A Question of Values: Weaving Science and Society for Forest Conservation

Speaker: 
Dr. Nalini Nadkarni
 
16 Sep 2021
 
7:00 PM
Co-sponsors: 
  • Department of Natural Resource Ecology & Management
  • Department of Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology
  • College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
  • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Department of Agronomy
  • EEB Graduate Program
  • Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)

2021 Paul L. Errington Memorial Lecture 

Dr. Nalini Nadkarni is a Professor of Biology and forest ecologist at the University of Utah. With support from the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society, she studies the plants and animals that live in rainforest canopies. She has written over 130 scientific papers and three books. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge about trees with all sectors in society. In addition to her contributions to understanding the science of trees, Nadkarni has collaborated with modern dancers, poets, and creative writers to communicate the beauty of forests to arts audiences to convey the importance of trees to public groups who might not otherwise be interested in forests. Mattel has created a “Treetop Barbie” to recognize her efforts to raise interest for field science in young girls. She has brought lectures, conservation projects, and nature imagery to people who are incarcerated in prisons across the country. Her work has been featured in journals ranging from Science and the Journal of Ecology to Glamour and Playboy Magazine. Her recent national awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the National Science Foundation Public Service Award, the AAAS Award for Public Engagement, the William Julius Wilson Award for Achievement in Social Justice, and the Archie Carr Medal for Conservation.