Educators Institute : Alumni

Alumni

Since 1996, IEI participants have traveled to Oregon from more than 23 countries and 27 US states. The program brings together some of the most innovative and active forest researchers, natural resource professionals, and master educators.

The alumni list is currently being updated:
check back later for more participant profiles.

2006 Participants

		Anne Bohnet South Carolina, USA Anne is the Director of the the Science and Technology Enrichment Program (STEP), a cooperative effort between Washington Savannah River Company, Silver Bluff Audubon Center, and the Ruth Patrick Science Education center. The STEP program reaches nearly 3,000 students each year.

		Valéria M. Freixêdas São Paulo, Brazil Valeria is currently completing Masters degree at the University of Sao Paulo, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”. Valeria moderates work groups, presents lectures and courses at ESALQ and others academic and non-academic institutions.

		Patricia Hernánde-de la Rosa Montecillo, Mexico As an Associate Professor at Colegio de Postgraduados in Texcoco, México, Patricia teaches and advises postgraduates on research related to silviculture practices in temperate pine forest and tropical plantations.

		Jørn Kjersheim Molde, Norway Jørn is the Manager of the More and Romsdal Forestry Society, where he develops educational materials and teaches courses in outdoor education for teachers.

		Elyne Semenoff Whangarei, New Zealand A classroom teacher, Elyen is responsible for implementing and teaching Rural Studies, Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry and Environmental Education. She also works with classroom teachers, Senior Management and the School Board of Trustees to implement environmental education policies that are cross-curricular and that incorporate Maori tanga (culture) in the school.

		Galina Suvorova Irkutsk, Russia As a researcher and professor at Irkutk State University, Galina and her team of scientists and graduate students investigate conifer photosynthesis and respiration in natural stands. She also teaches on the subject of terrestrial plant photosynthesis.

		Jane Thornes Idaho, USA Jane is a 4th grade teacher, as well as a Project Learning Tree and Project WET facilitator. Each year she brings students to her tree farm for outdoor, hands-on activities in the forest and stream.

		Jasjit Walia Himachal Pradesh, India Jasjit Walia works for the Indian Forest Service as the Chief Conservator of Forests for his region. His primary interest is in environmental services, which he feels holds great promise for his Himalayan State.

		John Turland New South Wales, Australia John is a senior forestry analyst / modeler for Forests New South Wales, a Public Trading Enterprise responsible for sustainably managing more than 2 million hectares of public native forests and an expanding estate of hardwood and softwood planted forests.

		Pei-jung Wang Taipei, Taiwan Pei-jung is an assistant researcher in the Division of Forest Management at the Taiwan Forest Research Institute. Her research interests and specialties include forest sociology, community forestry, and forest policy. She also teaches forestry at a local university.

		Hehe Zhang Beijing, China Hehe is the Manager of the Enviromental Education Department at Friends of Nature. She teaches, trains, and travels with FON on projects such as "Antelope Car," a traveling program that visits schools highlighting the plight of the endangered Tibetan antelope.

		Rajni Walia Himachal Pradesh, India Rajni is currently on sabbatical from her Lecturer position at the Government Colleges in India to pursue a post-doc in gender studies at UC Berkely. In India, her volunteer works include tree planting, environmental outreach activiies, and gender sensitization education for rural people.

		Debbie Abel Oregon, USA Debbie is a 6th grade teacher in Hillsboro, Oregon, where she teaches all subjects.

		Seol Woong Lee Seoul, Korea An architectural engineer by training, Seol Woong works for an integrated forest products company, Eagon Industrial. His company grows trees to produce flooring, furniture, windows, and doors.


2007 Participants
		Osama Aljoabeh Hebron, Palestine Osama is a teacher with the Palestine Wildlife Society where he teaches Science and Environment for 9th and 10th grade. One of his projects is the Eco-School Club, where students establish a school garden, arrange field tours, recycle, and volunteer.

		Penny Arentsen Oregon, USA Penny is the Youth and Young Adult Education Coordinator for Wallowa Resources, an NGO in rural eastern Oregon. She designs and implements outdoor science-based programs for students ages kindergarten through 12th grade in Wallowa County.

