Principal Investigators
Dr. Alejandro Grajal
Dr. Grajal is Director of the Center for Conservation Leadership, which combines the Society’s conservation and education initiatives and develops the capacity of conservation leaders in Chicago and around the world. He oversees 15 field conservation programs in North America, Latin America, and Africa and all aspects of the Brookfield Zoo education and interpretation programs, which serve more than 2.2million visitors annually. He supervises a full-service audience research & conservation psychology department and the interpretation & messaging department at Brookfield Zoo. He has experience developing and managing complex partnerships, such as the Zoo and Aquarium Partnership for the Great Lakes, a coalition of 47 institutions and NGOs. He also maintains vibrant partnerships with schools and universities, such as the Society’s science education teacher training program, which includes two graduate programs in science education and professional advancement courses to over 140 teachers annually with Chicago Public Schools district, the 3rd largest in the nation.
Dr. Susan Goldman
Dr. Susan Goldman, Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Psychology and Education and Co-Director of the Learning Sciences Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Dr. Goldman is a fellow of the Society for Text and Discourse and the American Educational Research Association. Her research activities focus on the cognitive and discourse processes of learning from multimedia information sources, the assessment of learning, and technology-based supports that enhance learning.
Dr. Michael Mann
Dr. Mann, professor at Pennsylvania State University, and Director of the Earth System Science Center, which is one of the nation’s leading institutes in climate system research. He was a Lead Author on the “Observed Climate Variability and Change” chapter of the IPCC, 3rd Scientific Assessment Report. He has actively engaged in outreach and dissemination efforts, such as his book with Dr. L. Kump “Dire Predictions: Understanding Global Warming” and co-founding of the blog www.realclimate.org. He is joined by Dr. Steven Forman, who is Professor of the Department of Earth end Environmental Sciences at UIC. His climate change investigations combine field interpretations and analytical measurements with geophysical modeling, to translate site-specific geomorphic understanding to regional and global scales.
Ricardo Stanoss, DVM
Ricardo Stanoss, DVM, is the Director of Education and International Training at the Chicago Zoological Society. He graduated as a D.V.M. at the University of Buenos Aires in 1991. Previously, Dr. Stanoss was the Assistant Director of the National Audubon Society International Programs, and Associate Director of Education at Miami Metrozoo. Dr. Stanoss is responsible for developing, implementing, and directing a comprehensive program to establish formal and informal public education initiatives and training of conservation professionals to develop human capacity to lead conservation efforts in Chicagoland and worldwide. Ricardo Stanoss has a significant experience in developing practical learning strategies in formal and informal educational settings in the USA and Latin America.
