In the wake of Bangladesh’s deadliest dengue outbreak, researchers respon

By Hailey Smalley This story first ran in Mongabay, an online news site dedicated to global environmental coverage. In Bangladesh, regular cycles of heat and rain have long cultivated dense populations of insects, and, by extension, the diseases they carry. Dengue fever was first confirmed in Bangladesh 60 years ago, but the disease, carried by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, caused unforeseen devastation in 2023. By the end of the … Continue reading In the wake of Bangladesh’s deadliest dengue outbreak, researchers respon

Hailey SmalleyAugust 6, 2024August 9, 20241 Comment

Feature Stories

Scientists are racing to save South Asia’s butterflies from the threat of extinction

By Hailey Smalley This story originally ran in Mongabay, an online news site dedicated to global environmental coverage. In the dark undergrowth of mangrove forests, an anthology of color stirs. Flickers of turquoise rise like exhales from the brackish marshlands, and flashes of sunset orange spark alive in the shadows. The Sundarbans mangrove forest in Bangladesh and India is largely known as one of the last … Continue reading Scientists are racing to save South Asia’s butterflies from the threat of extinction

Hailey SmalleyAugust 4, 2024August 9, 2024Leave a comment

Travelogue

Riding out a cyclone

We have talked a lot about the value of “seeing it like it is” and “feeling it like it is,” but, in reality, these are very difficult hallmarks to meet. As a journalist, one of the first things you learn is that everybody wants to put their best face forward. Traveling in Bangladesh, this challenge was multiplied by our conspicuousness and reliance on others for … Continue reading Riding out a cyclone

Hailey SmalleyMay 27, 20241 Comment

Reportage

Safe sanitation remains an issue for many in Bangladesh

Among the narrow alleyways and wall-to-wall houses of Notun Bazar, two buildings stand out. The blue walls beam through the grayscale of southwest Bangladesh’s largest slum, and the concrete floor is invitingly smooth and unblemished. Signs proclaim both buildings newly renovated and detail the cost – about 800 U.S. dollars. Despite their flamboyant exteriors, the inside of each building is sparse, with only a single … Continue reading Safe sanitation remains an issue for many in Bangladesh

Hailey SmalleyMay 27, 2024Leave a comment

Team

Hailey Smalley

I am a 2024 graduate of the University of Montana master’s program in Environmental Science & Natural Resource Journalism. I have an interest in all things ecological but am especially invested in stories dealing with entomology and epidemiology – insects and disease. My master’s work focused on efforts to prevent childhood malaria in Malawi. I grew up in Central Texas and earned a B.S. in … Continue reading Hailey Smalley

Hailey SmalleyMay 5, 2024May 17, 2024Leave a comment

UM to Bangladesh

Montana Journalism Abroad 2024

Author: Hailey Smalley