Ellen Audia

Background: I received a B.S. in Natural Resources Management and Mathematics from Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2018. At GVSU I became involved with the Sustainable Agriculture Project (SAP), where I found a community and learned more about the deep, often environmentally unfortunate history of agriculture in the U.S. and how I might be able to make positive change. It is with this knowledge, my love for the environment, and my academic background that I formed a desire to solve complex problems in agriculture and ecology.

Research Interests: My research thus far has focused on landscape level changes. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into GVSU’s Arctic Ecology Program in 2016 with which I traveled to Alaska’s North Slope to collect climate change related vegetation data. This was my first experience conducting academic research and has lead me to other research projects where I could connect my mathematical background to ecology through statistical modeling. As I pursue an M.S. in Environmental Science and Forestry at Iowa State University I will be working on the STRIPS project and continuing to use mathematics in hopes of improving the ecological footprint of agricultural ecosystems.

Personal Interests: In my free time I enjoy rock climbing, yoga, hiking, reading, playing guitar, cooking, growing things, and spending time with the people and dogs that I love.