Robertson used the opportunity to look for fishes that may have used the Panama Canal to cross from one ocean to the other
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is regarded as the world's premier institution for tropical ecology and evolutionary studies. Its scientific staff, postdoctoral fellows, research associates and visiting scientists are considered dynamic leaders in their fields of work.
STRI has about 40 permanent staff scientists and dozens of postdoctoral fellows and associates, and hosts about 900 visiting scientists and students each year. Although based in Panama, STRI scientists are working in over 40 tropical countries around the world.