Team
Meet the people that make this possible
Management
Jefferson S. Hall
Agua Salud Project lead scientist
Jeff is a Staff Scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). He is a co-founder and the Director of the Agua Salud Project. He is responsible for the overall vision, leadership, technical guidance, and direction in the development and performance of research and management of Agua Salud project.
Adriana Tapia
Agua Salud Project Manager
As project manager at Agua Salud, Adriana oversees land management, managing personnel and contractors and logistics. She also serves as a liaison with different institutions collaborating on the Agua Salud Project.
Guillermo Fernández
Agua Salud site coordinator
Guillermo is the Site Coordinator and works under the guidance of Adriana Tapia. He supports all field logistics, assists in land management activities, and serves as the liaison with the local community.
Victorino Montenegro
maintenance assistant
Victorino assists in maintaining structures and cleaning areas of the Agua Salud site, and assists students and technicians in a variety of activities.
Hydrology Team
Jorge Batista
hydrology techniciaN
Jorge is responsible of the collection, processing, and basic analysis of stream flow data collected as part of the Agua Salud project. In addition, he helps with the installation and maintenance of instruments.
Jahir Batista
Postdoctoral Researcher
Jahir oversees stream flow data processing and quality control for all Agua Salud weirs. He leads different analyses assessing the effects of land use change on hydrology.
Vegetation Team
Mario Bailón
vegetation technician
Mario is the lead botanist and team leader for field inventories, responsible for management of day-to-day activities and botanical identifications and oversees interns on the field.
Johana Balbuena
vegetation technician
Johana participates in field inventories of secondary forest and measurements of the native species plantations. In addition, she serves as a team leader for different vegetation related projects, and she assists with data management and administration.
Miguel Núñez
vegetation technician
Miguel participates in field inventories of secondary forest and measurements of the native species plantation and oversees the nutrition addition in the nutrient addition experiment.
Carlos Díaz
research assistant
Carlos participates in field inventories of secondary forest and measurement of the native species plantations. In addition, he assists managers, researchers, and students in a variety of activities related to land management and different research projects.
Roderick Martínez
research assistant
Roderick participates in field inventories of secondary forest and measurement of the native species plantations. In addition, he assists managers, researchers, and students in a variety of activities related to land management and different research projects.
Slendy Rodriguez
Postdoctoral Researcher
Slendy works on forest restoration research and extension at Agua Salud and in the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca.
Principal collaborators
Michiel van Breugel
STRI Research Associate
Dr. Michiel van Breugel is a STRI Research Associate and an Assistant Professor at NSU University of Singapore. He co-leads secondary forest research in Agua Salud.
Sarah Batterman
STRI Research Associate
Dr. Sarah Batterman is a STRI Research Associate and a Staff Scientist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. She co-leads the Nutrient Addition Experiment in Agua Salud.
Katherine Sinacore
STRI Research Associate
Dr. Katherine Sinacore is a STRI Research Associate and a Research Economist/Forester at the US Forest Service. She co-leads forest restoration research.
Melinda Daniels
Senior Research Scientist
Dr. Melinda Daniels is a Senior Research Scientist at Stroud Water Research Center. She co-leads hydrology research.
Kristin Saltonstall
STRI staff Scientist
Dr. Saltonstall is a Staff Scientist and the director of the Molecular Lab at STRI. She co-leads microbial research.
Robert Stallard
Stri staff Scientist
Dr. Stallard is an Affiliate STRI Staff Scientist and a Scientist Emeritus at the US Geological Service. He is a co-founder of the Agua Salud Project.
Internal collaborators
ForestGEO
The Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO) is a global network of scientists and forest research sites dedicated to advancing long-term study of the world’s forests. The network recognizes the importance of collaborating with local institutions to strengthen science capacity in an era of rapidly changing landscapes and climate to understand and predict forest dynamics.
Research and Sustainability Initiative
The Adrienne Arsht Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative is a Smithsonian-wide effort with leadership based at STRI, which connects the multidisciplinary art and science done at the Smithsonian with key partners across the globe, by focusing on the cross-cutting theme: adaptation as a pathway to resilience for people and nature.
Saltonstall Lab
The Naos Molecular Laboratory is a service lab open to researchers and visitors for genetic and genomic research at STRI. It continues to provide genetic, geographic and even historical answers to biological questions.
Wcislo Lab
The Evolution, Behavior and Neurobiology lab uses natural history observations, combined with experimental field and laboratory studies, to better understand the evolution of animal behavior in changing environments.
External collaborators
Van Breugel Lab at National University of Singapore
We are an interdisciplinary team of researchers addressing the cellular, individual, and community processes of forest.
Batterman lab at the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies
Batterman uses large-scale ecosystem experiments, field observations, and modeling to analyze how the biodiversity of tropical tree species, their microbial partners, and nutrients govern tropical rainforest recovery.
Stroud Water Research Center
Since 1967, the Stroud Water Research Center has been leading the effort to produce innovative solutions and advance knowledge and stewardship of preserving and restoring freshwater systems through global research, environmental education, and watershed restoration.
Panama Canal Authority
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is the autonomous agency of the government of Panama responsible for the operation and management of the Panama Canal. The ACP works closely with Agua Salud in the mission to preserve the Canal watershed and find solutions for the long-term sustainable functionality of the maritime route.
MiAmbiente
Panama’s Ministry of Environment (MiAmbiente) promotes the sustainable management of the country’s natural resources and enforcing environmental protection laws. Agua Salud works with MiAmbiente to obtain the scientific information and tools that can inform conservation policymaking.
