Publications & Documents

Summer heat can have a detrimental effect on employees and volunteers who work outdoors or within indoor environments with elevated temperatures. Each year more people in the United States die from extreme heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornados, floods, and earthquakes combined. Heat Stress is influenced by several risk factors: climatic conditions, the work environment, demands of the work, clothing and personal characteristics.

Plant biodiversity is threatened, yet many species remain undescribed. It is estimated that >50% of undescribed species have already been collected and are awaiting discovery in herbaria. Robust automatic species identification algorithms using machine learning could accelerate species discovery.

Among its mitigation strategies, UC San Diego's (UCSD) 2019 Climate Action Plan (CAP) calls for
Behavior and Institutional Change where energy consumption habits are targeted and addressed
through education and engagement. Launched in 2016, the UC San Diego Sustainability Ambassadors Program aims to support CNI and the UCSD CAP by raising awareness of UCSD's
carbon neutrality efforts while encouraging students to implement sustainable living methods. 
As the University transitioned to online learning, I focused on strengthening the Ambassadors

Extension agents are finding themselves engaged in problem-solving roles as public needs adjust to a climate where issues facing the agricultural and natural resource industry are more often contentious than benign. As connectors between the Land-grant university system and the public, Extension agents need to know how to effectively communicate about contentious issues with clientele. This study used an online survey design to determine Extension agents’ attitudes toward contentious issues, challenges that they face, and effective means of communication.

A geographically diverse group of 29 ethnobiologists addresses three common themes in response to the COVID-19 global health crisis: impact on local communities, future interactions between researchers and communities, and new (or renewed) conceptual and/or applied research priorities for ethnobiology.

Many veterans returning from military deployment experience stress- or trauma-related symptoms
that make reintegration with civilian society difficult. Nature exposure and outdoor recreation can
be important parts of alternative and complementary approaches to reduce symptoms and build
on veterans’ pre-existing strengths. Multiple outdoor programs now exist for veterans; many of
these occur on federal public lands and present a variety of needs, opportunities, and challenges.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world in many ways. People with disabilities, people with chronic health conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes, and people over the age 60, are at a higher risk of becoming infected and most likely to become seriously ill. Safety measures such as social distancing, stay at home orders, and the wearing of face masks or cloth face coverings are now part of our daily lives. For the purposes of this document, the term “face mask” will be used for both face masks and cloth face coverings.

With the current global spotlight on wild animal markets as a possible source of the COVID-19 epidemic, it is easy to forget that the biggest flows of “wildlife” in trade involve plants, not animals. This report summarises what is known about the trade in wild plant ingredients, the impacts of COVID-19 on the demand and trade in these resources and recommends ways forward to ensure their long-term availability to businesses, consumers and government agencies.

This document was developed as a contribution to “mainstreaming biodiversity
into agriculture, forestry and fisheries”, as recommended at the 24th Session of the
Committee on Forestry in 2018. It also contributes to FAO’s Strategic Objective 2
(“Make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable”) and FAO’s
Strategy on Mainstreaming Biodiversity across Agricultural Sectors.

Look for signs of anxiety in body language, tone and cadence. Understand that crisis behavior reflects a need and consider what it is the other person might want.