Education

University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Graduated with PhD in Human Ecology (December 2013)
Major Advisor: F.S. (Terry) Chapin
Resilience and Adaptation Program

Colorado State University
Graduated with MS in Rangeland Ecology (December 2008)
Major Advisor: Maria Fernandez-Gimenez

University of Colorado, Denver: BA in English Literature, BA in Writing
Major Advisor: Bradford Mudge

George Washington High School
International Baccalaureate Program

Education Narrative

I have an interdisciplinary educational background. I received two bachelors in English Literature and Writing from the University of Colorado and graduated summa cum laude. My thesis project was on Annie Dillard’s non-fiction prose and my final writing project was a collection of poetry. I took about seven years off between my BA and my MS, and spent time running library programming, working for several non-profits and co-managing a farm. These experiences made me very interested in sustainable agriculture in Colorado. I returned to work on my MS is 2006 at Colorado State University in Rangeland Ecology. My Master’s thesis was looking at the local knowledge of ranchers as a resource for informing development of  state-and-transition models. I graduated in 2008 and then began my PhD in Human Ecology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in 2010. I graduated with a PhD in Human Ecology in 2013. With a background in both natural (range ecology) and social (human ecology) sciences I enjoy the challenges and benefits of straddling two disciplines. Since graduation, I have had the distinct pleasure of working with a number of colleagues on interdisciplinary and applied projects including 1) an assessment of existing research on climate change and hydropower, 2) a project linking researchers and communities impacted by coastal hazards in Western Alaska, and 3) an assessment of research needs from ranching communities in Colorado.