Who we are

Dr. Kelly Biedenweg has a Ph.D. in the human dimensions of natural resource management. She currently works primarily in the Puget Sound and Oregon looking at the link between ecosystem services and human values and wellbeing. Prior, she spent about ten years in Latin America researching community forest management in the Bolivian Amazon and environmental leadership development in Honduras. Dr. Biedenweg has a B.S. in marine ecology and an M.S. in conservation biology. In her spare time, Dr. Biedenweg likes to make functional pottery and admires those with the patience for sculpting.
Contact: kelly.biedenweg "at" oregonstate "dot" edu

Postdocs

Dr. David J. Trimbach is a community-engaged, place-based, and policy-driven scholar with a Ph.D. in human geography. Dr. Trimbach’s research interests include: community development, citizenship/engagement, public policy, identity, and collaborative governance. Dr. Trimbach has conducted research and evaluation on a diverse array of projects, including an Oregon Fellowship project focused on civic capacity, community-based natural resource management (Willamette Falls), and public-private nonprofit partnerships in Oregon. His experience in higher education, public service, and nonprofit sector illustrate his motivation to understand and create more equitable and inclusive communities. Dr. Trimbach has a B.A. in sociology and M.U.S. in community development. Outside of research, Dr. Trimbach enjoys volunteering, cycling, and traveling.

Graduate Students - Corvallis-based degrees

Eric Wade (PhD candidate) joined the lab in 2016 to complete his Master’s degree and stayed to get his Ph.D. From Belize. Eric’s research is motivated by his lived experiences growing up in the Caribbean and its vulnerability to growing demands on natural resources. His current Ph.D. research explores the decision-making strategies of small-scale fishers in Jamaica. Eric earned his Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Master's in Fisheries Science from Oregon State University. When he is not working, Eric enjoys going to the gym, exploring new hiking locations, and checking out new restaurants. To learn more about his work, you can visit his website at https://thebelizeanscientist.weebly.com/ or follow along with his musings on Twitter: @EricWadeBZ

Brittany King (PhD candidate) was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she developed an interest and love for marine science. She earned a BS from Hampton University in Marine and Environmental Science in 2009 and a MESM in Environmental Science and Management from UC Santa Barbara in 2012. Before deciding to attend OSU, Brittany worked as a community organizer on social and environmental justice issues affecting disadvantaged communities throughout the SF Bay Area. Brittany’s primary research interests lie in diversity, equity and inclusion in marine and fisheries sciences. She is interested in exploring the barriers and opportunities for the inclusion and participation of African Americans, and communities of color. She is also interested in exploring ways to utilize informal science education and citizen science programs to reduce the communication gap between science, policy, and underrepresented communities. In her spare time, Brittany enjoys baking and crafting. Brittany received the Malouf Marine Studies Scholarship from Oregon SeaGrant. Read more here!

Whitney Fleming (PhD candidate) is interested in environmental policy and science issues, with a special intrigue for the interaction between the two. Her previous studies have focused on energy policy, perceptions of climate change, and ecosystem management. She has a BS in Environmental Science from Western Washington University and a Masters of Public Affairs and Environmental Policy from the University of Washington. She has spent a fair amount of time abroad, including studying the mountain ecosystems of Nepal, working with the Cheetah Conservation Fund of Namibia, and traveling the nine months prior to starting at OSU. Whitney appreciates taking a long trail ride on her horse, and eats a fair amount of soup.

Brian Erickson (Ph.D. candidate) is interested in understanding drivers of people’s conservation behaviors and lack thereof. He loves thinking about how worldviews, perceptions, and experiences influence our efforts to communicate with and change other peoples’ behaviors. Perhaps his least favorite phrase related to science communication is “if only they knew/cared, then they’d…” Brian’s master’s work at OSU focused on developing a high school ocean acidification curriculum. For his Ph.D., he will examine perceptions of marine protected area management, with an emphasis on trust and distrust, along the US West Coast and in East Africa (in collaboration with the SMART Seas Africa Network – smartseas.org). Brian has a highly varied professional background with an emphasis on formal and informal education and research. He has a BA in biology, an MS in teaching, and an MS in marine resource management. Away from research, Brian is a new dad who enjoys watching his son grow. When possible, he tries to get outside to whitewater kayak, hike, bike, and garden. Find him @Erickson_BrianD

Isabel Justiniano (MS student) was born in Cochabamba, Bolivia and moved to the U.S at a young age. She grew up in Providence, Rhode Island. She earned a BS in Wildlife and Wildland Conservation from Brigham Young University. After graduating, she spent time interning with the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service. Later on she, worked for the non-profit Environment for the Americas, coordinating World Migratory Bird day events and conservation internships for diverse college students. Most recently, she worked as Latino Engagement and Visitor Services Specialist for the Willamette Valley Refuges. One common aspect of all her past positions was the opportunity to work closely with Latino families and community groups. This brought her to OSU, where her research will focus on assessing Latino wellbeing associated with ecosystem services in the Puget Sound area. She hopes this research contributes to a fuller understanding of how Latino relationships with the outdoors are formed and how this can be utilized as a tool for creating more inclusive outdoor programs and recreational opportunities. Outside of school, Isabel loves movie marathons, birding and spending time with her nieces and nephew.

