Edison State College and Rookery Bay Establish Partnership
Jan 20, 2010
Edison State College and Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Announce
Environmental Education and Research Partnership
~Ten Rookery Bay Staff Members Join Edison Team~
Naples, FL – January 20, 2010 – The Edison State College Collier Campus and the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve have been neighbors and informal partners for nearly a decade. Edison’s recent transformation from a community college, to a four-year state college helped pave the way for an official partnership as of January 1, 2010.
Through the partnership, 10 established Rookery Bay biologists, educators and administrative staff have become Edison State College Collier Campus staff. Their areas of focus include monitoring environmental conditions, restoring native habitats, raising awareness of estuaries and training coastal decision-makers. The proximity of the reserve, with its 110,000 acres of pristine mangrove forest, uplands and protected waters, to the Collier Campus provides new opportunities for Edison State students to conduct research projects, in an array of environmental fields, under the guidance of Edison faculty and the new Edison/Rookery bay team.
The partnership provides the Edison State College Collier Campus with the following benefits: the creation of a pilot Undergraduate Research Center at Rookery Bay; use of the Rookery Bay research vessels, boat captains, and access to one of the nation’s most pristine mangrove estuaries to provide oceanography students required field experience; internships for students of marine science, biology, ecology, interdisciplinary humanities and molecular, tidal and weather-related research; expanded laboratory and classroom space; enhanced opportunities for Environmental Studies Club and its solar powered boat project; potential for partnership on grant opportunities; use of the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center including the auditorium, classrooms, laboratories and dormitory space; and use of two field-based research sites, one of which is located on a pristine barrier island.
“Everyone at Edison State is excited about this partnership,” says Collier Campus President, Dr. Jeffrey Allbritten. “The Collier Campus is already committed to educating our students and the public about environmental sustainability. Our new partnership with the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Reserve raises the bar and creates endless possibilities.”
To learn more about the Edison State College Collier Campus environmental sustainability initiative, visit: https://www.edison.edu/collier/environmental/index.php. To learn more about and visit the Rookery bay National Estuarine Reserve, visit: http://www.rookerybay.org/.
Last Updated: January 20, 2010
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