Date
Abstract
Scientists are increasingly concerned with the growing distance between science and the “science-unengaged”—people who do not or cannot gain access to traditional science education or who lack exposure to the scientific enterprise. Scientists can play critical roles in engaging these underserved groups. As an example, Dr. Nalini Nadkarni describes a set of scientific results from her field of rainforest canopy ecology. She then describes her strategy of linking the ecological values of trees with existing values of unengaged public groups, e.g., faith-based congregants, artists, urban youth, and fashionistas. Since 2004, she has brought science lectures, conservation projects, and nature imagery to the incarcerated. This project, which intertwines basic science research and researchers with social justice issues, has resulted in synergisms among academia, conservation, and corrections institutions around the country.
Presenters
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Nalini Nadkarni
Dr. Nalini Nadkarni is a Professor of Biology at the University of Utah. She is a forest ecologist who has studied rainforest canopy organisms and interactions in rainforests of Costa Rica and Washington State, supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society. She has also innovated science engagement programs that have led to collaborations with visual artists, modern dancers, religious leaders, rap singers, and prison wardens, which have raised awareness on the importance of trees to people in all sectors of society. She has given two TED talks and numerous...
Image
Nalini Nadkarni
Dr. Nalini Nadkarni is a Professor of Biology at the University of Utah. She is a forest ecologist who has studied rainforest canopy organisms and interactions in rainforests of Costa Rica and Washington State, supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society. She has also innovated science engagement programs that have led to collaborations with visual artists, modern dancers, religious leaders, rap singers, and prison wardens, which have raised awareness on the importance of trees to people in all sectors of society. She has given two TED talks and numerous endowed lectures. Her work has been featured in journals ranging from Science and Nature to Glamour and Playboy Magazine. She has received national awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the AAAS Award for Public Engagement, the William Julius William Award for Achievement in Social Justice, the Archie Carr Medal for Conservation, and the National Science Foundation Public Service Award.
Presenters
Nalini Nadkarni , University of Utah
Time
11:00 a.m. ET
Location
SESYNC – 1 Park Place, Suite 300 Annapolis, MD 21401
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