As we say goodbye to Jessica Davis who began as IUPUI’s Director of Sustainability June 1st (see separate post), I am happy to announce that Amber Rollings will be fulfilling the role of Interim Assistant Director of CEES for the summer.
Amber has undergraduate degrees in both Environmental Science and Biology from IUPUI, two years experience in private industry in an environmental science internship and three years experience as a microbiologist. Amber is currently a PhD graduate student and her PhD advisor is Dr. Gabriel Filippelli. She has broad interests in community engagement with the environment in urban areas, including urban farming and urban wildlands. She is developing academic expertise in both applied environmental science and ethnography.
The focus of Amber’s current research is an ethnographically based study on how families seek out interactions in nature with a specific emphasis on waterway interconnection. The research is part of a larger collaboration with StreamLines, a National Science Foundation funded informal science learning project at Butler University, in partnership with Indianapolis’ Reconnecting to Our Waterways initiative. StreamLines uses the city of Indianapolis as an informal science learning environment with emphasis on place-based environmental learning focused around the major waterways in Indianapolis. The research will be conducted via family interviews. These interviews will help to better understand how each family experiences and seeks out self-directed science learning. The length of time for the study will also allow for evaluation of any changes longitudinally.
Outside of her professional life, Amber enjoys spending time with her fur-baby, Edgar Allan Poe, taking hikes, and writing. Amber is excited to be filling in as Assistant Director in the interim – she looks forward to learning and informing about CEES and its endeavors! If anyone has any questions or comments for Amber, please don’t hesitate to contact her at: arolling@iupui.edu.