb Memorial High School have been more than program partners. They have welcomed us into their classrooms and labs, shared meals and laughter, and committed themselves to educating their students about mangroves and coastal resilience. These colleagues and students are not distant collaborators. They are family.
And they were hit hard…
