Culture and Nature: At the broadest level we are interested in how conceptions of nature and our relationships with nature affect how we act on it. Is nature most present when humans are absent or are humans part of nature? This research is a collaboration involving my colleague, Megan Bang, and often involves both Native and non-Native children and adults in the Seattle, Washington area and the Chicago Indian community. We are studying the role of culture as it relates to knowledge and reasoning about the natural world. Most recently we have been focusing on ecological cognition and complex systems thinking, including work with Sonya Sachdeva from US forestry on perceptions of ecosystems, including urban ecosystems. Obviously we also care about environmental decision making.

Our lab team’s interests are broader than the above description. Janene Cielto researches how African American women’s hair texture affects social interactions. Natalie Gallagher is interested in social network cognition and how forms of identity may affect it. Alissa Baker-Oglesbee works as part of the culture and STEM research team but also on heritage language preservation and Native identity.