A project like BioDiT Citrus would not be possible without support and collaboration. Here are some of the project's most important benefactors and links to check them out!
Several different units of or associated with the College of Central Florida have been instrumental in the development and launch of BioDiT Citrus...
Funding for implementation of the Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus Biodiversity Trail is provided by the Dorothea G. Jerome Faculty Endowed Chair, Any Discipline for 2023 - 2026, awarded to me by the CF Foundation. Without this generous support, BioDiT Citrus could not exist.
Web hosting for the Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus Biodiversity Trail is provided by the College of Central Florida Library. At the heart of BioDiT Citrus is its hybridization of in-person and digital museums, so to the Library I say, thank you for an on-line home!
The CF Facilities department has been an instrumental supporter of the Citrus Biodiversity Trail! From making the signs to installing physical displays, they have made BioDiT Citrus a physical reality!
Part of telling a STEAM educational story is creating the right atmosphere. The extraordinary music of Darlingside does this amazingly well. (Full disclosure -- they are my favorite band in the known and unknown universe!) This Massachusetts-based band and their management have graciously given permission for their music to be included in BioDiT Citrus's photo and video montages. To be associated with them is a dream come true! Currently featured songs include "The God of Loss" and "Birds Say" from the album Birds Say (2015), "Green+Evergreen" from the album Fish Pond Fish (2020), and "The Breaking of the Day" from the album Everything Is Alive (2023). For more information about the band, go to their website, darlingside.com.
Economic and employment data used in the Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus Biodiversity Trail comes courtesy of the Citrus County Board of County Commissioners Office of Economic Development.
A major goal for the Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus Biodiversity Trail is to encourage communication about issues of ecology and economics within Citrus County for the benefit of its residents. This requires collaborations with community partners, and Discover Crystal River has been a wonderful collaborator! They promote tourism for the entire county, and I'm grateful to have had the chance to interview Discover Crystal River's Elissa Hofelt for the first iteration of Exhibit #7. They also made available to me some amazing drone footage of manatees at Three Sisters Springs. I'm excited to work with them more in the future!
Thanks again to all of the supporters listed above...and I'm looking forward to this list growing in the coming years! Cheers to you all!
Steve C. Schenk
Associate Professor of Biology and BioDiT Citrus Creator