Vaughn Robison (MA and FW Graduate Certificate student) is a communication director and fifth-generation Oregon Coast resident. He left home to earn a BS in Communication from the University of Utah and later spent a decade in a career that ranges from advertising agencies to news media. Upon his return home, Vaughn enrolled at OSU to pursue a master of arts in Environmental Arts and Humanities and a graduate certificate in Fisheries Management. Through his research in both programs, Vaughn studies how fishers communicate the social impacts of marine conservation areas and how they trust the agency that manages them. His applied research uses psychological values and communication frames to assess and address complex and often contentious conservation issues. In his free time, Vaughn can be found exploring Oregon's intersecting lands and waters and connecting with the communities they support. He has a horse and a dog that often join him.

Graduate Students - Online Degrees

Karin Swarbrick (Professional Science Masters student) has more than two decades of experience in environmental management, working with private business, government agencies and nongovernmental organizations in the U.S. and abroad. Karin earned her BA in Environmental Analysis and Design from the University of California, Irvine, with a minor in Psychology and Social Behavior and began her career in the non-profit sector managing grant-funded research, technical assistance and public outreach programs in waste management, pollution prevention and green building. Most recently, Karin worked as Director of Sustainability in Death Valley National Park where she oversaw solar energy production, wastewater treatment, resource conservation and an extensive employee training program. Her current focus is on developing communications products that package information in a way that enhances understanding of complex subjects and fosters appreciation for wildlife and the natural environment. Karin enjoys natural fiber dyeing, spinning, knitting, woodworking and restoring old woodworking machines.

Undergraduate Research Students

Allison Kurtz (Undergraduate Honors Student) was raised in Portland, Oregon and cultivated an early love for the outdoors on road trips to the coast, the mountains, and the national parks of the Western US. Allison is currently in her final year of undergrad at OSU and will earn an HBS in Earth Science with an option in Ocean Science and minors in Anthropology and French. Her specific academic interests lie in the interaction between science and society, and she is particularly interested in science-related policy and education. She has worked in education as a student leader teaching sixth-graders at MESD Outdoor School in high school and as a counsellor for the Tualatin Riverkeepers nature camps. She is currently writing a policy analysis of the actions proposed by the Southern Resident Orca Taskforce for her undergraduate thesis. She plans on applying to grad school sometime next year and will likely study either public policy or education in the hopes of becoming a middle school science teacher. Allison still loves road trips and travelling outside of school, but is most likely to be found reading, baking, singing, and amassing niche trivia.

Research Assistants

Brian G. Katz (Research Assistant) is a web cartographer and human geographer who studies social vulnerability and adaptation to climate change. Specifically, Brian is interested in understanding how climate change impacts compound local contextual factors to produce inequitable outcomes for at-risk populations. Brian is currently finishing his M.S. in Geography at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. For his Master’s thesis, Brian developed a geovisualization tool for mapping shellfisheries risk to ocean acidification in the Pacific Northwest, and then conducted interviews with shellfish-reliant stakeholders to identify pathways and barriers to successful adaptation. Brian earned a B.S. in Integrative Biology from the University of Texas-San Antonio, and then planted roots in the Pacific Northwest, where he has resided in both the Salish Sea and Willamette Valley regions. Brian enjoys crabbing and exploring the outdoors.

Alumni

Dr. Kayla Cranston (Postdoc 2016-2017) studies and creates tools to evaluate motivation for long-term engagement in environmental projects from a psychological perspective.

Alexa Ramos-Cummings (Masters of Natural Resource 2021) completed a capstone on human wellbeing (HWB) integration into environmental decision making within local watershed groups. She currently works for Snohomish County.

Hailey Kehoe Thommen (Honors Undergrad 2019 and Research Assistant) completed an undergraduate thesis and Research Assistantship using sentiment and emotion analysis around orca conservation and the role Native Americans in public survey responses. She continues working as a data analyst.

Jackie Delie (MS 2020) focused her thesis on measuring the concept of tolerance for wildlife and psychological predictors of tolerance, with specific attention to tolerance of black bears in Oregon. She continues her work as an environmental social scientist with various labs.

Kerrick Robinson (MS 2018) focused his thesis on determining the factors that influence stakeholder preferences for salmon habitat management in the Quinault Indian Nation. Kerrick is currently a Social Scientist with North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.