2019 Keynote Speakers

Dawn Wright

Dawn Wright
Chief Scientist
Environmental Systems Research Institute
Affiliated Professor of Geography and Oceanography
College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University

 

Dawn Wright is a pioneer in GIS technology as applied to oceanography and geography. As Chief Scientist of GIS and geospatial data science company the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), she is responsible for strengthening the scientific foundation for Esri software and services (especially in the environmental and conservation sciences), while representing Esri to the national/international scientific community. She maintains an affiliated faculty appointment as Professor of Geography and Oceanography in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. Dawn's research interests include seafloor mapping and tectonics, ocean conservation, environmental informatics, and ethics in information technology. She received an Interdisciplinary Doctorate in Physical Geography and Marine Geology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dawn is also currently into road cycling, apricot green tea gummy bears, 18th-century pirates, her dog Riley, and SpongeBob Squarepants. Follow her on Twitter @deepseadawn.

Jane Zelikova

Jane Zelikova
Co-founder
500 Women Scientists, Hey Girl Productions, LUCA Media Collective
Research Scientist
Department of Botany, University of Wyoming

 

Jane Zelikova is an ecologist interested in the impacts of environmental change on natural and managed ecosystems.  Hey work takes her across the world, tracking carbon across deserts and mountains and tropical forests, all with the goal of understanding how ecosystems will respond to a warmer more unpredictable more carbon-rich reality. Day to day, that means working to understand how carbon is sequestered in soils and harness the power of soils as a climate mitigation tool. Jane combines research with policy and outreach to expand the role of science in tackling global issues. To hone her communication skills and help train the next generation of field biologists and science communicators, she developed and taught a field course in Science Communication. She has also teamed up with some amazing women scientists and started Hey Girl Productions and LUCA Media Collective. Their mission is to tell compelling stories, grounded in science. Most recently, she helped start a grassroots organization 500 Women Scientists, whose mission is to serve society by making science open, inclusive, an accessible. Jane earned her PhD from the University of Colorado at Boulder and is currently a Research Scientist at the University of Wyoming. Follow her on Twitter @j_zelikova.