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CAPE ELEUTHERA INSTITUTECEI web site
For more information on the Cape Eleuthera Instutite’s research and education programs and design features, please visit CEI’s official website: http://www.ceibahamas.org/. A number of scientists and professionals work with the Cape Eleuthera Institute and The Island School to conduct research and share their love for the natural world with our students. Dr. Daniel Benetti taught Chris Maxey all about fish. When not following Brazil's soccer team scores, Dr. Benetti is traveling all over the world visiting aquaculture projects. "They think we are teaching them, but really, we are learning from them" is a favorite quote. Dr. Benetti has been instrumental in The Island School and Cape Eleuthera Institute aquaculture projects. Dr. Dave Philipp knows all there is to know about bass and is working on becoming a bonefish expert as well. As a geneticist for the Illinois Natural History Survey, he has been studying fish or fishing for most of his life. When not working on bass or bonefish, Dr. Philipp helps direct the efforts of the Fisheries Conservation Foundation, a non-profit education and outreach organization connected with the American Fisheries Society. Dr. Steve Cooke is an expert fish surgeon, a skill he uses to study fish physiology, behavior, and ecology. He is helping to define a new discipline called “conservation physiology” which is the study of how a living organisms function and how that relates to their protection or management. Dr. Anne Boettcher has advised The Island School on numerous research projects, including conch and sponge aquaculture. Her focus is on the ecological factors and chemical ecology that mediates plant-herbivore interactions. She assists The Island School students in learning more about the chemical ecology of sponges and teaches university courses on Island Ecosystems at the Cape Eleuthera Institute. Dr. Tony Goldberg, a veterinarian and anthropologist by training, works on everything from fish to pigs to non-human primates. His two favorite places to work are the jungles of Uganda and the flats off Cape Eleuthera. Dr. Goldberg helps Island School students to learn about bonefish and also lends a hand in taking care of Island School pets when visiting from the University of Illinois. Dr. Ken Heck studies seagrass ecosystems which, looking very similar to terrestrial grass ecosystems, provide essential nursery habitat for a variety of fish and invertebrate species. As an authority in his field, Dr. Heck spends much of his time snorkeling in the shallow waters near his lab at Dauphin Island, Alabama as well as the Florida Keys and other exotic places around the world. When not in the water, he works as the Chair of University Programs at Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Dr. Bill Alevizon is an artificial reef and fisheries scientist. His visits to The Island School have helped shape the direction of the artificial reef program. He also advises on fish feeding bans, and mooring buoy projects in Florida and The Bahamas. Dr. Phillip Dustan is a coral reef paramedic, and is spreading the word about the need for coral protection and the rapidly deteriorating health of coral reefs. He has been studying coral reef ecology in the Florida Keys and elsewhere from his home base at the College of Charleston, South Carolina. Dr. Dustan has developed new ways of measuring coral health using satellite images, and described a few coral diseases. Michael Braynen is the Director of the Department of Fisheries in The Bahamas, responsible for consolidating and disseminating information on Bahamian fisheries, enforcing laws, and helping Bahamians maximize their long-term benefit from marine resources. The team at the Department of Fisheries is also responsible for conducting experiments as part of Bahamian participation in international treaties and organizations such as CARICOM. Sir Nicholas Nuttall is a reef-hugger. So he decided to start an organization called the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF). And it's not just Bahamian corals that he is trying to protect; it's the fish and other creatures that depend on healthy reefs that have been in decline. Although Sir Nick works with the Department of Fisheries and government officials, he also gathers together teachers from all over the Bahamas each summer to learn about the ocean. He is trying to find protection for grouper and conch and crawfish populations before they disappear. Dr Gene Rankey is the Assistant Professor of Marine Geology and Geophysics at the University of Miami. Universities and Organizations
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The Cape Eleuthera Institute was born out of the growing need to expand both research and sustainable systems initiatives operating under the auspices of The Island School. Capitalizing on the momentum generated by The Island School and the desire to address pertinent environmental issues facing The Bahamas and the Caribbean, core research and sustainable systems design initiatives were moved to the Cape Eleuthera Institute. This increases our capacity to undertake larger projects, create space for courses and workshops in tropical sciences and sustainable design, and facilitate more formal collaboration with other like-minded 
Living and working on this campus will promote and inspire respect for the living world, allowing us to truly live our Foundation’s mission. Collaborating with government, scientists, students, and the local community, CEI acts as a beacon that promotes responsible development and careful stewardship of resources in The Bahamas and in similar places throughout the world. The Bahamian Government is working with the Cape Eleuthera Foundation to designate the Institute as a national research laboratory that can provide authentic learning opportunities for local citizens and inform the national dialogue on the environment, marine resources, and development.
The campus features many innovative designs which are sensitive to local culture and minimize our ecological footprint. One of the hallmarks of the new Institute facility is the solar-powered Wege Center for Sustainable Fisheries. This building houses hatchery facilities and wet labs for the development of sustainable aquaculture, including offshore cage culture, bonefish energetic studies and sponge, conch, and lobster grow-out. The Wege Center will generate electricity for the entire facility and represents the first-ever grid intertie in The Bahamas.
The Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) was launched in February 2003 by the Cape Eleuthera Foundation. In February 2005 we broke ground, beginning with a walking bridge over the mangroves, as well as foundations, cisterns, and timber framing work for the Wege Center for Sustainable Fisheries. The completion of the first phase of the Cape Eleuthera Institute was 
Copyright 2006
The Island School