Willoughby & Baker Symposium
Belen Jesuit hosted the Willoughby/Baker Symposium on January 27 in the Roca Theater. The symposium featured the results of the experiments taken on the expedition. Led by Science Teacher Maria Vilberg and the ten students who joined the trek in October and participated in the research adventure, they participated in a question-and-answer session.
We are grateful to WPLG Anchor Louis Aguirre ‘84 for being the symposium’s emcee, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava for being the keynote speaker, and the explorers and researchers (Carlos Arazoza ‘78, Dr. Tracie Baker and Christophe Vandaele) for sharing their results.
Dr. Baker presented data on microplastics and other modern-day contaminants, antibiotic resistance, endangered and invasive species, preservation, conservation, and environmental impact.
From October 26 to November 2, 2023, to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Hugh Willoughby's Everglades mapping/water analysis + the 75th anniversary of Everglades National Park, a four-member crew (led by Tracie Baker, Ph.D. from the University of Florida) set out to re-trace Willoughby's expedition and test for modern day contaminants. On the last three days of the expedition (in Miami), Belen Climate Awareness Club students went along for the ride, assisted in every aspect and took water samples/collected data. Click here to see the Channel 10 report. Click here to see the photo album.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.