Welcome to my web pages!
Details about my work and research are outlined below.
To reach me, email rhonda[at]cichaz.org.
Details about my work and research are outlined below.
To reach me, email rhonda[at]cichaz.org.
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CICHAZ
Since 2005 I have served as the Co-Director of the Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas "Aguazarca" (CICHAZ), a research station in Calnali, Hidalgo, Mexico.
Our mission is to bring science and service together by promoting field work opportunities for the scientific community and developing education outreach programs. The research station is a member of the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS) and is recognized in Mexico's National Registry of Scientific and Technological Institutions and Businesses (RENIECYT No. 20083). We are the only recognized research station in the biologically and culturally unique Sierra y Huasteca region of eastern Mexico, and thanks to an NSF Field Station Marine Laboratory improvement grant (#1723266) offer state-of-the art laboraties. CICHAZ has hosted scientists from around the world and fostered over 60 publications in the scientific literature.
CICHAZ is chartered as a non-profit organization in Mexico (CICHAZ, A.C.) and as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States (CICHAZ USA).
For more information, visit the CICHAZ web site.
CICHAZ is chartered as a non-profit organization in Mexico (CICHAZ, A.C.) and as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States (CICHAZ USA).
For more information, visit the CICHAZ web site.
The Organization of Biological Field Stations
As the president of the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS, 2024 - 2026), I am committed to supporting field stations around the world in their efforts to support environmental research, education, and public understanding of science. OBFS is a great resource for hundreds of member stations as they look for opportunities to improve their operations, work with their local and research communities, and protect the ecosystems in which they are embedded. OBFS is also dedicated to doing this work in a manner that maximizes diversity, inclusiveness, sustainability, and transparency.
University of Padua Botanical Garden
Since 2024, science communication has become central to my work at the University of Padua's Botanical Garden (the Orto Botanico), a UNESCO heritage site. The researchers at the Orto Botanico study different aspects of plant biodiversity, conservation, and resilience, and my work centers on supporting their international projects and growing their online presence, as well as their citizen science and informal learning initiatives at CICHAZ in Mexico.
Research
My past research explored informal STEM learning at biological field stations (NSF Grant # DRL-1713359) and how experiences with science impact the public's attitudes towards scientific findings, their level of trust in scientists, the scientific method, and science generally.