protect the female during her vulnerable to predation 

 phase following shedding until the new exoskeleton begins 

 to harden. Over fishing for large male blue crabs may 

 bring about long-term detrimental effects on population 

 dynamics. 



The education program at SERC also had a successful year. 

 Many visiting groups took part in such activities as the Java 

 History Trail, the Discovery Trail, canoeing on the tidal creek, 

 and estuarine activities in the shoreline area. These groups in- 

 cluded handicapped, elderly, children, and minorities. SERC 

 also hosted a large number of workshops and educational out- 

 ings for teachers, administrators, and scientists. At SERC 

 these groups can combine meetings and lectures with seeing 

 field research in action within a wide variety of natural 

 habitats. 



SERC also continued a very successful work/learn intern- 

 ship program for undergraduate and beginning graduate stu- 

 dents. This is a competitive international program. 

 Prospective interns apply to work with a SERC staff scientist 

 or educator on a specific project. In addition, SERC staff and 

 facilities attracted a large number of graduate students, 

 postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scientists. 



Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 



Ira Rubinoff, Director 



The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) is com- 

 mitted to the study of the organisms, ecosystems, and peoples 

 of the world's tropics. Based in the Republic of Panama, STRI 

 operates modern laboratories, tropical forest and marine field 

 stations, a research vessel, and a comprehensive tropical scien- 

 ces library. These facilities are used not only by STRI's 34 staff 

 scientists, but also by hundreds of visiting scientists and stu- 

 dents even,' year. 



As the international celebration of the Smithsonian's 150th 

 anniversary, STRI and the University of Panama hosted the 

 8th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) from June 

 24-29, 1996, held at the ATLAPA Convention Center in 

 Panama City, Republic of Panama, for the first time in Latin 

 America. The symposium was officially inaugurated by 

 Panama's president Dr. Ernesto Perez Balladares and brought 

 together some 1,300 professionals from 58 countries, almost 

 twice as many as for any previous Coral Reef Symposium, held 

 every four years. The symposium's organizing committee was 

 able to support 132 junior scientists from developing nations 

 who attended the Symposium, thanks to the InterAmencan 

 Development Bank, the United Nations Environment 

 Programme and the International Oceanographic Commission 

 (UNESCO). 



The bilingual (Spanish-English) exhibition:Nuestros Ar- 

 recifes: Unidos por el Caribe/Oar Reefs: Caribbean Connections 



also opened as the centerpiece of the Symposium's public pro- 

 gram and will remain open to the public at STRI's Marine Ex- 

 hibitions Center in Panama until December 1996. The 

 exhibit, focusing on coral reef ecology and conservation in the 

 Caribbean Basin, was supported by the InterAmerican 

 Development Bank, the United Nations Environment 

 Programme and the Smithsonian Special Exhibition Fund. 

 Next year the exhibit will travel to countries throughout the 

 region, opening at the Miami International Airport in January 



1997- 



The 8th ICRS also sponsored a series of three public lec- 

 tures on coral reefs and a public forum on the role of coastal 

 peoples in coral reef management, which were widely at- 

 tended and supported by Panamanian corporations and inter- 

 national conservation organizations. 



As part of STRI's celebration of Si's 150th anniversary and 

 STRI's 50th anniversary, on March 12, 1996, STRI's Culebra 

 Marine Exhibitions Center was officially opened by Panama's 

 President Dr. Ernesto Perez Balladares and First Lady Dora 

 Boyd de Perez Balladares, with the attendance of the Smith- 

 sonian Provost Dr. Dennis O'Connor and members of the 

 Fundacion Smithsonian de Panama, the local donor group 

 that supports the Center. Located on a scenic island overlook- 

 ing the entrance to the Panama Canal, the Center includes an 

 exhibition on Panama's marine environments and resources, a 

 nature trail, outdoor aquaria, and classroom facilities, the lat- 

 ter made possible thanks to the U.S. Department of Defense 

 Legacy Fund. Dedicated to the understanding and conserva- 

 tion of our marine environments, the Center has drawn more 

 than 29,000 visitors this fiscal year. 



Also as part of 150th anniversary STRI organized a series of 

 12 monthly public lectures at Panama City's Parque Natural 

 Metropolitano. The lectures given in Spanish by members of 

 the STRI community have been a successful means to inform 

 students and the public at large about the wide-range of 

 topics studied by the international group of researchers at 

 STRI. 



To celebrate the Smithsonian Birthday Party on the Mall, 

 August 10— II, STRI developed a tropical pavilion "Panama: 

 Where Land Meets Sea," in collaboration with the Embassy of 

 Panama. Many of the 800,000 participants visited STRI's 

 pavilion to experience the culture, sites and sounds of the 

 tropics, and learned about STRI's history of research and ex- 

 ploration in Panama. Subsequently, the stand prepared for this 

 event: "Panama: the Living Laboratory," travelled to Panama's 

 western province of Bocas del Toro for the "Feria del Mar" 

 held from September 26—29, 1996. 



On August 6, 1996, Panama's Interoceanic Regional 

 Authority, which oversees land use in the Canal Area, signed a 

 renewable agreement which granted STRI continued use of its 

 present installations for at least 20 years after the year 2000. 

 In compliance with the Carter-Torri]OS Treaty of 1979, the 

 Panama Canal and most other remaining U.S. properties in 

 the country will revert to the Republic of Panama on Decem- 

 ber 31, 1999. In advance of this event, STRI has been negotiat- 



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