Programs at the Mianatra Center

The Art/Science Environmental Imperative

In January 2009, LCF hosted 11 New College undergraduates (science and art students) for a week-long exploration of how science and art intersect. The program was led by two visiting faculty, a scientist, Dr. Heidi Harley, Professor of Psychology at New College, and Ana Flores, a respected Cuban-American sculptor, environmentalist and community arts advocate and artist based in Rhode Island and Nova Scotia, Canada.

The 2009 Art/Science Environmental Imperative is fully underwritten by the Mr. and Mrs. Royall Victor, III.

To find out more about this program, what inspired it, future plans and links to some of the students' work from the pilot program, click here.MORE

The Teachers' Institute for Conservation Ecology

The Teachers’ Institute for Conservation Ecology is a five-day research based summer institute sponsored and conducted by the Lemur Conservation Foundation (LCF) in Myakka City, FL.  The goal of the Institute is to provide high school teachers the necessary scientific background, inspiration and specialized tools and techniques in a working science environment to enable them to create stimulating conservation curricula to take back to their classrooms and share with their colleagues.

The participants work with leading national scientists who share their expertise and provide hands-on activities designed to excite and motivate young science students. Using the Reserve's lemur colony and the native habitat as a resource, participants will also practice living day-to-day science through a field-training program where they learn proper fieldwork techniques under the guidance of professionals.

For complete information and the application form, click here.

Teachers observing lemur behavior at the Reserve.

The first Sarasota Teachers’ Institute for Conservation Biology workshop took place in June 2007 at LCF’s Myakka facilities. The workshop was very successful and received glowing reviews from all the participants. In the words of an attending middle school science teacher: “I was blown away by the wealth of information that I really did not have before this class.”

The teachers attended eight lectures given by prominent experts, did field research and observed and recorded animal behavior. Using their new skills, they developed new lesson plans to be used in their own classes. We are very confident that the Teachers’ Institute will become one of the pillars of LCF’s educational mission.

Sarasota County Science and Environmental Council

Booker High School students testing soil

Another education program grew out of LCF President Penelope Bodry-Sanders’ involvement with the Science and Environment Council of Sarasota County (SEC) for which she serves as board member.

The Council consists of non-profit and governmental institutions dedicated to promoting science and conservation through education. SEC and Sarasota County School District initiated a two-year curriculum-enhancement pilot project in which LCF participated as a host institution. Ninth graders were chosen for the pilot as it appears that interest in science wanes at this grade level. The point of the pilot project was to discover whether field trips to various science and nature-oriented institutions (Mote Marine Laboratory, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, and LCF among others) could reignite interest and “make science real” for students. The answer is yes and “Students who attended the field-trips demonstrated consistently better attitudes towards science than students in the control or comparison classes.” *

Each field-trip included a class on some aspect of physical science that related to the host’s scientific niche. LCF certainly found the most literally down-to-earth subject to teach: geophagia (“earth eating”, a behavior exhibited by most primates, including humans). Students gathered soil, performed chemical analyses of their samples and, based on the results, attempted to answer the question “Why do lemurs and other primates eat dirt?” Their speculations were correct - some earth is full of minerals useful or needed for producing strong healthy, bodies.

LCF, SEC and the school board are quite pleased with this first year’s results and additional field-trips are scheduled this fall and winter for the new ninth grade science classes.

Special Tampolo Program

Amalia Fernand and her students wearng their lemur masks in Tampolo

Former LCF intern Amalia Fernand directed a one-week educational workshop in Tampolo during her month-long stay in Madagascar last August. Armed with paper, paint, crayon, microscopes, binoculars and assorted craft supplies, Amalia led her students on a fun journey of discovery... of their own backyard. Amalia raised all funds for her expenses and supplies at the Montessori school of DeLand, Florida, where she was teaching.

Observation of nature (binoculars and microscopes are popular items), craft-making (lemur masks are a favorite), and field trips in the Tampolo forest were all part of the fun week. Proof that the project was a resounding success came when the number of children attending the workshop increased from 25 to 64 in three days.

Based on her experiences teaching about Madagascar and lemurs both at home and at Tampolo, Amalia is presently preparing a Comprehensive Environmental Education Program about lemurs and their ecology for English-speaking teachers. The program, which will be available on CD and sold through LCF’s website next year, will include lesson plans, readings, math problems and activities tailored for grades four through six.