Lauren Asquith making a difference in human and ecological communities

2015 Mar 9

Mason, Ohio, resident Lauren Asquith, a graduate student in the Global Field Program (GFP) from Miami University's Project Dragonfly, has been awarded a Community Engagement badge from the university for making a difference in human and ecological communities. As part of the GFP, students like Asquith apply the tools of conservation science and advance the tenets central to the master's degree: inquiry, community and voice.

Through her Conservation Science & Community course project entitled "Mapping Light Pollution around Dayton, Ohio," Asquith created a light pollution map around the greater Dayton area, using an ongoing, international citizen science project called “Globe at Night,” to start discussions about the growing problem of light pollution in greater Dayton, Ohio. Asquith is an environmental educator at Five Rivers MetroParks.

As part of her master's program coursework, Asquith studied desert and marine ecosystems on the Baja peninsula. Study sites include 13 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

The GFP master's degree is designed for educators and other professionals from all disciplines and settings who are interested in working collaboratively to bring about change in local and global contexts. Applicants can be from anywhere in the United States or abroad. To learn more about the GFP, visit http://gfp.miamioh.edu/.

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