Presenting Our COVID-19 Research at a Paris Conference

By Dr. Kristin Drexler
Faculty Member, School of STEM

and Dr. Michelle Watts
Associate Dean, School of Security and Global Studies

In late May, Dr. Kristin Drexler, Dr. Michelle Watts and Dr. Andreea Mosila presented their COVID-19 research in Paris, France for the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) conference. This research, “Pandemic Impacts on Education in Marginalized and Indigenous Communities,” focused on the educational, social, and cultural impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic in Belize, Guatemala, and Romania.

Andreea, Michelle and Kristi prepare for their LASA Conference presentation. Image courtesy of Kristi Drexler and Andreea Mosila.

Using the Community Capitals Framework, our presentation explored multiple impacts from changing policies during the pandemic, such as school closures. We also discussed the various impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Indigenous community, including:

• Disproportionate impacts from socioeconomic and digital inequities (i.e., the lack of internet and electronic devices at home)
• Reduced emotional and social development due to students being isolated from their peers
• Reduced educational achievement over several years, particularly in reading and math skills
• Cybersecurity vulnerability
• A disproportionate gender burden with online education at home
• Sociocultural strengths and resilience

For the LASA presentation, Kristi’s discussion centered on the Community Capitals framework as well as COVID-19’s impacts and resilience in San Antonio village in western Belize. Michelle highlighted the policy contexts of the pandemic, giving specific examples from two Indigenous communities in Guatemala. Andreea explored policies, impacts and resilience in Periprava, a small Lipovan village in Romania’s Danube Delta near the Ukrainian border.

Other Paris Panelists Also Gave COVID-19 Presentations

Our fellow panelists, Viviana Maria Fallas Gabuardi and Roxana Hernandez Vargas, gave compelling presentations on Indigenous rights to education and the experiences in Costa Rica during the pandemic.

Since 2022, we have researched pandemic impacts to Indigenous communities in Alaska, New Mexico, Belize and Guatemala as part of a four-year study. Andreea joined the study in 2025, bringing in a comparative view of Periprava.

Our research, as well as our participation in the conference, would not have been possible without the University’s Research Grants and Faculty Travel offices, as well as the School of Security and Global Studies.

Enchantée, Paris!

After the conference, we visited various sites in Paris in the late evening, when the heat was less intense. We braved the complex metro system to visit Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre, 200 meters in elevation above the Seine River.

Roaming the streets of Montmartre! Image courtesy of Kristi Drexler.

Consisting of white domes on a butte in Montmartre’s 18th arrondissement (neighborhood), the lovely Sacré-Cœur Basilica has a remarkable 360-degree view of the city – especially if you climb the 300 steps up the dome like we did! From that view, we saw various notable sites, including:

• The Eiffel Tower
• The Notre Dame Cathedral
• The Arc de Triomphe
• The Musée d’Orsay
• The Louvre Palace

Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre, Paris. Images courtesy of Kristi Drexler.

We also visited the Eiffel Tower in the 7th arrondissement; the view of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadéro Plaza is unobstructed. On the way back from dinner on the popular Rue Cler market street, we took a near-vertical funicular to the Eiffel’s middle viewing deck after 10:30 p.m. to see the city light up. The day before, Andreea bravely took an elevator all the way to the top viewing deck of the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero (left). Images courtesy of Keith Watts and Kristi Drexler.

We all visited the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral, a medieval cathedral with gothic architecture. Notre-Dame is located on the Île de la Cité – an island on the Seine River – in the 4th arrondissement.

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Images courtesy of Michelle Watts and Kristi Drexler.

The Alsace Region and Its History

After the conference ended, Kristi took a speed train from Paris to Strasbourg (reaching 199 mph!) to spend two days visiting the Alsace region of France (which borders Germany on its eastern border). Her family heritage is traced back to this area.

Between 1871 and 1945, Alsace changed hands four times – it was a part of France, then Germany, then France again, etc. The Alsace region is rich in culture from both countries.

According to a book by Kristi’s late father about the family heritage, Horses to Rockets: The Life and Times of Earl J. Drexler, her great-great-grandparents Sebastian Drechsler (Drexler) and Francisca Sauer emigrated from the Alsace region to Canada in the 1850s. According to Britannica, Alsace was part of France at that time. Later, Germany annexed Alsace in 1871, during the Franco-Prussian War.

With some Alsatian friends – expert local guides on history, sites, and cuisine of the area – we visited the beautiful pink sandstone Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg. This cathedral opened in 1439 and contains the Renaissance astronomical clock (its mechanism dates from 1842).

Notre-Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg and the astronomical clock. Images courtesy of Kristi Drexler.

We then went on to visit several communities along the Rhine River, including quaint, stunningly beautiful canal streets in Strasbourg and Colmar. 

The canal streets of Colmar. Images courtesy of Kristi Drexler.

It was wonderful for me (Kristi) to see the Alsace region of my family’s heritage. For years, I’d been hearing and reading about this area in my dad’s book, which outlined the family trees and migration routes between Alsace, France, to farms in Canada, Chicago, and other parts of the U.S. in the last century.

The book has over 200 period photos and family tree images. We are forever grateful for his efforts in curating this piece of heritage for our family!

About the Authors

Dr. Kristin Drexler is a full-time faculty member in the Space Studies and Earth Sciences Department. She teaches geography, environmental science, earth and planetary sciences, and sustainability for the School of STEM.

Dr. Drexler holds a master’s degree in Latin American studies with an emphasis in natural resources management from Ohio University. She earned her Ph.D. in educational leadership at New Mexico State University with research in socioecological systems, sustainable agroecology, and community education. 

Dr. Drexler earned the Undergraduate Excellence in Teaching Award for the School of STEM (2020) and the Dr. Wallace E. Boston Leadership Award (2021). Dr. Drexler has conducted numerous community surveys in Belize and Guatemala regarding agroforestry, conservation, and sustainable agriculture; she was also co-investigator for a multi-year research study on COVID-19 impacts to Indigenous communities. For the University, Drexler serves as a faculty advisor for wSTEM, AWIS and SACNAS. 

Dr. Michelle Watts is the Associate Dean of the Department of Security and Global Studies, where she also teaches in the doctoral program. She has a bachelor’s degree in international studies from American University, a master’s degree in Latin American studies from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. in international development from the University of Southern Mississippi.  

Dr. Watts has collaborated with colleagues on more than twelve research grants encompassing a wide range of topics. Her work includes “Bomberos, Maestros y Psicólogos: Guatemalan Civil Society Response to the Volcano of Fire Disaster,” “Making Sovereignty Mean Something: Native Nations and Creative Adaptation,” “Drugs, Thugs, and the Diablos Rojos: Perils and Progress in Panama,” “Seguridad del Canal de Panamá: Una Década Después de la Salida de Estados Unidos” (Security of the Panama Canal: One Decade after U.S. Departure), and “Game of Norms: Panama, the International Community, and Indigenous Rights.” She is the principal investigator for the research study, “A Case Study Comparison of Pandemic Experience of Indigenous Groups in the Americas.”