Esteban Agudo’s foray into research started with a fish census. He began scuba diving while attending Simon Bolivar University in Caracas, Venezuela, where he was studying to be an entomologist. A marine biology professor learned about Agudo’s diving skills and recruited him to help count fish for a coral reef research project.
Agudo described the experience as an opportunity “to work in one of the most amazing natural laboratories in the world.”
Now, more students like Agudo will have the opportunity to study and conduct research in the Galapagos. The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust awarded $1.5 million to the UNC Center for Galapagos Studies to create the Kenan Galapagos Fellows Program, which will support three graduate students per year for three years and one post-doctoral fellow per year for two years. The first graduate fellowships will begin in fall 2024.