2023 meeting

EMIGRA team members gather at Biosphere 2 in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, near Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Paul Mirocha)

2023 EMIGRA All-team Meeting

Early in 2023, Emigra researchers from four countries gathered at Biosphere 2 for an all-team meeting. Of the 35 attending, 12 were from our student research team.

Day one for the students was an all-day science communication training workshop. Three groups of students rotated through three two-hour training sessions with experts in science journalism, science communication in social media, and presentation/performance skills.

For the previous 6 months, the student researchers had worked on building a substantial database of information on 1,000 N American migratory species. While the students participated in the workshop, the rest of the team started work on methods for using these data to create a final list of 30-40 species.

What students say about the all-team meeting

“Being immersed in the brainwork of EMIGRA was very rewarding and I never thought undergraduate students like me would have the pleasure to sit in a room where inspiring people are so willing to share their knowledge and show their passion for one common goal. I never felt so inspired to do research like I did last week, and this opportunity made me feel even more certain about prospect career plans.

Ana Nobre

Mount Saint Vincent University

“I’m taking every ounce of my passion to carve out my career in conservation and I could not have had a better start than working with everyone involved in EMIGRA. Everyone had so much love and advice to give that I no longer feel like just an undergrad who loves animals and conservation, but someone who can do something with that passion.”

Alyssa Babb

Mount Saint Vincent University

“I really enjoyed seeing how much the interdisciplinary nature of the team contributes to the project, and also to all of the discussions. This meeting taught me that I may be more interested in grad school and continuing my education than I originally thought I was.”

Sydney Cohen

Brandeis University

“I think what Dr. Lopez-Hoffman said about our generations being the ones to inherit the planet was very inspiring… in that moment I really felt the energy in the room and I realized how important my generation is, I felt very empowered.”

Ava Hamstead

University of Arziona

"I, along with student researchers from the University of Arizona and Mount Saint Vincent University, participated in goal-setting discussions with seasoned conservationists. But we weren’t relegated to an observatory role or ignored, students were encouraged to participate in these discussions and stood on equal footing with experienced academics and world-famous conservationists.

Cooper Gottfried

Brandeis University

2023 Meeting Gallery

All Students Sessions