Climate Change, Latin America & the Caribbean, Sustainability In the Galápagos, training community scientists to monitor water quality

The Galápagos Islands of Ecuador are synonymous with biodiversity and wildlife. Yet the islands are home to tens of thousands of people, too. On the islands’ beaches, humans and wildlife come into frequent, close contact.

During a recent visit to the Galápagos, Daniel Beiting of the School of Veterinary Medicine, along with Penn students and local collaborators, spent time investigating one of the consequences of human and wildlife cohabitation: sanitation challenges. Using portable molecular biology tools, the Penn scientists evaluated water quality and trained Galapagueño scientists and students to perform the same tests themselves. 

Part of the larger Galapagos Education and Research Alliance (GERA), co-directed by the School of Arts & Sciences’ Michael Weisberg, a goal of this project is to empower residents with the knowledge and capacity to keep tabs on water quality in their own home, contributing to environmental and public health research.

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