First Row (l to r): Quintin Arias (Venezuela), Srishti Mohais (Trinidad & Tobago); Marian Tanuz (Argentina), Cristián Samper (NMNH Director), Sofía Núñez (Honduras), AnaLu de MacVean (Guatemala), Mercedes Delgado (Perú). Back Row (l to r): Katie Ahlfeld (NMNH); Pier Cacciali (Paraguay); Michael Mincarone (Brazil); Jorge Valenzuela (Chile); Adriana Gracia (Colombia); Diego García (México).
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Marian Alicia Tanuz
Curator and Collection Manager, Paleontology
Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales
Universidad de Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
Marian is responsible for the curation and management of the Paleontology Collection of the University of Buenos Aires. This is one of the most important repositories of fossil specimens in Argentina. |
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Michael Maia Mincarone
Collections Manager
Museu Oceanográfico Univali
Itajaí, Santa Catarina, BRAZIL
Michael is responsible for the curation of specimens in the vertebrate collections; processing of loans; conducting and writing taxonomic revisions and systematic studies on marine fishes; carrying out field activities in scientific research programs; identifying specimens submitted by other institutions; and advising graduate students enrolled in marine science programs of the Universidade do Vale do Itajaí. |
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Jorge Valenzuela
Director, Research and Conservation Center for Natural Heritage (CECPAN)
Región de Los Lagos, CHILE
CECPAN is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of the natural resources of the island of Chiloé in southern Chile. Jorge currently develops and manages the organization’s research projects as well as its public activities, including the development of science education courses for schools, institutions and the general public. CECPAN will be responsible for the creation of the first natural history museum in the island of Chiloé. |
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Adriana Gracia C.
Assistant Researcher/Marine Biologist
Marine and Coastal Research Institute – INVEMAR
Santa Marta (Magdalena), COLOMBIA
Adriana is a researcher in the Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystems Program of INVEMAR and is the manager of the Mollusk collection in the Museo de Historia Natural Marina de Colombia. She is responsible for identifying mollusks; updating species information in the Colombian Marine Biodiversity Information System; advising students; participating in research cruises and marine ecosystem surveys; and for preparing scientific reports. |
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Ana Lucrecia Escobar de MacVean
Curator, Herbarium UVAL
Universidad del Valle de Guatemala
Guatemala City, GUATEMALA
As curator of the UVAL Herbarium, AnaLu is responsible for coordinating collecting trips; identifying specimens; caring for and maintaining the collections; overseeing loans, exchange and permits; supervising students, writing grants; conducting research in ethnobotany, and conservation. AnaLu has published several articles on Guatemalan plant species as well as two books on the useful plants of Peten and Solola. |
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Sofia Nuñez
Curator of Mammal and Reptile Collections
Natural History Museum of the Honduran National Autonomus University (UNAH)
Tegucigalpa, HONDURAS
Sofia’s principal responsibilities include carrying out field work to collect specimens; preparing specimens; and the general maintenance of the collections. |
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Diego Francisco García Mendoza
Collection Manager
CIIDIR-IPN Unidad Durango
Durango, MEXICO
Diego has worked at the CIIDIR for almost three years. He is responsible for the accession, processing and maintenance of mammal collections, as well as for the updating of the collections’ database. The mammal collection of the CIIDIR includes mostly small mammals from NW Mexico (except Baja California). It is the largest collection of northern Mexican mammals in Mexico. |
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Mercedes Delgado
Archaeologist
QALLTA, Centro de Investigación para la Preservación y Promoción del Patrimonio Cultural
Lima, PERU
QALLTA works to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of Peru, and it is responsible for the development of community museums. It also cares for collections recovered in archaeological research projects. As the archaeologist of QALLTA, Mercedes is responsible for the registration, storage, management and analysis of collections; organizing exhibits; and for developing courses and workshops focused on the analysis, conservation and management of cultural objects. |
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Srishti Mohais
Technical Assistant, Zoological collection
University of the West Indies(UWI)
St. Augustine, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Srishti is responsible for preparing, restoring, cataloguing and databasing collections; assisting in the development of a procedures manual; providing information to the public and visitors; and supplying zoology demonstration materials to undergraduate biology courses. |
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Quintin Arias
Entomology Collections Manager
Museo del Instituto de Zoología Agrícola Francisco Fernández Yépez
Universidad Central de Venezuela – MIZA
Maracay, VENEZUELA
Quintin is responsible for the general care of the entomology collections and also conducts field work to acquire new collections. He also sorts specimens to family level, identifies genera in the Crambidae family (Lepidoptera), oversees pest control, the processing of loans, and the digitization of some insect groups. |
