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“Teaching and learning in conservation and sustainability: my personal journey going from passion for nature to using conservation science to make life choices and "walk the talk," with Ursula Valdez, faculty in the UW Bothell School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences and 2020 Husky Green Award winner.
Her description of the talk: "It is common that people who love nature end up in a biology or wildlife science career. It happened to me, as I have loved bugs, birds, plants and running around in the wilderness since I was a kid. But for those of us who major in Ecology and conservation biology, not only do we learn about how natural systems work, cell function, and a little physiology, we also learn how organisms interact with each other and with the environment. In addition, an eye-opening experience is to learn that a huge factor affecting biodiversity and ecosystems is the negative impact that human society has in these areas. Thus, with more knowledge comes more responsibility to take action to reduce these negative impacts, and to raise awareness about them. As an ecologist and instructor on these topics, I feel that my commitment with conservation brings with it even more responsibility to take action, and not only to teach ecological and conservation science theory, but also to be consistent in my personal actions. I will share some examples of how I have been embracing the challenge to become a responsible, science-informed and better member of the ecosystem that we are part of, both while teaching, doing field work and in my urban life."