dinomartins

About Dr. Dino Martins

Hello! I'm Dino Martins, an entomologist interested in how insects keep the planet running, the biology of vectors and more broadly in the evolution of life and our role in a sustainable world. I teach for the Turkana Basin Field School and serve as the Academic Field Director and am a Research Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University.

Visit to Central Island

One of the high points of the TBI Field School is the trip to Central Island. We visited the island at the end of the ecology module just over a week ago. Central Island is a unique and stunning volcanic island in the very middle of Lake Turkana. Rising out of the blue-green waters, it [...]

By |2017-01-04T18:05:05+03:00September 30th, 2013|Field Schools|Comments Off on Visit to Central Island

Exploring the Turkwel River

As part of the Ecology Module we have been exploring the Turkwel River next to the Turkana Basin Institute. Learning about river life by sampling using sieves This involved looking at aquatic life and learning about the food web in the river, as well as that of Lake Turkana. It was refreshing to [...]

By |2017-01-04T18:05:06+03:00September 21st, 2013|Field Schools|Comments Off on Exploring the Turkwel River

Visit to the Kerio Delta

A major ecological issue that the students have been learning about is that of invasive species. As humans have moved about the planet and modified the environments, one of the impacts we have had is through introducing plants and animals to habitats where they did not occur naturally and evolve with other species. One of [...]

By |2017-01-04T18:05:06+03:00September 19th, 2013|Field Schools|Comments Off on Visit to the Kerio Delta

Of Goats and (over)grazing…

One of the most fascinating aspects of life around TBI is how different organisms cope with the heat and drought. The main mammal herbivores in this region are goats. Goats are browsers that are very efficient at consuming vegetation. Due to many years of overgrazing, large areas of northern Kenya are referred to as 'goated' [...]

By |2017-01-04T18:05:06+03:00September 12th, 2013|Field Schools|Comments Off on Of Goats and (over)grazing…

Fall 2013 Field School Begins!

The Turkana Basin Field School for Fall 2013 has begun! The students made their long journey to Kenya from New York and set off on a short safari into the Great Rift Valley to Lake Elementeita, Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha. We started at Lake Elementeita in the Rift Valley where we went for a [...]

By |2017-01-04T18:05:06+03:00September 8th, 2013|Field Schools|Comments Off on Fall 2013 Field School Begins!

What Makes Us Human?

One of the most challenging and interesting questions that has been pondered by scientists through the ages, from Aristotle to Darwin, through to the present day is where, when and how did we, humans, come about? This is a BIG question that perhaps almost everyone has asked at some point in our lives. [...]

By |2017-01-04T18:05:14+03:00June 1st, 2012|General|Comments Off on What Makes Us Human?

Mud-Flat Life…

The first module of the Turkana Basin Institute of Ecology is just coming to and end. We spent a couple of days this week learning about and exploring the aquatic habitat of the Turkwel River next to TBI.   One of the amazing things was both how tough life can be in the [...]

By |2017-01-04T18:05:22+03:00February 4th, 2012|Field Schools|Comments Off on Mud-Flat Life…

Good Bugs and Bad Bugs

Good Bugs and Bad Bugs One of the important topics that we have been exploring as part of the Ecology Module is the question of ‘ecosystem services’ and how biodiversity, basically wild species, contribute to human livelihoods.   TBI is working with the community to address various issues, and one of these is [...]

By |2017-01-04T18:05:22+03:00February 1st, 2012|Field Schools|Comments Off on Good Bugs and Bad Bugs
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