CLAS Lecture Series: Eco-Tourism, African Oil Palms, and Environmental Education: Addressing Rural Sustainable Development on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Eco-Tourism, African Oil Palms, and Environmental Education: Addressing Rural Sustainable Development on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
Speakers: Austin Cruz and Samantha Selby
In this presentation researchers Austin Cruz and Samantha Selby (GSE ’16), from the Iniciativa Osa y Golfito (INOGO) at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, will discuss INOGO’s recent work on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica as it relates to rural community sustainable development in the region. Addressing socio-economic, environmental, and educational challenges in Costa Rica’s southern region, their discussion will focus on rural ecotourism, experimental African oil palm agroforestry, and environmental education for local underserved youth. Their talk will conclude with preliminary findings and areas of future research as they relate to each topic in southern Costa Rica.
Austin Cruz is a social sciences researcher for the Iniciativa Osa y Golfito (INOGO) under Prof. William H. Durham at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. In INOGO, he is a Co-coordinator/Co-teacher for the Stanford Environmental Leadership and Language (SELAL) program. In 2013, Austin received his master’s degree in Latin American Studies from Stanford University. Prior to attending Stanford, he lived and traveled throughout South America and Spain. His academic and research interests include underserved communities, youth development, environmental education, Neotropical flora, and plant systematics.  
Samantha Selby is a social sciences researcher for Prof. William H. Durham at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, and for Prof. Nicole Ardoin at the Stanford GSE. She is a Co-coordinator/Co-teacher for the Stanford Environmental Leadership and Language (SELAL) program for INOGO. Prior to working at Stanford, Samantha taught English for a year in Granada, Spain and taught math, science, and Spanish for two years at a non-profit, tuition free middle school in Tucson, Arizona. Samantha’s academic and research interests include international education, environmental education, and sustainable development. She is currently completing her master’s degree in International and Comparative Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education.