About
The Journey
I received my Ph.D. from the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Department at the University of Minnesota where I studied the impacts of climate change on monarch butterfly migrations. My thesis topic was informed by my commitment to environmental stewardship and intellectual curiosity. I was deeply concerned about climate change and studying a charismatic organism gave me a platform to share my research findings with the general public and engage others in climate change action. At the same time, I was fascinated by the science of animal migrations and yearned to solve complex ecological puzzles.
It was here, in graduate school, where I began to understand the potential for public science communication to effect change. I honed my communication skills through:
creating and delivering professional development courses for K-12 teachers
designing and teaching K-5 science curriculum in St. Paul Public Schools and
writing and editing materials for US Forest Service, environmental and citizen science newsletters, and local newspapers.
Along the way, of course I also wrote for academic journals and books and funded my research through grants, including several highly competitive national awards.