Dr. Nalini Nadkarni’s academic and research interests include the following: community and ecosystem ecology of tropical and temperate forest canopies; the effects of forest fragmentation on biodiversity and community function; the development of database tools for canopy researchers; dissemination of research results to non-scientific audiences; partnering of scientists and artists to enhance conservation of forests. Her major field sites are located in Monteverde, Costa Rica, and the Olympic rainforest, Washington State.

To learn more about Nalini’s academic interests visit her Academic Page, or click the link above.

Part of the scientific enterprise is to disseminate the results of research to other scientists as well as to people outside of academia. However, scientists often receive little training or reward for presenting their results to non-scientists. When they do, most scientists tend to disseminate their information to “environmentally aware” non-scientists via the media or traditional informal science education institutions such as museums and botanical gardens, which are less frequently visited by non-traditional audiences.

To learn more about Nalini’s interests and pursuits in public engagement visit her Engagement Page, or click the link above.

The INSPIRE (Initiative to Bring Science Programs to the Incarcerated) program brings science to prisons through science lectures, workshops, and community-based conservation projects at correctional facilities in Utah. INSPIRE provides multiple benefits for inmates, scientists, correctional facilities, and the community.

To learn more about Nalini’s pursuits in including science education in prisons visit her Science for the Incarcerated page, or click the link above.