Read comments of some of the 63 attendees to the All Hands meeting, an event held in Gainesville November 1st and 2nd, 2012.
“Ever since I first heard the Panama Isthmus might be much older than currently accepted, my head has been spinning around – I could barely sleep the first night of excitement! This meeting was a fantastic opportunity to meet the people behind the papers, bring our different data and interpretations together, and set up collaborative research on the short and long terms. Thanks all the organizers!”
– Alexandre Antonelli–University of Gothenburg (Sweden) & PCP-PIRE associate staff
“La reunión fue una excelente oportunidad para conocer los estudios que se desarrollan para comprender un fenómeno geológico complejo y donde indudablemente es necesario emplear múltiples especialidades. Me parece muy acertado además la integración de los investigadores con la comunidad y la enseñanza de las ciencias de la tierra a los niños con temas muy concretos y ejercicios realizados directamente en el terreno”.
– Andres Pardo–University of Caldas (Colombia)
“The All Hands meeting was a great opportunity to meet researchers involved in the project and show my results. I am glad to have participated. Thanks to the Florida Museum of Natural History International Student Travel Grant. I also had the opportunity to work in the museum and get to know the education system at the University of Florida. My conclusion is that it is a very good place to study because of its very strong program in Neogene Paleontology and its awesome fossil collection.”
– Carlos De Gracia–Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama)
“Thanks again for such a rich experience at the All Hands meeting. I’m consistently impressed with level of capability and cooperation in the PCP PIRE community. I learned volumes about such a wide array of topics in science and education and where they meet.”
– Daniel Johnston–Santa Cruz county, California (USA)
“This was an eye opening experience; not only for all the investigation paths that can be taken to reach a goal, but the importance of the helping hand of all the scientific branches converging on a single conclusion. I look forward to this conclusion.”
– Elena Stiles–Universidad de los Andes (Colombia)
“Antes sin conocer mucho sobre los paleontólogos ya los admiraba, ahora los entiendo más… no solo se trata de buscar respuestas en el pasado, se trata de escribir una historia. Una historia con múltiples autores, múltiples versiones, una de esas que se escribe y se reescribe según las opiniones, genios o personas. Es una historia de un pasado, pero no un pasado cualquiera, de un pasado en vínculo con el presente y con el futuro. Gracias All Hands”
– Isabel Acero–Parque Explora
“I really enjoyed hearing about all of the new findings of the Panama Canal Project. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to learn about such cutting-edge research.”
– Lauren Toth–Florida Institute of Technology (USA)
“It is amazing to realize how such a tiny piece of land like Panama can fuel such a rich scientific debate.”
– Nélida Gomez–Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama)