Program Coordinator

John Michael Coatney is a former Peace Corps volunteer with experience working in environmental health in Panama. He spent two years working in a remote community in the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé developing a water committee, training them, and preparing the community for future water and sanitation projects. He is passionate about empowering Panamanians and their communities in bringing about change from within. 

Field Coordinator

Wilfredo Aguilar is a professor of Agriculture at Jacobo Urriola Solis School in Portobelo, Panama.  We work with him on all projects.  Not only is he incredible at finding resources, from concrete to pipes to helping hands, but he truly understands the needs of the town and loves the community.

Interns

Past Program Leaders

Jessica Allen is a postdoctoral scholar for the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at University of California, San Francisco.  She has received her doctorate in bioengineering from the UC Berkeley - UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering.  Her current research focuses on developing micro and nanotherapeutic biomaterials for fibrotic disorders and drug delivery.

Read about her experience as a trip leader in this blog post.
Rabia Chaudhry is a graduate student in Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley working in the Nelson Group. Her research focuses on the treatment of viruses in wastewater, particularly in membrane based advanced treatment processes. She is also interested in water reuse, sustainability, sanitation and hygiene and has worked in both resource-scarce and developed region contexts.
Ming-fai Fong is a graduate student in the Neuroscience Program at Emory University.  Her current research focuses on forms of synaptic plasticity that promote stability in the brain and spinal cord.  She is also interested in robotics, manufacturing, and science education.
Julie Laudick is finishing up a BS in Biology and a BA in Philosophy at Emory University, where she did research on agricultural pests and helped develop a new biology lab curriculum. She will be earning an MS in Environmental Science at The Ohio State University with a specialization in agroecosystem sciences. She is interested in science education and sustainability, and has worked with a variety of non-profits in Latin America.