Carolina Sarmiento Bravo is currently the site coordinator and primary lab technician at the ABE Tampa program site. Carolina is a researcher with 10+ years of experience researching tropical ecology and microbial ecology. In addition to her work at ABE Tampa, Carolina has been part of onboarding the pilot ABE program in Mexico and traveled to Mexico City in early March to train staff from the pilot site and teachers who will participate in the pilot program. We at the Program Office are delighted to have Carolina supporting implementation at other sites!

Carolina joined ABE Tampa one month before school closures due to the pandemic. She has been instrumental in helping ABE Tampa stay active during the pandemic and regain momentum once in-person activities resumed. Carolina has conducted workshops for teachers both at the University of South Florida campus where ABE Tampa is housed and at local schools during teacher professional study days. She works closely with teachers to make sure they feel confident teaching ABE in their classrooms. Carolina also spearheaded ABE Tampa’s first science festival outreach event in February. She organized cool micropipetting art activities for fourth and fifth graders and families attending the St. Petersburg Science Festival. Thanks to Carolina’s hard work, kids were returning two and three times to the ABE booth, some staying 20 minutes or more pipetting. This event was a great success because of Carolina’s hard work and creativity.