Author & Ecologist
I'm very excited to report that Daughter of Aithne, Book Three of The Silver Web, has received the 2017 OZMA Award for fantasy fiction! A division of Chanticleer's International Book Awards, the OZMA Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works of fantasy. Winners were announced last weekend at Chanticleer's annual authors conference in Bellingham, Washington. It was a... Continue Reading →
The number of bees we've identified from our summer collection topped 160 this week. We won't finish identifying all the specimens collected before the deadline for my student's final written report, but we'll get through most of it. She'll certainly have enough data to say some interesting things. Between our garden and prairie sites, we've... Continue Reading →
Not too long ago, I hit a milestone in the native bee project I've been working on with my Avila honors student, Laura Presler: We identified the 100th wild bee in our summer research collection. A lot of people out there have identified many more bees than that, so by some standards 100 bees is... Continue Reading →
I'm thrilled to announce that for the first time next spring, we will be offering Avila students an interdisciplinary field course in Puerto Rico! IS 377 Tropical Environments: Diversity, Resistance, and Resilience will spend 12 days on the island in May. I'll be co-teaching the course with fellow Avila professor and historian extraordinaire, Dr. Kelly... Continue Reading →
In the summer of 2014, I co-coordinated the Native American and Pacific Islander Research Experience (NAPIRE) Program. Funded by NSF and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, NAPIRE was designed to encouraging undergraduate Native American and Pacific Islander students to pursue careers in science. The program brought together undergraduate students from Tribal Nations and... Continue Reading →
One of the most common questions I hear is how I got interested in writing. I actually have a very clear memory of the first story I wrote, based on a dream I had when I was a little girl. I always point to that as the initiation of my interest in story telling. Similarly,... Continue Reading →
We're well into classes at Avila, but in quiet moments I still reflect on my summer trip to Germany and all the things I learned and saw traveling the country with my family; visiting the stomping grounds of relatives and ancestors. I've long been fascinated by family histories, a habit instilled in me no doubt... Continue Reading →
Every year around this time, I look at my August calendar and say, "Who are you, and what have you done with my summer?" Classes start at Avila this week. Wait, what? Classes start this week?? Why does time always takes us by surprise? I once read a theologian who argued this was evidence of... Continue Reading →
I'm honored to announce that I've been invited as the keynote speaker for this year's ADELANTE conference, presented by Prospanica KC. Prospanica is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the Hispanic community to reach their full educational, economic, and social potential. They also advocate the pursuit of higher education in all careers and advance Hispanic... Continue Reading →
I've been away from my blog and most things internet during July, enjoying a family vacation in Germany. By 'family,' I mean family in the broadest sense of the word. This was a very special trip, celebrating the 80th birthday of my father. We were able to bring together so many people over our three-week... Continue Reading →
