Trixie Okoye, an Anthropology concentrator pursuing a minor in Latin American studies, will be joining the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department in their Semester in the Field Program in Panama this spring. Hosted by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), the program offers a unique blend of biology-focused and interdisciplinary courses, such as Pre-Columbian Peoples of Tropical America and Their Environments. Through immersive, hands-on learning and collaboration with local experts, researchers, and communities, the program examines pressing environmental issues such as deforestation, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss, alongside their social impacts on vulnerable communities.

Inspired by ANT438: The Anthropology of Borders offered this fall by Anthropology Assistant Professor Amelia Frank-Vitale, Trixie’s current independent research focuses on the global illicit trade of bodily organs, specifically in Central America and migrant populations. She looks forward to better understanding the ecological factors that can produce these vulnerable populations while in Panama.