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Participants
AEI Indonesia Professors
Eckerd College - Dr. Andrew Chittick
Andrew Chittick (PhD, University of Michigan) is the E. Leslie Peter Professor of East Asian Humanities & History and runs the Asian Studies program at Eckerd College. He researches and teaches on the early history of East Asia, China-Southeast Asia contacts, and contemporary Asian environmental issues.
Eckerd College - Dr. Jeannine Lessmann
Jeannine Lessmann (PhD, Louisiana State University) is an Assistant Professor of Marine Science & Biology at Eckerd College. Her focus is "basic and applied ecology of wetland macrophytes". Her "primary research interest is the influence of environmental factors on plant establishment, distribution and productivity in natural as well as restored communities."
Student Participants
Victoria Seligman graduated from Eckerd College with a bachelor of the arts in Interdisciplinary Arts in May 2016. Throughout her undergraduate studies she focused on film production and creative writing. More recently her video projects have been geared towards education with the goal of combating the nexus of social and environmental issues. She has traveled extensively in Indonesia working with various non-governmental organizations. She has participated in projects involving reforestation, youth development and marine conservation. Victoria is increasingly passionate about sustainability and the different approaches used to address the ecological crisis. She hopes this program will expand her understanding of these issues by of providing a more scientific perspective. Victoria hopes to continue working with NGOs in Indonesia in the near future, using her videography skills to aid in efforts of environmental awareness.
Zoë Shribman is a senior at Eckerd College, working towards a major in Marine Science, specifically in biology, with a minor in Environmental Studies. She is incredibly passionate about protecting, conserving and restoring the amazing ecosystems we have on Earth, and has spent much of her free time working with several non-profit organizations including the Sierra Club, the New England Aquarium, Mass Audubon Society, and Environment America. She loves to take advantage of any opportunity to go on adventures and travel, spend time outdoors or by the ocean, and she spends much of her free time watching nature documentaries, taking pictures and listening to music. At Eckerd she has discovered a passion for marine botany, and she is excited to combine her knowledge of the mangroves here in Florida to the mangrove swamps in Indonesia. This is her second year of involvement with the Asia and the Environment initiative, and she will be returning to Indonesia this summer as a student research assistant. Last summer her passions in the field were centered around understanding species identification and diversity of the trees. She is currently undertaking on a senior thesis encompassing two years of field research, working to understand and compare mangrove forest structure in Nusa Lembongan, Bali and Bangka, Sulawesi.
Erica Wirth is a junior majoring in Environmental Studies and Psychology and minoring in Leadership Studies. She has always loved animals which has inspired her to pursue a career in wildlife policy and resource management. She is participating in AEI program to gain first hand experience in the field, and hoping to gain insight on how indigenous people rely on resources.
Anna-Sophie Hoppe is a sophomore at Eckerd College who is majoring in Biochemistry with an Environmental Studies minor and an Engineering core focus. She is interested in environmental sustainability and conservation at the international level. Anna hopes to use her love for travel, her study of four languages and her curiosity for international cultures to aid her in this career goal. She is interested in the Asia and the Environment Initiative, because it combines the focus areas of the environment, culture, language and international relations into one program. Although she frequently visits Europe to spend time with her family and friends, this is Anna's first time traveling abroad to the East Asian region of the world. She hopes to use this experience in order to delve into an entirely new culture as well as attain a better understanding for the perspectives that come with it.
Aidan Browne is a sophomore at Eckerd College whose academic interests include sustainability, international diplomacy, and languages. He is a declared International Relations and Global Affairs Major and plans to minor in Sustainability and Spanish. His interest in the Asia and the Environment Initiative stems from an insatiable curiosity about other cultures and their interactions with the natural environment. He is excited for the opportunity to assist with research that benefits the local communities and fills gaps in our knowledge of Indonesia’s mangroves. If he is not excited about one thing, it is the possibility of poisonous snakes, but undoubtedly the food, Indonesian people, and incredible natural environment will make it all worth it.
Photo Credited to Wahyu Chandra
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