Women In Environmental Science

Dr. Eri Saikawa is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Emory University. She is the Director of both Graduate Studies and the Emory Climate Talks Program in the department. She is jointly appointed in the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health and is also an affiliated faculty in the Institute for Quantitative Theory and Methods, the East Asian Studies Program, as well as in the Center for Study of Law, Politics and Economics. She received a Bachelor of Engineering and studied chemistry and biotechnology at the University of Tokyo. She then received Master of Public Affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington, studying environmental policy and natural resource management. She pursued her Ph.D. in the Science, Technology and Environmental Policy program at Princeton University. She was a Postdoctoral Associate and a Research Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology before she joined Emory University in 2013. She is curious about anything related to air pollution and climate change. Her work includes assessing emissions from understudied sources, such as brick kilns and garbage burning. She is also working on climate-smart agriculture. Her team recently found heavy metal soil contamination in the Westside of Atlanta and it has led to a Superfund Site investigation by the EPA.

The chat I had with Dr. Heidi Stelzer was very fascinating as she took me into her hilarious personal experiences and deep into the field of mountain sciences. Dr. Heidi Steltzer is a mountain scientist, explorer, and science storyteller. She has spent 25 years conducting field studies in remote regions of Colorado, Alaska, Greenland and recently China to understand how mountain ecosystems are unique and valued regions of our world. Dr. Heidi Steltzer is a lead author on High Mountain Areas in a recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report and has testified before US Congress on climate change. In January 2020, she testified before the US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology about the Climate Crisis. Find her on social media @heidimountains. National Geographic, 2019, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/09/ipcc-report-climate-change-affecting-ocean-ice/ The Colorado Sun, 2019: https://coloradosun.com/2020/01/21/climate-change-water-snow-modeling-crested-butte/

Dr. Devyani Singh is a Post-Doctoral Fellow working on various projects under the umbrella of the Energy and Climate policy. Her research has included energy access & transitions in the Global South, air-quality modeling, evaluating climate impacts of national policies, natural resource economics, environmental [carbon] finance, forest sustainability, and most recently, methane emissions from oil and gas production. Devyani is BC Greens candidate for Vancouver-Point Grey and will bring more honesty, science, justice, and transparency to the government! Listen In this episode of Women In Environmental Science, we look into how different parts of the world need to address climate change differently and not compare each other constantly! Listen more to dive into an adventure of how humans are impacting the Earth.

Christine Shields is an Associate Scientist in the Climate Change Research Section at NCAR with expertise in simulating Earth's past, present, and future climate with the Community Earth System Model. Christine's focus is toward understanding Earth's hydrological cycle in the context of climate change, with particular emphasis on atmospheric rivers (ARs), monsoons, moisture transport, cyclones, and weather extremes. Christine's research spans much of Earth history, including simulations of Deep Time (millions of years ago), lead by Dr. Jeffrey Kiehl. In this episode of Women In Environmental Science, we learn about climate change exacerbating multiple factors that influence natural disasters. We also learn about how climate models work and how we can look at the past to understand the future. Listen more to dive into an adventure of the present, past, and future and how humans can influence the Earth in ways we CAN imagine.

Edith Newton Wilson, Ph.D., works to engage emerging professionals in energy solutions for a changing world. With degrees from Dartmouth and Johns Hopkins, Edith is a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists and the Geological Society. Her global career began with Amoco, BP, and Phillips, and culminated in founding Rock Whisperer, a renewable energy and climate mitigation consultancy. Our conversation about energy had really made me understand why energy is so useful: it gets throughout the day by keeping us alive, going to work, eating food, and beyond. Listen to this episode to learn about energy, why it's so important, and how and why we will change to a cleaner source of energy!

Jessica Roberts does work on reintroduction science. She is a graduate student from George Mason University in Virginia. Her research is focused on whether behavioral training in captivity can prepare parrots for survival in the wild. She researched studying the anti-predator behavior of vinaceous amazons in captivity. Since talking about parrots isn't a 'birden' to any of us, join me as I speak with Ms. Roberts on her amazing experiences with animals. To hear more, listen to this enthralling chat with Jessica Roberts!

Dr. Emily Lescak is a researcher who focuses on fish evolution and genetics. She is passionate about communicating science to the public and lowering barriers to participation in research science.Our conversation was extremely interesting! I learned about the threespine stickleback fish. To hear more about our fascinating conversation, listen to this episode!

Dr. Rachel Kirpes is a researcher studying atmospheric chemistry and aerosols in the Arctic to learn about how the Earth is warming up quickly. Using this information, she communicates this to the public! Join me on this incredible discussion, as we talk about Rachel's adventures in the Arctic, and two cute polar bears checking out their work! I was able to understand how critical natural things like the global conveyor. To learn more, listen to the exciting conversation I had with Dr. Kirpes.

Mrs. Allison Crimmins is a researcher studying the influences of climate change on human health and what happens through illnesses as the temperature increases. She works on how the healthcare system, after an extreme weather event, helps us realize the different impacts to try to change our ways.Talking to Allison Crimmins, I was able to relate this humongous topic to my life and hope that you will be able to realize this. As we continue to increase temperatures, we get more illnesses through ticks and mosquitoes. To learn more, listen to the exciting conversation I had with Allison Crimmins.

Dr. Goldman is a research director at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Her research focuses on air pollution and its impacts on Earth. One of her research papers shows the correlation between urban air pollution and emergency department visits, using epidemiological studies of acute human health effects.Talking to her, I understood how we use energy and whether that was good or bad. We discussed how humans are getting affected by air pollution and how she had found these results. I learned lots for Dr. Gretchen Goldman, and to learn more listen to this fascinating conversation I had with her.

Ms. Luisa Diele Viegas is a researcher, who studies the influences of climate change on different species. Using this information, she understands and learns about how other people can help them!Talking to Ms. Diele-Viegas, I was able to understand the reasons of why reptiles are so feared and why they shouldn't be. Like us, they are part of the ecosystem and serve a purpose in a sophisticated way of life. As we continue to walk into their habitats, we keep reducing the number of these incredible creatures. To learn more, listen to the exciting conversation I had with Luisa Diele-Viegas.