• Biology Home
• Department Information
• Curriculum
  • Major in Biology
  • Minor in Biology
  • Sample Schedule
  • Course Descriptions
  • Scholarships
• Research
  • Undergraduate Research
  • Seitz Award
  • Butler Summer Institute
  • Biology Internships
  • Faculty Research Interests
  • Center for Urban Ecology
  • STRI Partnership
• Facilities & Resources
  • Overview
  • Friesner Herbarium
  • Butler Greenhouse
  • Learning Resource Center
  • Biology Links
• Faculty & Staff
  • Directory
  • Faculty Research Interests
• College of LAS Home

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Partnership

The Department of Biological Sciences at Butler University has recently teamed with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama to form a partnership designed to afford Butler undergraduates opportunities to study and conduct research in Panama. STRI, founded in 1923, is dedicated to understanding tropical biodiversity. STRI is home to 38 staff scientists and supports 900 visiting scientists annually. Many STRI scientists conduct long-term ecological research addressing nearly every aspect of tropical biodiversity from genetics, physiology, and ecology to the structure and function of ecosystems and the biosphere. Collectively, the work of STRI scientists and the location and quality of STRI's facilities, has resulted in STRI becoming one of the premier research institutions in the world.

The Butler - STRI partnership has three main student-centered components.

• Student Internship Program - This program will support student research experiences in Panama. Approximately 4 students per year will serve as paid research interns for existing research projects conducted by STRI associated scientists. In this capacity, students will assist with all aspects of on-going research and will also have the opportunity to design and conduct original, related research. Student interns will stay on-site for up to 4 months depending on the nature of the research project. Each student intern will be under the oversight of a Butler faculty/staff mentor. The mentor will monitor intern progress and work closely with the Dean of Students at STRI to ensure a satisfactory on-site learning experience.
• Majors biology courses with on-site study in Panama - Butler faculty will offer two courses as part of the partnership to educate students on the biodiversity and ecology of marine, coastal, and inland terrestrial ecosystems of the tropics. A Tropical Marine Biology course will be offered with one week of on-site study at STRI's Bocas del Toro Marine Laboratory on the Caribbean. A Tropical Field Biology course focusing on terrestrial ecosystems will be offered in May. Students in this course will study for 2 - 3 weeks with a team of Butler biologists at various terrestrial locations in Panama. As part of both courses, students will participate in long-term research projects in conjunction with STRI scientists.
• Student / Faculty Research - The partnership will provide support for Butler students to team with Butler faculty to conduct research on-site in Panama. Student / faculty teams will collaborate with STRI scientists to conduct supplemental or new research projects. The length and timing of stays in Panama by student / faculty teams will vary greatly depending on research activities.

Funding has been secured to supplement all components of the Butler - STRI partnership. Scholarships and need-based funding will be made available to interested, qualified students to afford all students the opportunity to take advantage of these unique educational opportunities.

Contact Dr. Travis Ryan, 317-940-9977, tryan@butler.edu,
or Dr. Carmen Salsbury, 317-940-9879, csalsbur@butler.edu