Our Team of Professors, Support Staff and Students
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Directors
Dr. Ricardo Rozzi, Co-Director (UNT & UMAG)
ricardo.rozzi@unt.edu
Dr. Rozzi is an ecologist and environmental philosopher whose main research focuses on environmental ethics and the conservation of biocultural diversity in the Cape Horn Region. He was involved in the creation of the Omora Ethnobotanical Park in Navarino Island and led the efforts to establish the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve. He is a founding member of the UNT-Chile Field Station and an Adjunct Scientist at the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB-Chile). He is currently an Associate Professor at Universidad de Magallanes (Chile) and at the Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies at the University of North Texas.
Dr. James H. Kennedy, Co-Director (UNT)
kennedy@unt.edu
Dr. Kennedy is an ecologist and aquatic entomologist. His research includes stream ecology, aquatic insect biology, biodiversity studies, and the use of macroinvertebrates in ecological risk assessment process. He is a Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of North Texas and a founding member of the UNT-Chile Field Station. He was involved in the creation of the Department of Biological Sciences’ Field Station located in Denton, Texas and is currently the Director of the Elm Fork Education Center.
Dr. Christopher Anderson, Coordinator (UNT & UMAG)
christopher.anderson@unt.edu
Dr. Anderson obtained his Ph.D. in ecology from the Odum School of
Ecology, University of Georgia. He has over a decade of experience in
research, education and conservation projects in southern Chile, being one
of the founders of the Omora Park and a driving force behind the creation
of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve. His academic interests include the
role of invasive species in socio-ecological systems and stream ecosystem
ecology. Since 2009, he has been the coordinator of the Sub-Aantarctic Biocultural Conservation Program (University of North Texas and the Universidad de Magallanes). His previous position was as the founding coordinator of Chile's first Long-Term Ecological Research
Network, and since 2004, he has been the President of the Omora Sub-Antarctic Research Alliance (www.osara.org).
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Faculty
Dr. Jaime Jiménez (UNT)
Jaime.Jimenez@unt.edu
Jaime Jiménez is a Professor of Biological Sciences and Philosophy and Religion Studes as well as Senior Ecologist in the Sub-Antarctic Ecosystems and Biocultural Conservation Cluster at UNT. A leading expert on wildlife conservation and environmental studies in the sub-Antarctic region of Chile, Dr. Jiménez joined the faculty of the University of North Texas in January of 2011, bringing a wealth of technical expertise to one of the university's most prominent areas of international and interdisciplinary research. Previously a professor in the Department of Basic Sciences at the Universidad de Los Lagos in Osorno, Chile, and an associate researcher with the Chilean Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Jimenez' current research focuses on the conservation of the critically endangered Darwin's fox, the study of the slender-billed parakeet as a model to conserve biodiversity in highly modified agricultural areas, and the Magellanic Woodpecker, the largest woodpecker of South America which is closely related to the presumably extinct North American Ivory Billed Woodpecker. He holds a licenciatura degree in Biological Sciences (equivalent to a Master of Science degree) from Catholic University of Chile, a Master of Science in Conservation of Natural Resources from the University of Florida and a Doctor of Philosophy in Wildlife Ecology from Utah State University.
Dr. Juan Armesto (UMAG)
armesto@bio.puc.cl
Dr. Armesto’s research focuses on forest ecology, ecosystem management and conservation of forest biodiversity in southern South American temperate forests. During the mid-90’s, his laboratory showed that southern South American temperate forest have high generic endemism and are very much like tropical cloud forests in their reproductive biology. He helped established the Omora Ethnobotanical Park and played an important role in the creation of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve. Today he is a full Professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Universidad de Chile. He is the Deputy Director of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB-Chile), an Adjunct Scientist of the Institute of Ecosystem Studies, New York, USA., and the President of the Fundación Senda Darwin, Chile.
