The Dragonfly Journal

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Help Us Find the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders

Word-of-mouth is our most powerful recruitment tool! Thank you for helping us get the word out about Project Dragonfly. We are confident there are people in your circle for whom this program would be truly life-changing.

To start, go here and request to join our Dragonfly Ambassador Google group. You will receive roughly one email every two weeks during recruiting season with actionable tasks to help us get the word out. Thank you in advance!

As you know, Project Dragonfly is more than just a master’s degree; it’s a personal journey that inspires conservation and action. We know this program offers incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and your direct influence is the key to sharing it with others.

Your Story Is Our Most Powerful Tool

The most effective way to inspire future graduate students is by sharing your unique experiences. Whether it was a moment of discovery on a research project, a zoo/garden experience, a meaningful connection with a colleague, the awe of an Earth Expeditions, or a skill that changed your career path, your story is the best way to show the world what Project Dragonfly is truly about.

We’ve put together some simple actions below to make it easy to share your journey with your network.

Track Your Impact

To add a little fun and celebrate your efforts, we’ve gamified this a bit by setting up a tiered point system! While your contributions are valuable regardless of recognition, this is a fun way to quantify your impact and earn some rewards. The rewards are simple and may include Dragonfly merchandise, swag, a hug or high five, or our heartfelt public thanks! See the point values for various actions below the table.

Deadline to submit your points is March 16, 2026. Have fun, and thank you for your creativity and efforts!

Tier	Icon	Recruitment Points Earned	Recognition
Dragonfly ‘Power’ Nymph		50 – 499	You are a critical emerging advocate for the program. Thank you so much for all you do!
Dragonfly ‘Ready to Fly’		500 – 999	Your efforts are helping our program take flight and directly supporting the next generation of conservation education leaders.
Dragonfly Flight Leader		1000+	Your efforts are truly transformational, creating ripple effects across multiple individuals and institutions. Truly exemplary!

Earning ‘Recruitment Points’ by Amplifying your Dragonfly Story

Here are seven powerful ways you can share your journey to inspire the next cohort of passionate leaders. The points reward your time and effort!

1. Engage with Us on Social Media (50 points)
   • Help boost our visibility by simply connecting with us. If you already follow us everywhere, great—you still get the points!
     
     • Follow us on Instagram.
     • Like us on Facebook.
     • Subscribe to us on YouTube.
     • Join our Dragonfly group on LinkedIn.
     • Follow our LinkedIn page.
     • Key Dates to Share:
       • Application Due Date (GFP): January 15th, 2026
       • Application Due Date (AIP): February 15th, 2026
       • Also mention that people can sign up for standalone graduate courses.
       • Complete your full application by Dec 1, 2025, to be eligible for one of 8 $300 scholarships (receipts chosen randomly).
         
2. Help Boost Our Content (100 points)
   • Increase the reach of our posts by actively engaging with our content over time for more impact. Complete all of the following. Please note that you must complete all the following steps to earn this tier.
     
     • Like at least 6 Dragonfly posts.
     • Comment on at least 4 Dragonfly posts that connect to your experience in some way.
     • Re-share at least 2 Dragonfly posts that resonate with you.
       
3. Share Your Personal Dragonfly Story (150 points)
   • Your authentic voice, images, and unique experiences are so powerful. Craft a post that comes from the heart! For inspiration, take a look at our pre-built social media templates and adapt as needed. Overall, consider the following:
     
     • What was an influential experience or “aha” moment from your time in the program? How does your Dragonfly experience continue to inform your current work or personal life?
     • Make sure to include some pictures of your zoo/garden experiences, your Earth Expeditions, or community engagement activities!
     • Consider adapting these templates:
       • The most important skill/ lesson/ concept I learned as a Project Dragonfly student…
       • The way that Project Dragonfly has changed my life…
       • The person that I met through the program that influenced me, the one word that best describes my experience during Project Dragonfly is…
       • When you post about your Dragonfly experiences, please tag us at @ProjectDragonfly and use the following hashtags:
         • Program-specfic: #ProjectDragonfly, #MiamiUniversity, #EarthExpeditions or #EE + country name (e.g. #EEBelize), #GlobalFieldProgram or #GFP, #AdvancedInquiryProgram or #AIP and #AIP + AIP Site name (e.g. #AIPDenverZoo)
         • More general hashtags to also include: #Gradschool, #Conservation, + [other ideas based on the content you develop]
         • Please tag our EE partners or AIP sites as needed.
         • Finally, email us at dragonfly@miamioh.edu, as we would love to reshare your post on our sites
         • Link to Dragonfly social media templates for the AIP and GFP.
           
4. Present to Colleagues or a Community Group (250 points)
   • Host a brief session for your colleagues, professional network, or a local community gathering.
     
     • Customize our slide deck: We have a comprehensive slide deck available. Make a copy, personalize it with your own photos, and share your journey.
     • Example Email to Colleagues from Dragonfly Ambassador Elisa Spano (feel free to adapt!).
5. Broadcast to a Listserv or Newsletter (250 points)
   • Share information about Project Dragonfly through a professional or community newsletter or listserv. A template is available here, but please customize it to include a sentence or two from your perspective.
     
