Alba Rípodas and Miguel Tabares, graduates of the University of Navarra, have obtained a scholarship for a six-month internship in non-EU countries. Funded by the Government of Navarra, this is a program framed in the International Plan of Navarra (PIN) 2017-2020.

Alba Rípodas will carry out a project of research at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, oriented to knowledge and the protection of an endemic species of these islands: a small owl called the Oahu Pueo. "From Career Services, the University's Careers Office , they helped me select the projects that best fit my goal, which was to continue learning about biodiversity. Hawaii was the first to respond and from the beginning I was excited about the possibility of helping to protect this small owl, considered by the Polynesian culture as the reincarnation of its ancestors, which has allowed it to survive in an environment with a very high tourist impact," says Alba.

Between January and June 2019, this graduate in Biology from the School of Sciences of the University of Navarra will be dedicated to identifying the preferred habitats of the little owl, as well as describing the location of its nests and its reproductive phenology. All this to minimize possible negative impacts on their nests. "Getting outside is an experience that I recommend to absolutely everyone (she did it right after graduating to pursue a Master's Degree in Edinburgh that tied in with a project on European bison in Romania in 2017), whatever age they are. Going out and experiencing what others experience makes you grow as a person. It's really amazing," he finishes.

A century-old institution in the world of museology

For his part, Miguel Tabares, graduate in History by the School of Philosophy and Letters, will do his internship at the Hispanic Society of America (New York), a museum and Library Services of research dedicated to the study of the arts and culture of Spain, Latin America and Portugal. Although he was born in Tarragona, Miguel has been living in Pamplona since he was a child. When he finished the Degree in History, he studied the Master's Degree University in academic staff of Secondary School and in 2016 he obtained the Diploma of programs of study Curatorial (Conservation of cultural goods, curatorship and art criticism) by the University of Navarra.

During his internship in the United States, Miguel will work at the Museum's Educational area , where he will be in charge of developing workshops, coordinating the volunteer activities, organizing art seminars for adults and performing other management tasks. "Receiving this international scholarship is a privilege, as the Hispanic Society is a centennial institution and very important in the world of museology. This experience is going to be a very positive professional growth and staff ".