Dr. J. Baird Callicott, (UNT)
JohnBaird.Callicott@unt.edu
J. Baird Callicott is University Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and formerly Regents Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Texas. He is co-Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy and author or editor of a score of books and author of dozens of journal articles, encyclopedia articles, and book chapters in environmental philosophy and ethics. Callicott has served the International Society for Environmental Ethics as President and Yale University as Bioethicist-in-Residence, and he has served the UNT Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies as chair. His research goes forward simultaneously on four main fronts: theoretical environmental ethics; comparative environmental ethics and philosophy; the philosophy of ecology and conservation policy; and biocomplexity in the environment, coupled natural and human systems (sponsored by the National Science Foundation). Callicott is perhaps best known as the leading contemporary exponent of Aldo Leopold’s land ethic and is currently exploring an Aldo Leopold Earth ethic in response to global climate change. He taught the world’s first course in environmental ethics in 1971 at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. His teaching at UNT includes graduate and undergraduate courses in ancient Greek philosophy and ethical theory in addition to environmental philosophy.
Lari R. Gibbons (UNT)
gibbons@unt.edu
Lari R. Gibbons is an Associate Professor of Art in the College of Visual Arts and Design and an artist who specializes in drawing and printmaking. With the support of a 2008-09 UNT Faculty Research Grant, she traveled to Chile in order to develop strategies for incorporating visual art into the Chile Program.
Dr. Eugene C. Hargrove (UNT)
hargrove@unt.edu
Dr. Hargrove specializes in ethics, science, and the care of ecosystems, along with exploring these issues in a philosophical context. He has been critical in the development of environmental ethics within a collegiate curriculum. He is currently a philosophy professor at the University of North Texas and the founding editor of the journal Environmental Ethics. He is the Director of the Center for Environmental Philosophy at this institution.
Dr. Jeff Johnson, (UNT)
jeff.johnson@unt.edu
Jeff Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of North Texas. He holds an MS in Zoology from North Carolina State University, and received his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2003. Dr. Johnson has broad interests in evolution and conservation biology, particularly in (1) the adaptive significance of genetic diversity, (2) how increased population fragmentation and isolation influences population processes at both temporal and spatial scales, and (3) the precision and accuracy of methods in describing such processes at or below the species level. Dr. Johnson will serve as the guest lecturer for the Wintermester 2010 "Tracing Darwin's Path" study abroad course.
Dr. Mary T. Kalin Arroyo, (U de Chile, IEB)
southern@uchile.cl
Dr. Mary Kalin Arroyo is a professor of biology at Universidad de Chile, and the director of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity. She has combined research on the reproductive systems of plants with the study of complete communities and applied this information to conservation. Her studies have led to the design of an improved system of protected areas in Chile.
Dr. Arturo Kunstmann (UMAG)
arturo.kunstmann@umag.cl
Dr. Kunstmann’s research focuses on characterization and sustainability of wind energy implementation in Chile. He is currently a Professor and the Director of the Centro de Estudio de los Recursos Energéticos at Universidad de Magallanes (CERE-UMAG).
Dr. Andrés Mansilla (UMAG)
andres.mansilla@umag.cl
Dr. Mansilla is a phycologist and botanist. He helped established the Facultad de Ciencias of Universidad de Magallanes (Chile), where the research is focused on the sub-Antarctic Magallanes region. He played an important role on the development of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve. He is currently a Professor and Coordinator of the Master Program in Sciences and the Director of Research and Graduate Studies at Universidad de Magallanes.
Dr. Francisca Massardo (UMAG)
massardorozzi@yahoo.com
Dr. Massardo is an ethnobotanist and plant physiologist. Her research includes ethnobotany, nectar production and the reproductive biology of Magellanic flora. She was involved in the creation of the Omora Ethnobotanical Park in Navarino Island and the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve. She is a founding member of the UNT-Chile Field Station and is currently a Professor at Universidad de Magallanes, Chile.
Dr. Guillermo A. Oyarce (UNT)
oyga@unt.edu
Dr. Oyarce is an Information Scientists whose main research focuses on computer-based text processing to facilitate human access to large amounts of digital information. His international activities are well regarded. He is currently an Associate Professor in the College of Library, Information Science and Learning Technologies of the University of North Texas, where he teaches courses about computer technology and information retrieval systems.
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Support Staff
M. Sc. Paula Caballero - Outreach Coordinator (Punta Arenas)
pp.caballero.s@gmail.com
Ms. Caballero is the Regional Coordinator of Science Outreach at Punta Arenas (IEB-Omora-UMAG). She is in charge of promoting science in the community through education. For this reason she has worked, along with Omora Ethnobotanical Park, in the development of workshops for teachers, tourism agencies, and the community of Puerto Williams.
