About Me

I am a Research Scientist with the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University (CSU). My area of study is centered around the knowledge-science interface, bringing together diverse human experience with science on the ground. I am interested in how people relate to science, research and knowledge, and how the complexity of knowledge increases when different groups of people come together. This includes citizen science, leading undergraduate research training and experiences, social-ecological systems, sustainability, traditional ecological knowledge, African pastoral systems, formal and informal education, stakeholder engagement, and situation assessment & stakeholder analysis.

The core of my approach is participatory process, but I use tools that range for ecological assessments of wildlife and vegetation to interviews, surveys and focus groups. I've led groups of students in international field research learning experiences in Kenya and Tanzania (EA-IRES), and lead the SUPER Program (Skills for Undergraduate Participation in Ecological Research) for CSU's Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability.

I've been working with several Maasai communities in Tanzania since 2002, building a deep sense of commitment to the stakeholders of the research that I lead, and the value of research and engagement outcomes for everyday lives in the local community. This has created a strong interest in research ethics and deep engagement and partnership. These philosophies come through in my role as a co-principle investigator with CitSci.org, an organization housed at NREL that engages in democratization of science by making citizen science and community-driven science possible for everyone, everywhere.