Evelyn Valdez-Ward

Bio

Evelyn (she/ella) is a fourth year, formerly undocumented, PhD candidate and Ford fellow studying the effects of drought on plants and soil microbes. As a Research + Practice Collaboratory Fellow, her final dissertation chapter aims to study marginalized scientists and their use of science communication for advocacy and social justice. She was named one of 2020's Grist 50 Fixers, a list of emerging leaders across the U.S. who are working on solutions to our world’s biggest challenges. She has published articles in Science and Scientific American, was an invited speaker at the 2018 March for Science rally, named a 2018 UCS Science Defender, voted best of Story Collider 2018 in LA, awarded UCI's Dynamic Womxn's Award for Outstanding Social Justice Activist and the Svetlana Bershadsky Graduate Community Award for her advocacy for undocumented scientists.

@wardofplants

Clips

• Rat poison kills great horned owl, sickens baby bird at SLO County nature preserve

• SLO County farm finds new way to wash citrus — and cut 700,000 gallons of pesticides a year

• Oceano Dunes officials interfered with threatened snowy plover nests, commission finds

• Poisoned sea lions are showing up on California beaches. Here’s why experts are worried

• Update: Oceano Dunes state park to stay closed after Endangered Species Act violation

• Pismo Preserve hiker fatally stabs pregnant rattlesnake in ‘act of cruelty,’ nonprofit says

• Found a baby bird out of its nest? Here’s the best thing you can do

• This SLO County snail could slither off U.S. endangered species list. Here’s why

• Loss of eelgrass in Morro Bay may be causing widespread erosion, Cal Poly study finds

• A ‘large, damaging fire’ is possible at any time in SLO County. Here’s why

• How a Black educator is helping SLO County kids of all backgrounds connect to nature