Denece L. Gerlach - Office Manager (UNT Office)
denece@unt.edu
Ms. Gerlach is the Office Manager for the Denton Program Office. She assists Dr. Anderson in managing the day to day operations of the office and serves as the hub for office activity.
M. Sc. Cristóbal Pizarro - Local Coordinator for UMAG ( Puerto Williams)
jcpizarrop@gmail.com
Mr. Pizarro is a Master’s candidate at Universidad de Magallanes, where he focuses on birds and the link between marine and terrestrial habitats. He is currently involved in the coordination of courses, workshops, and other events at Omora Ethnobotanical Park. In addition, Mr. Pizarro is involved in the designing Marine-terrestrial SEELP for his Master’s thesis.
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Doctoral Students
Ph. D. Student Ximena Arango - University of the Sunshine Coast
xae_arango@yahoo.es
Ms. Arango’s research has focused on the definition and implementation of the Magellanic Woodpeckar as a flagship species for the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve and the exploring of other potential flagship species at the regional scale in collaboration with Fundación Senda Darwin. She is the Education Coordinator at Puerto Williams (IEB-UMAG) where she carries out local environmental education programs with the school in Puerto Williams.
Ph. D. Canditate Tamara Contador - UNT
tamaracontador@my.unt.edu
Ms. Contador is an international student from Santiago, Chile at the Department of Biological Sciences of the University of North Texas. She is working with Dr. J.H. Kennedy in the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory at this institution. Her dissertation (in progress) focuses on the benthic macroinvertebrate fauna associated to the Róbalo River watershed. She will be using the information obtained from her dissertation for conservation initiatives of watershed and education outreach. One component of this research is the use of the ecological knowledge to inform policy-making and monitor stream health. She helped to teach the Biology section of the 2007-2008 Tracing Darwin’s Path UNT course. Currently she is helping with the construction of the new UNT-Chile Field Station website.
Ph. D. Student Jessica Fernandoy, Architect - University of Bath
jessica.fernandoy@umag.cl
Ms. Fernandoy is a Faculty Member at Universidad de Magallanes, where she teaches architecture. She has been involved in the designing and construction of trails at Omora Ethnobotanical Park. She is also collaborating in the design of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve Field Station. She is involved in the elaboration of a multimedia CD that describes the Omora Ethnobotanical Park. Currently she is on leave from UMAG while completing her Ph. D. at the University Bath.
Ph. D. Student José Tomás Ibarra - University of British Columbia
tucuquere.jti@gmail.com
Mr. Ibarra’s research focuses on the history and protection of the Róbalo River in Navarino Island. In January of 2008, Mr. Ibarra and Ms. Ximena Arango launched a book entitled Habitats and Inhabitants of the Robalo Watershed, which explores the different “tracks” left behind by the different cultures that have inhabited the watershed.
M.S, PhD. Candidate Alexandria Poole - UNT
alexandria.poole@gmail.com
Ms. Poole is concurrently enrolled in the M.S. Environmental Science and the PhD Environmental Philosophy program at the University of North Texas. Her research focuses on an analysis of urban development upon biological, linguistic and cultural diversity. She is a research assistant to the UNT branch of the Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program.
Ph. D. Candidate Alejandro E. J. Valenzuela - University of Buenos Aires
ale.alevalenzuela@gmail.com
Mr. Valenzuela is currently a Ph.D. student in Biological Sciences at the Universidad de Buenos Aires in Argentina. He works at the CADIC, a government-sponsored research center in Ushuaia, Argentina, where he studies the ecology of invasive and native fauna of Tierra del Fuego. His dissertation research focuses on the effects of invasive American mink in the Fuegian Archipelago, and his work is expected to provide the biological-ecological foundations to advise policy makers in the planning for American mink control/eradication efforts. In 2009-2010, Alejandro will be a visiting Ph.D. student at the Institute of Applied Science of the University of North Texas, where he will finish the writing and publication of his doctoral dissertation. Additionally, he is involved in helping with the 2009-2010 Tracing Darwin’s Path field course and guiding students funded by the Sub-Antarctic Research Alliance's NSF grant to provide students with international research experiences in southern Chile and Argentina.
