The Ecological Foundation has created strategic partnerships with a diverse group of universities and organizations that conduct research, education and engagement opportunities for students, researchers, and faculty, related to real world challenges. The following are just a few examples of the many programs at the Center.

1. Cornell University, Minorities in Research and Training (MIRT-MIH): The MIRT program, funded by the National Institutes of Health, has been providing undergraduates the opportunity to explore and conduct research on the unique flora and fauna of the Dominican Republic since 1999. MIRT NIH conducts natural products research in order to further understanding of the unique biodiversity of the Dominican Republic. The program was established by Dr. Eloy Rodriguez and is now directed by Dr. Manuel Aregullin.
   
   Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology: The Laboratory of Ornithology is one of the most prestigious institutions in the world for research related to birds. Since 1999, the Lab of Ornithology has led introductory ornithology programs for undergraduates, bird-watching excursions for hotel guests, opportunities for volunteering, and environmental education programs. Dr. Andre Dhondt leads the program.
   
   
2. Columbia University, Summer Ecosystem Experience for Undergraduates, (SEE-U): SEE-U exposes undergraduate students to the field of conservation biology in a field-based, five-week program in Punta Cana. The robust curriculum was designed to fulfill the Columbia University two-semester science requirement, while at the same time involving students in inquiry-driven, experiential learning. SEE-U has taken place in Punta Cana at the Center since 2001.
   
   
3. Harvard University, Consortium for Caribbean Biodiversity (CCB): The CCB is an informal consortium of scientists and institutions committed to furthering knowledge of the insects and plants of Hispaniola and the Caribbean and building the capacity of Caribbean scientists to contribute to that knowledge. The CCB consists of the following organizations or institutions: the Jardín Botánico Nacional in Santo Domingo (JBN), the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, the PUNTACANA Ecological Foundation, the Department of Entomology at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburg (CMNH), the Department of Entomology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University (MCZ) and the Department of Systematic Biology at the Smithsonian Institution (SI). The CCB has been actively involved in the Center for Sustainability since 2001.
   
   
4. Sustainable Architecture Studios, Harvard Graduate School of Design and Syracuse University School of Architecture: In 2009, thirteen Harvard students spent a full semester designing master plans and architectural designs for the Playa Serena community at the Puntacana Resort & Club that were presented in Cambridge in a studio critique attended by executives from the resort. The course, entitled “The Modern, the Vernacular, the Sustainable,” a collaborative project developed jointly with the Ecological Foundation, gave students the opportunity to work with architects, real estate developers, and environmental experts and incorporate the real world needs of a resort with a vision for social and environmental sensitivity. In 2010, the course was taught at Syracuse University, where students spent a semester making designs for La Hacienda Golf Course in Puntacana Resort & Club. The student works have been widely publicized in the Dominican Republic. Discovery Host and architect Danny Forster teaches the course.
   
   
5. Leiden University, Houses for the Living: Beginning in 2005 with support from the Netherlands Foundation for Scientific Research, this long-term archeological research project seeks to investigate the colonization of the ceramic peoples on the east coast of the Dominican Republic and to analyze the indigenous-Spanish interaction at the beginning of the 16th century. The research has concentrated primarily in the El Cabo site south of Puntacana Resort & Club, but will eventually be evaluating other archeological sites in the area. Drs. Menno Hoogland and Corinne Hoffman lead this program.
   
   
6. University of South Carolina, Hospitality Consulting Practicum: Beginning in 2005 with Virginia Tech and now housed at USC, the program conducts exit surveys of departing passengers at the Punta Cana International Airport and other hospitality surveys in order to improve operations and services around the resort. Students act as “consultants” to the airport and the resort and present their final results in a professional publication and in presentations to the executive board of the airport.