Senior Kaitlyn Arst was one of two students selected to participate in the Earthwatch Fellowship Dinner held on Oct. 12.

Arst was presented with an unparalleled opportunity to visit Belize and see a firsthand look at how actual scientists perform tests and gather data through Earthwatch.

Earthwatch is an international environmental charity that gathers individuals from the general public, who are interested in scientific field research and environmental topics as well. Earthwatch is made up a diverse group of students, scientists, educators and business people who all put forth their ideas on scientific research.  

“They said they chose me because they really liked my answers for this reflection we had to do after the expedition,” Arst said. “We had to answer questions about what we learned and how it impacted us.”

Arst and a group of fellow students caught sharks and stingrays in order to monitor them and sample their DNA. Arst also put out underwater cameras to analyze the shark population in certain areas.

“It felt great to be a part of this trip because I knew that what we were doing would help make a difference for the different species of sharks that are threatened with extinction,” Arst said.