Through Lauren Pidot's Weinberg Fellowship, she was able to spend the summer working with two Belize-based NGOs focused on ecosystem-based management of coastal resources.

With Friends of Nature Lauren worked on a water quality project designed to identify and remediate sources of pollution in coastal lagoons. She also networked with various coastal resource users to identify individuals who might be interested in participating in remediation projects. Working with the Healthy Reefs for Healthy People Initiative, Lauren developed and helped to carry out a survey assessing how various stakeholder groups in Belize perceive benefits associated with the barrier reef system and threats to this system. This survey was both intended as a tool to guide outreach and, through repetition, to assess the success of Initiativeí¢â‚¬â„¢s outreach work. She also participated in a series of collaborative workshops designed engage diverse stakeholders in the identification of identify key threats and actions to protect the meso-american barrier reef system from the coastal plains and lagoons to the reef.

Internship Details