293-7 GEOPAths GO Jamaica 2025: Fostering a learning ecosystem for interdisciplinary Earth scientists through service learning and conservation in Jamaica

Session: Deliver the Message: Harness Diverse Media and Divergent Methods to Describe and Depict Geoscience Information (Posters)

Poster Booth No.: 34

Presenting Author:

Rowan Martindale

Authors:

Martindale, Rowan¹, Kemp, Melissa², Matheny, Ashley³, Turner, Leah⁴, Gordon-Smith, Debbie-Ann⁵, Bolden, Isaiah⁶, Henry, Denise⁷, Trench, Camilo⁸, James-Williamson, Sherene⁹, Ranston-Young, Emma¹⁰, Rahamut, Matthew¹¹, Green, Andrew¹², Gomes, Talita¹³, O'Quin, Megan¹⁴, Boville, Alexandra¹⁵

Abstract:

Jamaica is home to numerous vital and complex ecosystems, including rainforests, mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass beds. Historically, the stability and dynamics of these ecosystems have not been actively monitored, and conservation solutions are seldom tailored to the needs of local communities. In response to this history, the need for collaborative conservation strategies, and the desire to broaden recruitment and participation in the geosciences, we created ‘GEOPAths GO Jamaica’. The team in our second year (2025) includes partners from The University of Texas at Austin, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Georgia Institute of Technology, and The UWI Discovery Bay Marine Lab. During our program, which culminated in a three week immersive field experience in Jamaica, we introduced a team of students (undergraduate and graduate) from American and Caribbean institutions to (a) the different, interconnected elements of Earth sciences on land, at the coast, and in the ocean; (b) the communities and people that collaborate to promote conservation; and (c) the broad community of scholars uniting to preserve the natural world and communities affected by modern climate threats. Research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students (from the US and Jamaica) included sampling and chemical analyses of marine, river, and spring water; an assessment of a local degraded mangrove forest; quantitative ecology of Pleistocene reef ecosystems; analyses of Holocene fossil assemblages from caves; and exposure to local cultural and historical sites of significance. Here, we showcase findings and lessons learned from our second year, as well as objectives for next summer. 

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

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