Alloway President Travels to Kenya

Alloway’s President, John Hoffman, has been selected to participate in global graduate studies in Kenya this July. John will travel with a group of 20 educators as part of the Earth Expeditions program.

The focus of the trip will be studying wildlife and people in integrated landscapes in Kenya.  John will visit the South Rift Valley, which stretches from the Maasai Mara National Reserve through Amboseli National Park. Participants will partner with the African Conservation Centre, exploring high-impact species such as lions or elephants; species groups; the role of the Maasai in the ecosystem; conservation in parks and beyond; and participatory education and local knowledge.

John is one of more than 350 U.S. and international educators and graduate students selected to travel with the program. At sites in 12 countries in Africa, Australia, Asia, and the Americas, these educators will collaborate with international colleagues and scientists to work together to bring about local and global change.

Kenya is John’s fifth Earth Expeditions tour. In recent years he has traveled to Costa Rica, Mongolia, Belize, and Baja. John is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Zoology from Miami University.  These tours are incorporated into his master’s curriculum, of which he says: “Earth Expeditions and the Global Field Program have opened my eyes to the significance of inquiry-based learning and its role in education. I’m excited about the possibilities to incorporate inquiry and conservation into Alloway’s training programs for our customers and the community at large.”

Earth Expeditions is jointly offered by Project Dragonfly at Miami University, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, and partners worldwide. The mission is to build an alliance of individuals with first-hand knowledge of inquiry-driven, community-based learning for the benefit of ecological communities, student achievement, and global understanding.

Since 2004 Earth Expeditions has engaged more than 1,110 educators and other professionals in firsthand educational and scientific research at key conservation sites around the world. More information is available at www.EarthExpeditions.org