Every drop of water in the world has flowed through the tropics at some point.

“World-recognized tropical paleobiologist” isn’t the most common career goal for a little boy growing up in Bogotá, Colombia, but Carlos Jaramillo not only found his personal path to science, he also has spent two decades helping train others studying some of the richest, most biodiverse and least understood environments on Earth.

As a child, Carlos Jaramillo was mesmerized by his native Colombia’s biodiversity. He found plant and animal fossils scattered all across the landscape, leaving him fascinated by these glimpses into the past. But growing up in Bogotá, “the idea of becoming a scientist didn’t exist,” he said. “I was lucky enough to get it done. It’s a random historical accident that I am now a scientist at STRI.”

STRI is the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the Smithsonian’s only permanent research center outside of the United States. Sited in the tropical jungle of Panama, STRI is visited by scientists from all over the world who come to study tropical biology— the study of the inner workings of tropical ecosystems. To most Americans, especially those who have visited the Smithsonian’s museums on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., STRI’s location may seem exotic. But to Carlos, STRI is exactly where it needs to be because, as he told Eye on Science, the tropics affect us all.

The Barro Colorado Nature Monument of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute has a huge role in the conservation of tropical forests and wildlife. Among its endeavors BCNM has been protecting and investigating the ecology of over 13,800 acres of land, which includes Barro Colorado Island and five nearby peninsulas, for more than 80 years. This site has one of the longest histories of research in the New World tropics.
Every year almost 300 scientists from around the world visit BCI. In addition to the research conducted, this area provides refuge to nearly 50 percent of all the animal and bird species reported in Panama.

“No matter where you live, whenever you drink water, every molecule of that water flowed through the tropics at some point,” he said. Beyond water, “everything in the tropics affects you. It’s a complex ecosystem with thousands of species. There are more species of trees in 25 hectares of the Colombian rainforest [about the size of the Ellipse in front of the White House] than entire US and Canada.”

“No matter where you live, whenever you drink water, every molecule of that water flowed through the tropics at some point,”

Carlos and the other scientists at STRI study how the region’s vast biodiversity was produced, how it is maintained, and how it responds to climate change and other environmental conditions. Carlos joined STRI in 2005 and became the first endowed chair of paleobiology there, wherein he studies the ancient history of the tropics. (In case you’re wondering, “paleobiology” is the study of the history of life.)

Given the complexity of the rainforest, Carlos said, “We need scientists from many different fields of expertise—we need people to know about plants, physiology, microbiology, and so on, so we can understand the rainforest from many different perspectives.” But research in the tropics of Latin America is underdeveloped, Carlos told Eye on Science, since basic scientific research often takes a back seat to other economic or political priorities in the region. “If you’re born in the U.S., there are a lot of opportunities to become a scientist, but in Latin America, there aren’t as many opportunities—because basic research is not a priority.”

Carlos Jaramillo standing in front of the Centenario Bridge, which crosses the Panama Canal at the continental divide between the Pacific Ocean and the and Caribbean Sea.

This is why it’s so important STRI is in Latin America, he continues. “No one else is doing this basic research. Very few scientific institutions in the developed world have a permanent base in this region. Instead, most scientists come for the summer and go back home. We at STRI are here year-round and we can do things here no one else can.” This includes long-term research projects, such as monitoring weather and ecological data going back to the early 1900s.

Carlos’ career at the Smithsonian began with a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Museum of Natural History. After that, he decided he couldn’t go back to a university—he did not want to be a professor—so instead, he went back to Colombia for several years before he finally received a call from STRI.

STRI scientist Carlos Jaramillo (right) took former Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough on a tour of the rich fossil record at a cut near the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal. (Photo by John Gibbons)

Carlos had the expert knowledge and was in the perfect place to apply it, but he didn’t have a community of experts to collaborate with. He knew very well that Latin America simply did not produce the science— or the scientists trained in tropical paleontoloigy—needed to understand the complex ecosystem of the topics. Therefore, he did what any other independent scientist would do, and he took matters into his own hands. Over the last 20 years, Carlos has trained more than 250 students from 23 countries, almost single-handedly creating the global network of paleontologists we have studying the Central and South American tropics today.

“There are many regions of the world where they don’t like the United States, but they like the Smithsonian.”

Carlos mentors scholars, many while they’re still undergraduates, and trains them, some for more than a decade, until they become independent experts on tropical paleontology. Many of his students come from areas of the world that can’t offer a strong science education, and he says the kind of long-term, in-depth training he offers is the only way to do it right.

“There’s still a lot to understand and doing it all by myself doesn’t make much sense,” he said.

A Croton pollen grain, one of 25,000 pollen grains and spores in the STRI collection that’s managed by Carlos Jaramillio

Most of the students Carlos trains are from Latin America. “The more I can help another Latino American that doesn’t have opportunity in their home country, the better,” he told Eye on Science. Many of his former students are now professors training students of their own.

Carlos loves working at STRI because of the flexibility—“you can pretty much study whatever you want,” he said—and because of the universal respect the scientific community has for the research center. “STRI is a Mecca for tropical biologists from all over the world,” he said. “There are many regions of the world where they don’t like the United States, but they like the Smithsonian.” Carlos understands the importance of the research that takes place at STRI and he wants more people to know about it and participate, regardless of where they’re from. He even edited the first book for non-science audiences about the paleontological history of northern South America called Hace Tiempo. It is written in Spanish by Latin American researchers, and it’s free.

In all, STRI is “amazing” to Carlos because it is one of the few places in the world where the developing and developed world put aside their political differences and come together in the name of science and discovery.

Eye on Science, our new biweekly series, will shine a light on our vast and varied body of work by bringing Smithsonian science into sharper focus. Eye on Science will tell the stories of the people behind the research, the discoveries they make and their inspiration. We will explore their passions, celebrate their contributions, and look more closely at how questions become solutions that can inform environmental policy, spur technological innovation, and promote community and collaboration across the globe.

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