Introduction
I visited the Galapagos Islands as part of a program for MIT freshman called Terrascope. First semester I took a class called 12.000, Mission 2008: Solving Complex Problems. In this class we had 3 specific goals to accomplish:
1. To develop a new preservation strategy for the Galapagos that builds on the current management plan for the Galapagos National Park and Galapagos Marine Reserve by designating the two as a "World Scientific Preserve" that would be managed by an international commission and funded by a multinational trust;
2. To design and deploy a network of environmental sensors to support a comprehensive program of ecosystem monitoring on the islands and surrounding waters
3. To design an idealized "village" for permanent residents and visitors that would ensure the lowest possible human impact on island ecosystems.
Our solutions required us to work in teams of about 7 students and conquer the problems involving the Galapagos Island by combining knowledge from a variety of different disciplines. Each team was given a specfic island to study- I was on team 2, and we focused on Fernandina and Isabela Island. Then the entire class reorganized into new teams to accomplish the 3 major goals above. I was part of the environmental sensor group. At the end of the semester we had to present our semester's worth of work to an international comittee of experts, which was quite intimidating. Here is my team's final website and the final presentation.
Second Semester, the purpose is to convey the special aspects of the Galapagos to a wider audience. The class is called 1.016, Communicating Complex Environmental Issues: Designing and Building Interactive Museum Exhibits. Along with 5 other people, I am designing, engineering, and building an interactive museum-style exhibit about the unique animals of the islands.