6. Personally Mentor Potential Applicants (250 points)
   • Your personal recommendation is powerful. Hand out or email information to at least 3 people you believe would be a perfect fit for the program.
     
     • Share these key links: Project Dragonfly main page, AIP, GFP, Earth Expeditions, and Standalone Graduate courses.
     • Use our Flyers: Attach or link to our professional flyers.
     • Need physical materials? Request our recruitment kit here.
       
7. Recruit a New Student (500 points)
   • This is the ultimate contribution! Get someone to apply, be admitted, and join the program this year.

Submitting Your Points

Remember: Submit your points for this recruiting season by March 16, 2026. Be creative and have fun! We are grateful for your efforts! The rewards are simple and may include Dragonfly merchandise, swag, a hug or high five, or our heartfelt public thanks!

Add Your Volunteering Efforts to Your LinkedIn Profile

Please feel free to add your volunteering work as a Dragonfly Ambassador to LinkedIn. Here is a document detailing how to do that, provided by program alum Allison Homler (thanks, Allison!)

Thank you so much for your incredible efforts and for sharing your story!

Trivia Answers:

(February 27, 2026) To close out the season, let’s look back at where it all began. What was the alternative name for “Project Dragonfly” considered by the team in the late 1990s but ultimately discarded due to association with a prominent and polarizing political figure at the time? Answer: “Project Newt.” Before settling on the name we all know and love, the founders briefly considered Project Newt (as in the amphibian). However, in the 1990s, the name was a little too closely associated with a certain polarizing political figure in Washington, D.C., so they pivoted to the much more universally loved Dragonfly!

(February 11, 2026) The Missouri Botanical Garden is famous for hosting a rare, prehistoric-looking plant that can grow over 6 to 8 feet tall and is infamous for smelling like rotting meat when it blooms. What is this plant called? Answer: The Titan Arum (or “Corpse Flower”). The Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis is one of the few institutions in the U.S. that maintains a collection of these massive plants (Amorphophallus titanum). They bloom unpredictably (sometimes years apart) and emit a stench like rotting flesh to attract their primary pollinators: carrion beetles and flesh flies!

(January 30, 2026) True or False: Project Dragonfly’s AIP offers the chance to engage in experiential learning at an Aquarium. Answer: True! While our partners are primarily known as zoos and botanical gardens, our New York partner is the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). WCS is headquartered at the Bronx Zoo but also manages the New York Aquarium in Coney Island—and yes, our WCS cohort often holds experiential learning on-site there!

Bonus: Aquatic life is huge at our other zoo partners, too! Brookfield Zoo Chicago: Home to the “Seven Seas” dolphin habitat. Cincinnati Zoo: Is a federally designated “second-stage rehabilitation facility” for the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP). They care for rescued Florida manatees until they are healthy enough to be released back into the wild! Cleveland Metroparks Zoo: Features a dedicated “Primate, Cat & Aquatics” building. Jacksonville Zoo: Operates a Manatee Critical Care Center.

(January 10, 2026) Which PBS science series is an off-shoot of Dragonfly TV? Answer: SciGirls

(Dec 27, 2025) One of our most impactful Earth Expeditions courses takes place in the Atlantic Forest and focuses on a specific “flagship species” that was once nearly extinct. Which country is this, and what is the animal? Answer: Brazil: Saving Golden Lion Tamarins. And, did you know that while “Golden Lion Tamarin” refers to Leontopithecus rosalia, there actually are four total species grouped and referred to as Lion Tamarins, including the Black Lion Tamarin (L. chrysopygus), the Black-faced Lion Tamarin (L. caissara), and the Golden-headed Lion Tamarin (L. chrysomelas)? All four reside in the Atlantic Forests of Brazil, and all four are endangered.

(Dec 12, 2025) Before Project Dragonfly became famous for its master’s degrees, it reached millions of children through two major media initiatives funded by the National Science Foundation. What were they? Answer: 1) Dragonfly Magazine was the first national magazine to feature children’s science investigations and discoveries. Funded by the National Science Foundation and published by the National Science Teachers Association, Dragonfly magazine challenged widely held assumptions about the role of children in science by publishing their research alongside the research of professional scientists. 2) The magazine evolved into the Emmy-winning PBS children’s television series DragonflyTV. Produced by TPT public television, DragonflyTV led to the spinoff PBS television series, SciGirls.

(Nov 28, 2025) What Earth Expeditions site is closest to the equator? Which is furthest from the equator? Answer: The location closest to the equator is Galápagos: Islands of Change at 0-1 degrees South, with Kenya a very close second (~2 degrees South). With a little travel, you could reach the equator on either course. Other locations very close to the equator include Guyana (~4 degrees North) and Borneo (~5 degrees North). The location furthest from the equator is Mongolia: Steppe Ecology & Civic Media at 47-48 degrees North. Geography!

(Nov 14, 2025) What was Dragonfly’s very first AIP site? Answer: Both Brookfield Zoo Chicago and Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden accepted their first cohort of students in the summer of 2010. The face-to-face for Foundations of Inquiry started a tad earlier for Brookfield Zoo Chicago so they claim to be the first. However, Cincinnati had been offering standalone “Zoo Expeditions” courses with Dragonfly for years… So, it is debatable. 🙂 All of our AIP sites are winners!