Liat Perlin

Latin American Studies Gran Fiesta 2021

My Mellon Project led me to my current position as the program coordinator for the Tulane Interdisciplinary Environmental Research and Action (TIERA) Program. TIERA is an experiential study and research abroad program implemented in collaboration with an Ecuadorian Conservation organization, FCAT (https://fcat-ecuador.org/). While organizing a printmaking workshop in collaboration with local New Orleans artists, Pippin Frisbie-Calder, and Margarita Baquero, who was the president of FCAT at the time, for my Mellon project, I befriended a passionate network of people interested in exploring community engaged conservation. Brainstorming and processing sessions with my community partners birthed the TIERA program, which is now a well-known and highly regarded program among Tulane’s undergraduate population.