Photograph by Benjamin Drummond / bdsjs.com
Photograph by Benjamin Drummond / bdsjs.com
Nalini Nadkarni has been called “the queen of forest canopy research,” a field that relates directly to three of the most pressing environmental issues of our time: the maintenance of biodiversity, the stability of world climate, and the sustainability of forests.
For three decades, she has climbed trees on four continents, using mountain-climbing techniques, construction cranes, walkways, and hot air balloons to explore the world of animals and plants that live in the treetops. In 1994 she realized that there was no central database for storing and analyzing the research she was gathering, so she invented one. This state-of-the-art repository, called the Big Canopy Database, is credited with speeding cross-disciplinary collaboration just as a common database revolutionized the mapping of the human genome.
Nadkarni, the Director of the Center for Science and Math Education at The University of Utah, is known for using nontraditional pathways to raise awareness of nature’s importance, working with artists, dancers, musicians, and even loggers. Her work has been featured in Glamour, National Geographic, on TV, and in a giant-screen film, as well as in traditional science publications.
In a project funded by the Washington State Department of Corrections, Nadkarni engaged scientists and prisoners in collaboration to carry out research projects in conservation and restoration biology. Inmates have raised endangered frogs, prairie plants, and butterflies, which are then released from captivity to the wild, giving prisoners rare access to nature, as well as a sense of accomplishment and connection to doing something good. In recognition of this work and more, she was a recipient of the National Science Board’s “Public Service Award” in 2010, which honors an individual who has made substantial contributions in increasing public understanding of science in the United States.
Presentation Topics
Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate Connection With Trees
Drawing from her 2008 book of the same name, Nadkarni presents a rich tapestry of personal stories celebrating profound connections we have with trees: the dazzling array of goods and services they provide, their role in commerce and medicine, and the powerful lessons they hold for us.
The Power of Diversity: In the Rain Forest and in the Workplace
Explore biodiversity at work in the forest and through cleverly drawn parallels with everyday life. This presentation emphasizes the strength we gain when diverse forces come together and enhance the value of one another.
Rain Forest Research From Roots to Treetops
Find out how and why ecologists study the complex world of tropical rain forests.
Branching Out
This project, funded by the National Geographic Conservation Trust, brings together scientists, artists, Native Americans, and blind people to document, celebrate, and conserve nature in the Pacific Northwest and Costa Rica.
Arboreal Images in Art, Myth, Religion, and Poetry
In this lyrical presentation Nadkarni explores the use of trees as an integrative cross-cultural theme in literature, film, medicine, religion, mathematics, and popular culture.
Learn More About Nalini:
Tree Canopy Researcher Honored for Public Service
Sustainable Prisons Featured on Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN
Huffington Post: Sustainability In Prisons Project Helps Inmates Save Endangered Butterflies
National Science Foundation: Inmates Conduct Ecological Research on Slow-growing Mosses
A unique ecosystem of plants, birds, and monkeys thrives in the treetops of the rainforest. Nalini Nadkarni explores these canopy worlds—and shares her findings with the world below through dance, art and bold partnerships.
Nalini Nadkarni challenges our perspective on trees and prisons—she says both can be more dynamic than we think.
In partnership with the Washington State Department of Corrections, Nadkarni is introducing sustainable practices, and training offenders to conduct ecological research and conserve biodiversity through special projects.
Photograph by Benjamin Drummond / bdsjs.com
Inmates in Washington State are working on environmental projects to conserve water and help protect endangered spotted frogs. The project benefits inmates, the environment, and the prisons’ budgets.
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