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Masters Students
M. Sc. Candidate Yanet Medina - UMAG
yanet_medin@yahoo.es
Ms. Medina is a graduate student studying non-vascular plants at the University of Magallanes (UMAG) in Punta Arenas and works for the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB) and the Omora Ethno-botanical Park. As part of her thesis project, Yanet is participating in work associated with the design and construction of the “Miniature Forests of Cape Horn” at Omora Park. This trail is the first of its kind in the world, as a tool for the conservation of the non-vascular flora in this pristine region. She is working to design and implement the interpretative trail with 19 stations to emphasize each of the many distinct habitats and species represented. As preparation for this, she has participated in an expedition with a team of scientists (from the University of Complutense in Madrid, Spain) led by Dr. Leopoldo Garcia-Sanchez to become familiar with lichens species of the region.
M. Sc. Student Jean-Paul Zagarola - UNT
jippz3000@gmail.com
Jean-Paul is a graduate student at UNT and serves as a program assistant to the Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program. He has been awarded a Fulbright scholarship and will spend all of 2011 in Chile working on a community-based, ecosystem services approach to watershed management and conservation in the southern portion of the country. The three main focuses of Jean-Paul's research are 1. How science can effectively dialogue with society about multiple forms of knowledge regarding ecosystem processes and thereby improve public participation in ecosystem management; 2. How cultural memory and local knowledge can contribute to successful ecosystem management; 3. If a biocultural conservation approach to ecosystem management has the capacity to improve community well-being and the preservation of culture.
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Undergraduate Students
B.Sc. Candidate Kelli Moses - UNT
kelli.moses@gmail.com
Ms. Moses is an undergraduate student in biology at the University of North Texas (UNT) conducting research for her Honors Thesis at the Omora Ethnobotanical Park on aquatic bryophytes, aquatic invertebrates and conservation of the characteristic communities of the sub-Antarctic forests. In December 2006, Ms. Moses was introduced to the region through a study abroad course entitled Tracing Darwin’s Path: Nature writing at the Beagle Channel held in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve and has since been helping to develop a partnership between the University of North Texas, the University of Magallanes and the Omora Ethnobotanical Park. In 2007 she assisted the coordination and again participated in Tracing Darwin’s Path: Integrating Natural History and Environmental Field Philosophy, which included students from UNT and UMAG. Currently she is helping to develop programs for the UNT and UMAG courses at Omora Park on the topic of “Miniature Forests” conservation for June and December 2008.
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"Tracing Darwin's Path" Guest Lecturers
Dr. Jeff Johnson, December Wintermester 2010
jeff.johnson@unt.edu
Dr. Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of North Texas. He holds an MS in Zoology from North Carolina State University, and received his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2003. Dr. Johnson has broad interests in evolution and conservation biology, particularly in (1) the adaptive significance of genetic diversity, (2) how increased population fragmentation and isolation influences population processes at both temporal and spatial scales, and (3) the precision and accuracy of methods in describing such processes at or below the species level. Dr. Johnson served as the guest lecturer for the Wintermester 2010 "Tracing Darwin's Path" study abroad course.
Dr. Dale Wilkerson, December Wintermester 2009
dale.wilkerson@unt.edu
Dale Wilkerson lectures in the Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies at the University of North Texas. Specializing in the history of ideas, continental philosophy, and ethical theory, he has published articles on the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger. His book, Nietzsche and the Greeks (Continuum, 2006), examines early Nietzsche's work on the pre-Socratic philosophers, Greek culture, and ancient socio-political diagrams. Professor Wilkerson holds a PhD in the History of Ideas from the University of Texas, Dallas (2002). In 2003-2004 he was President of the North Texas Philosophical Association and currently serves as the organization's Secretary and Conference Coordinator.
Dr. J. Britt Holbrook, December Wintermester 2008, June 2008 Summer I
britt.holbrook@unt.edu
Dr. Holbrook's current research focuses on interdisciplinarity and the relationship between science, technology, and society. He is especially interested in the incorporation of societal impacts considerations into the peer review process of publicly supported funding agencies (e.g., NSF's "Broader Impacts" Merit Review Criterion), as well as the integration of "the social" with "the ecological" (e.g., the difference between Long Term Ecological Research and Long Term Socio-Ecological Research). Holbrook is Assistant Director of UNT's Center for the Study of Interdisciplinarity and Research Assistant Professor within UNT's Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies.
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Read more about our 2009 IRES Student Researchers