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Conservation Science Center

The Conservation Science Center (CSC) focuses on building equitable and accessible pathways in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) because sustained and committed long-term landscape conservation needs to be led from within local communities.  Through the Conservation and Restoration Education program, we build the capacity of Hispanic and Native students to actively lead the conservation of local landscapes through place-based education, hands-on internships, and the empowerment of local voices through diverse representation in leadership. We utilize high-impact practices to build enthusiasm for STEM through middle and high school programs, and increase retention rates among college undergraduates. We provide internships that build on student field skills and leverage partnerships to create post-undergraduate employment opportunities in natural resources management and conservation fields. We cultivate future managers and decision-makers from within local communities to sustain long-time resiliency of New Mexico’s rich natural and cultural heritage, in fire-adapted and post-wildfire landscapes.

Contact: Shantini Ramakrishnan, CSC manager
shantinir@nmhu.edu

Donate to the Conservation Science Center


Donations to the Conservation Science Center are used to support K-12 programming in New Mexico, leadership and life skills development among undergraduate and graduate STEM students, community partnerships, and CSC-related initiatives.

Highlands University students and landowners learn about native seed collection.
Students learn to take post-fire measurements in monitoring plots.
Stream turbidity and temperature are among the activities for students at the annual STEM Rally at Storrie Lake State Park.
Students from Mora Independent School District learn about drones as part of a project with the Friday Mora Outdoor School coordinated by NMFWRI. Photo by Jake Robinson.
Rich Schrader, founder and executive director of the nonprofit River Source in Santa Fe, works with students on a water monitoring project at Collins Lake Ranch. They were participating in the weekly Friday Mora Outdoor School. Photo by Jake Robinson.
Dr. Anthony Dorm of the Indigenous Education Network and Tesuque Pueblo, talks to Mora elementary students during a Friday Mora Outdoor School event in Fall, 2023. Photo by Jake Robinson
Students try making seed balls during a Mora Friday Outdoor School event at Collins Lake Ranch.
Students meet with natural resource management professionals during a STEM showdown at Storrie Lake in 2022.
Students from Robertson High School learn archery as part of the STEM Showdown. Photo by Jake Robinson/NMHU Media Arts

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© 2023 New Mexico Forestry & Watershed Restoration Institute

The New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute at New Mexico Highlands University receives financial support through the Cooperative and International Programs of the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, under the Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Act. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3271 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TTY). NMHU is an equal opportunity provider and employer.