Advanced Inquiry Program Showcasing Graduate Students

By Jamie Lynn Lankenau, Community Engagement Supervisor

We are one of 10 zoos and botanical gardens across the country to offer the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP), a graduate degree program offered through Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, aimed at igniting social and ecological change. The AIP engages students in experiential education opportunities at the Zoo alongside Miami University’s online coursework from multidisciplinary backgrounds to earn a Master of Arts in Conservation Biology. Some of ourdiverse student population work in the zoo and aquarium field, while others are teachers, business professionals, marketing professionals or community leaders, each aiming to contribute to conservation efforts in their communities.

Each AIP cohort is named after a Florida native species. The fourth cohort, which began their studies in the summer semester of this year, is the Longleaf Pine cohort. To celebrate three and a half years of AIP at the Zoo, we are highlighting some of the incredible work our students have accomplished!

Alyssa Knowlton, a member of the Manatee Cohort and member of our first graduating class in December 2022, studied how companies can support conservation and sustainability goals. During her time in the program, Alyssa conducted studies on how local coffee shops versus national chains contribute to singleuse plastic waste. After a course trip to Belize where she visited a nature preserve of cultural and conservation significance, she conducted a study on how companies can purchase land to contribute domestically to conservation efforts here in the US. Additionally, she completed an independent study on how Jacksonville’s local transit agency (JTA) reports metrics to measure environmental impact of public transportation to further municipal sustainability efforts. Alyssa was a Zoo employee at the beginning of her time in the AIP and is now a Data Analyst for the Environmental Research and Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization conducting research to enable innovation in sustainable waste management.

Noah Koflowitch is a current AIP graduate student in the Gopher Tortoise cohort and is fascinated in all things reptilian. He is focusing his studies on cultural understandings of macropredators in freshwater ecosystems. As a student, he has utilized his creativity to create a video game and website about bull shark ecology and conservation in the face of environmental change. He traveled to India as a student to study species, deities and communities. Noah has conducted studies on crocodilian behavior at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and aims to improve humanto-crocodilian relationships through general research and outreach. Noah is currently a field biologist for the Orlando-based bio-technology consulting company, Biotech. He is set to graduate from the AIP in December 2023.

Viviana Moreno is a current AIP graduate student in the Wood Stork Cohort. Viviana is focusing her coursework on bridging the gap between science and non-science communities of all ages through creative writing. Viviana is a published poet and has established the blog, Simply Science, which she started after a course expedition to the Everglades National Park. Her blog documented the adventure and aims to spotlight other outdoor adventures and instill a reverence for nature among readers. As a student, she aims to collaborate with fellow classmates who are teachers to publish a children’s book on climate change. Viviana serves on Miami University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Advisory Board and expects to graduate in December 2024.

Now Recruiting

We are now recruiting interested students to join our fifth cohort. Classes begin in May 2024. If you are interested or know someone that might be, email: AIP@Jacksonvillezoo.org to learn more.