Thesis Thursday -Lydia Jennings

Lydia Jennings is a PhD student in the Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science, with a Minor in American Indian Policy.  Lydia is part of the Pascua Yaqui and Huichol Nations, and grew up in Santa Fe, NM. Lydia earned her Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science, Technology and Policy at California State University, Monterey Bay, where she developed a monitoring project in collaboration with the Monterey National Marine Sanctuary Network to collect and analyze surface street sediment for heavy metal pollution in watershed areas within the Monterey Peninsula. Lydia now works with Dr. Raina Maier’s Environmental Microbiology Group to identify biogeochemical indicators of soil reclamation, in order to make modern mining reclamation more effective and cost efficient. Additionally, Lydia is interested in how policy has placed many mines on or bordering tribal nations. Lydia is a 2015 recipient of the highly competitive National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program, and is a University of Arizona NIEHS Superfund Program trainee, which trains student on science communication and how to conduct community engaged research. In her free time, Lydia is an avid trail runner, involved in cultural activities of her tribe, and passionate about getting others outdoors.