Conservation through understanding human-animal interactions and human behavior change
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Solenodon conservationFor five years, I studied the Hispaniolan solenodon—a strange, endangered venomous mammal—and its future conservation challenges in the face of increased human impacts. My research is currently in the final press stages with Conservation Biology, and I am also in the process of writing a solenodon-themed children's book to reach a very different audience than my academic paper.
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Measuring student behavior changeIn 2017, the San Diego Zoo embarked on its largest ever behavior change study to date, analyzing the actions of students before and after taking a conservation action pledge. I led the analysis of survey data from 2131 middle and high school students, finding that they actually did engage in conservation actions more after pledging to do so. This work is currently being drafted for publication.
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Demonstrating the power of youthMy doctoral dissertation research at North Carolina State University looks into whether young people can spark community-level environmental literacy. I will be using a modified experimental design to track high school students as they go through an action-oriented environmental education curriculum focused on water quality. After the curriculum concludes, we will see if the students' learning spread to parents, teachers, leaders, and others in the community.
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