Congratulations to Hernan Alvarez who successfully defended his M. Sc. thesis on 2 November and turned in his thesis on 2 December 2015.  His thesis, entitled “Perceptions, participation, and success in two community-based programs in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon”, examined stakeholder responses to two environmental monitoring programs in the Amazon.  Hernan is back in Ecuador where he hopes to continue his work with NGOs working in Yasuni Biosphere Reserve.  He is also considering pursuing a PhD degree in the future.  Welcome to the Gator Nation Hernan!