Monitored wildlife populations - mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish - have seen a devastating 69% drop on average since 1970, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report (LPR) 2022.
Dr. Miner was recognized for her work as a climate scientist, for climbing Mount Everest and revealing the presence of pollutants and chemicals there, and her arctic research.
Avalon Owens' research found that while some fireflies shrugged off light pollution, members of other species failed to mate even when males and females could find each other.
A July 2022 article by the Atlantic, How to Successfully Smash Your Face Against a Tree, explores a recent study which refutes the widespread idea that woodpeckers have shock-absorbing heads. Switzer Fellow Margaret Rubega is quoted in the article saying "[the study] really lays to rest the idea that some part of the head is acting as a shock absorber.” The article continues:
On June 23, 2022, thirty-four members of the House of Representatives and 74 organizations submitted a letter to the head of the US Environmental Protection Agency requesting the agency to establish discharge standards for ships' ballast water that comply with the Clean Water Act.
Leke (Kānaka ʻŌiwi, Native Hawaiian) studies Indigenous food and data sovereignty and conservation in Hawaiʻi. He hopes to create pathways for more Kānaka ʻŌiwi farmers to access land, expand Indigenous agroecosystems, and support insect biodiversity.
Originally fascinated by a composting program as a kid in Hong Kong, Lily is passionate about environmental sciences and ecology. She studies soil microbial ecology on urban grasslands and aims to bring ecosystem restorations closer to immigrant and low-income communities.
Melinda (N’dee, San Carlos Apache) examines plant and soil biochemical responses to cultural burns using Traditional Ecological Knowledge with Tribal partners. Her research intersects environmental policy and science, and is rooted in Native ways of knowing and being.
