海角社区

By Christine Wendling

For years, 海角社区 has nurtured international collaborations with Panama to enable Panamanian industry and government leaders to make informed decisions about the conservation, management, protection, and development of coastal and environmental assets.

Louisiana is at the forefront of coastal and environmental challenges similar to Panama鈥檚, making 海角社区鈥檚 location on the banks of the Mississippi River the perfect place for Panamanian students to learn about these threats to their way of life and what can be done to improve coastal conditions in the region. Panama鈥檚 strategic location as a land bridge between two oceans and the meeting of two continents鈥攁nd the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914鈥攈as made it an international trading center as well as a hub for maritime and air transport. However, increased urbanization, under-regulated industrial development, and the expansion of Panama City further into the wetlands have contributed to a greater loss of habitat and biodiversity, impacts on migratory shorebird populations, reductions in offshore shrimp harvests, and increased vulnerability to flooding for low income residential communities.

Because of this, the Government of Panama established a special scholarship through the Instituto para la Formac铆on y Aprovecham铆ento de Recursos Humanos, or IFARHU. With this scholarship, Panamanian students who aspire to bachelor's and master's degrees in water resources issues can study at one of three U.S. universities: Louisiana State University, Colorado State University and Oregon State University. In partnership with the Committee of 100鈥檚 Michael Olivier, Chris D鈥橢lia, professor and dean of the 海角社区 College of the Coast & Environment, or CC&E, was instrumental in establishing the scholarship when he visited Panama in 2014 on behalf of the university as part of an executive trade mission organized by the Louisiana District Export Council in conjunction with the Louisiana Committee of 100 and the U.S. Commercial Service.

According D鈥橢lia, 鈥淭he College of the Coast & Environment was selected for this exceptional collaborative opportunity because of the uniqueness of our coastal environmental science degree and the State of Louisiana鈥檚 longstanding role as a center for maritime transportation. The program鈥檚 integration of oceanography, coastal, environmental, and social sciences makes it ideal for Panamanian students to gain knowledge that they wouldn鈥檛 be able to get anywhere else. It enables them to return to Panama with the skills to implement meaningful solutions to their challenges.鈥�

One such scholarship recipient, Mercedes Pinz贸n, was the first member of her family to study outside of Panama. She graduated from CC&E with a bachelor鈥檚 in coastal environmental science on May 7, 2021, and returned to the college this fall to earn a master鈥檚 in oceanography and coastal sciences.

鈥淚n my first semester, I just fell in love with 海角社区鈥攚ith the college, with the staff, with my friends. Everyone that I found there helped me to go through the program all the way,鈥� Pinz贸n said. 鈥満＝巧缜� Global, which helps international students at the university, as well as the dean and the professors in my college were like my first family at 海角社区. And I knew this was the right place.鈥�

As an undergraduate, Pinz贸n studied microbial respiration in Louisiana wetlands and its implications for coastal acidification with the help of her major professor, Kanchan Maiti, an associate professor in the Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences and expert in chemical oceanography. As a student worker, she had hands-on opportunities to work in the Coastal Restoration Processes Lab where she performed meticulous sediment weighting and grinding techniques and ran chemical tests for analysis. And Pinz贸n worked in the microbiology lab with Crystal Johnson, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences, where she assisted in the processing and analysis of samples from Johnson鈥檚 oyster research.

Of her time in the undergraduate program, she said, 鈥淚 learned to be independent. I learned to be resilient, to adapt, and to do research.鈥�

As a graduate student this fall, she is researching wetland cycling with John White, CC&E鈥檚 Associate Dean of Research and John and Catherine Day Professor, in the Wetland and Aquatic Biogeochemistry Laboratory.

鈥淭he work I am doing with Dr. White is related to the conditions we are facing here in Panama,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want to learn more about the methods we need to better manage wetlands and learn through my master鈥檚 to bring new ideas and techniques that will help bring us to another level.鈥�

They will assess the nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in Barataria Basin especially as it relates to various benthic substrates that have varying organic matter content, extractable nutrients, and microbial activity that can affect surface water quality. This research can help improve ecosystem models that are being used for freshwater diversions and for proposed sediment diversions, specifically with water quality and nutrient loading predictions.

After completing her master鈥檚 program, Pinzon鈥檚 goal is to pursue a PhD and use her newfound knowledge to work at the Panama Canal Authority or the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Three other Panamanian students are currently enrolled in the College of the Coast & Environment: Denise Poveda (class of 2020 and DOCS graduate student), Jhosmira Augusto (senior, Coastal Environmental Science), and Kelvin Moreno (senior, Coastal Environmental Science).

According to Samba Dieng, senior internationalization officer and executive director of 海角社区 International Programs, 鈥淥ur Strategic Plan 2025 challenges us to lead Louisiana and impact the world, and we do this with learning experiences that are grounded in real-world challenges such as the coast and environmental problems faced by Panama. These students have an opportunity to take back what they learn from world-class faculty members at 海角社区, to make an impact in their own local communities.鈥�

In addition to this scholarship, 海角社区 is facilitating a two-way exchange of information between countries and international education opportunities for students, faculty, and staff, alongside the City of Knowledge Foundation. This not for profit, private foundation is responsible for developing the City of Knowledge Project, with the purpose of transforming a former military base by the side of the Panama Canal into a business, scientific, academic and cultural development center with a local, regional and global scope of activities. Furthermore, the university holds agreements with The Santa Maria La Antigua University and OTEIMA Technological University, respectively, to exchange faculty, students, and information and to build collaborative programs between the two universities. 

 

Contact Christine Wendling
海角社区 College of the Coast & Environment
225-578-4984
christinew@lsu.edu