Sofia Lopez Farina
Sofia is a graduate student within the Department of Earth and Environment at FIU, receiving her Masters in Environmental Studies this upcoming fall semester. Her thesis consists of tracking passive echolocation recording of the endangered Florida bonneted bat, Eumops floridanus, endemic to South Florida. In collaboration with Zoo Miami, this research aims to expand the knowledge conservationists have to better protect this species from extinction.
In addition to local conservation ecology research, Sofia has been working on social-ecological migration research in collaboration with fishers from the Peruvian regions of the Amazon river basin. This work entails interview transcribing, data extraction and interpretation, in order to then apply the findings to better serve and support the fishers of the area. Support in these projects can range from the presentation of findings from the interviews and comparing regional data, and/or building up the efforts for the fishers to form an official association to further protect the basins in and connected by the Amazon River. Catfish migration serves as a major indicator of the needs of protection and well-being of the basin, as well as serving as an economic foundation to the regions.