
Meet & Greet with Dr. Kristina Young
Speaker
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Dr. Kristina YoungDryland ecologist and place-based science communicator
Dr. Kristina Young is a dryland ecologist and place-based science communicator studying the semi-arid ecosystems of the Colorado Plateau. Kristina’s research has focused on understanding desert ecosystems and communicating those understandings to the millions of people who visit these beautiful and fragile landscapes. Kristina received her Masters degree from Northern Arizona University, PhD from the University of Texas at El Paso, and is currently an Extension Assistant Professor at Utah State University in Moab, Utah. She is also the Founder and Board Chair of the Science Moab Engagement Initiative, a place-based science engagement nonprofit.
Kristina has published over a dozen peer-reviewed publications related to dryland ecology and in 2015, was chosen as a Wyss Scholar for Conservation of the American West. Her writings on drylands have appeared in Mother Jones, Forbes.com Science, and the Salt Lake Tribune.