The Karso Institute of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean (IKPReC) will consist of two components – a Natural and Social Sciences Research Center and a Natural History Museum. The IKPReC will be an attractive and fascinating educational and research center.
The purpose of the IKPReC is to promote scientific research and education of the natural systems on which all life in our country and on the planet depends, with emphasis on karst, and to expose them to the community, particularly to children, in a Natural History Museum, which does not currently exist in Puerto Rico. The IKPReC will be located at Cerro la Monserrate in the historic center of the municipality of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The IKPReC will occupy the former F.D. Roosevelt School building, which was abandoned, in the historic part of Arecibo, contributing to the urban renewal of the area and helping the socio-economic development of the residents of Arecibo’s urban area, attracting the public to the center of the city, which will result in giving a new economic stimulus so necessary for the revitalization of the historic center of Arecibo.
Research Center
One of the essential components for the social progress of a country is research and scientific knowledge in all disciplines and how these are made to reach all social levels. Countries are undergoing profound changes in cultural processes and social interactions related to the use of new technologies resulting from scientific knowledge, which impact society in general. The lack of knowledge and exposure of young people to new technological innovations leaves them behind in their educational potential and professional development.
The distribution of knowledge to communities will enable them to understand the urgent need for a sustainable society in the face of the challenges of climate change. This knowledge will enable more informed community management for the creation and evaluation of governmental public policies to build a sustainable society in harmony with natural systems. The IKPReC seeks to contribute through its research to the conservation of water, a vital resource stored in the aquifers of the northern karst and southern aquifers of Puerto Rico. Research related to water and health, sustainable water use, the effects of climate change on water availability, sea level rise and its impacts on aquifers and built infrastructure will be promoted. On issues of food security, agroecology as a sustainable form of food production, the impact of rising temperatures on forests and agriculture and a large number of scientific research projects in different branches of knowledge, to make the country more sustainable. In the social area, research on community needs in the fields of education, health, pollution and environmental safety.
Natural History Museum
Natural history museums are the places where most of the objects and information about our natural and physical environment are deposited for study and display to the public. When visiting a museum its environment allows to stimulate the mind and the human imagination to fly, because a museum provides us with information of our past and present and allows us to look into the future. Through the Museum of Natural History, the dissemination of knowledge about the natural history of the island and the Caribbean will be encouraged, creating a link between the natural systems that sustain our lives and empathy with our natural environment. The Natural History Museum will be located on the second floor of the former F.D. Roosevelt School building. The scientific research developed by the Research Center and the Natural History Museum of the IKPReC, in the disciplines of natural and social sciences, will contribute to the educational development that is currently lacking and will provide a wealth of information that is necessary to reach all social sectors.
Purpose of the IKPReC
The purpose of the IKPReC is to contribute to the social progress and sustainability of Puerto Rico through education and research. For a country to progress, one of the fundamental aspects is to have an education of excellence in the formation of its citizens. The IKPReC with its Research Center and the Museum of Natural History will be links to create optimism and hope, forge illusions, foster curiosity and critical thinking skills, self-esteem, character and values in our children. Fostering an education of excellence should elevate the intellectual potential of each of the students, who can set new goals to which they had no access, through academic exchange, the development of critical thinking and the strengthening of ties with the community.