		Mariane Bueno de Camargo Brazil Mari is a forester with Klabin S/A Company, Brazil's largest paper producer and exporter. To complement her work experience in forest inventory and raw material supply, Mariane isl spendin one year at the World Forest Instiute studying and researching current and potential markets for Brazilian wood products.

		Jim Chandler Maine, USA Jim is a Consulting Teacher in Science and Director of the Auburn Land Lab in the Auburn School Department. He is responsible for science curriculum support and development for the Auburn School Department, and runs an in-district environmental center with over 4000 student visits/year.

		Melanie Cornelius Texas, USA Melanie is the Science Instructional Specialist for the Frisco Independent School District. She serves 25 elementary schools with a total of 13,000 students. Her duties are varied and include presenting workshops to teachers and principals, creating benchmark tests, helping teachers prepare lesson plans, and running a science resource center for teachers.

		Sheryl Crain Louisiana, USA Sheryl is the Science and Technology Resource Teacher at Franklinton Junior High. She works with teachers, students, and administrators to improve the academic achievement of middle school students in math and science.

		Michele Hunter Florida, USA Michele is a Fourth Grade Teacher responsible for most subjects. She is also responsible for teaching an after-school writing remediation course to struggling fourth grade writers. She coordinating Project Learning Tree week long events, trainings, and other environmental education field trips and events for her school.

		Gail Lutowski Georgia, USA Gail is a Program Specialist at the University of Georgia Warnell Forest Education Center. At the Warnell Center, she spends the majority of her time conducting non-formal educational programs on forest recources for pre-kindergarten to 12th grade students, FFA, 4-H, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America and college-level undergraduate and graduate natural resource students.

		Zengwang Ma Hebei, China Ma is a forest researcher for the Hebei Academy of Forestry Science. His background is in silviculture, and his work involves reforesting areas of Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing. This area has been overlogged, resulting in desertification, flooding and landslides. Consequently the government has imposed logging restrictions, and they are now faced with the task of finding alternative revenue sources through sustainable forest development.

		Nerijus Miskinis Lithuania Nerijus Miskinis is a Ph.D. forestry student at the Lithuanian University of Agriculture where he studies windthrow damage. Nerijus is currently completing a Fellowship at the World Forest Institute where he is exploring the forestry business in the Pacific Northwest and taking lessons learned back to apply in Lithuania.

		Susan Morre Oregon, USA Susan is a Ph.D. student in Forest Resources at Oregon State University, where her thesis involves the Montreal Process criteria and indicators. She also works for OSU, coordinating services for international forestry students and coteaching seminars and classes on international forestry issues.

		Kathy Overton Victoria, Australia Kathy is the Statewide Forest Education Coordinator for the Department of Sustainability and Environment. She manages the Toolangi Forest Education Service, which gives forest education programs to 10,000 students each year.

		Cristopher Lopez Paniagua Mexico Cristopher recently finished his masters degree in forestry from the Colegio de Postgraduados in Montecillo, Mexico. He is currently working with several groups involved in the management of the Monarch Butterfly Reserve - including WWF-MEXICO, the Mexican Fund to the Nature Conservation, USAID, and CONANP - to develop an ecotourism market study for the Reserve.

		Matthew Pope New South Wales, Australia Matthew is an operations forester at Forests New South Wales with a broad range of responsibilities including fire, recreation, weed control, fertilizing and road construction for radiata pine plantations. Matthew is completing a Fellowship with the World Forest Institute investigating the use of integrated field data management systems for forest operations.

		Hazel Scharosch Alcova, Wyoming Hazel teaches in a traditional "one-room" classroom, with grades K through six in the same room. Student numbers vary in any given year, depending upon what families are living in the agricultural area near the school. She teaches all content areas to all grade levels K-6.

		Carlos Sierra Columbia Carlos is a PhD student in the Department of Forest Science at Oregon State University. His research is focused on understanding carbon and nutrient dynamics in forest ecosystems using simulation models. He has developed his work mainly in Colombia and the Pacific Northwest region of the US.

		Eva Skytte Denmark Eva is a Nature Interpreter for the Danish Forest Association. She works with the "Skoven i Skolen" program that encourages schools to use forests for educational activities, including math, languages, and handicrafts.