Robert Washington-Allen will present “What are Rangelands and What Is Happening to Them?” at the Science Forum on Friday.
His talk will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the Thompson-Boling Arena Café, Rooms C-D. The 40-minute presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer discussion.
The Science Forum is free and open to the public. Attendees may bring their own lunch or purchase it at the café.
Three questions will underpin Washington-Allen’s discussion of rangelands: How are rangelands defined? What is the ecological behavior of rangelands? Are rangeland’s ecologically sustainable?
Through answering these questions, Washington-Allen will discuss how rangelands are currently monitored and the challenges and opportunities that cutting-edge technologies provide for future assessments of rangelands.
Washington-Allen is an assistant professor of geography. As a part of the US Global Change Research Program’s Rangeland Indicators Team, he and his students are currently researching drylands around the nation. At the local level, they have been researching Tennessee soil moisture levels, which fluctuate because of evaporation and erosion.
The Science Forum began in 1933 and is one of UT’s oldest organizations. It was designed to provide the general public, students, and other researchers a chance to learn about the latest scientific research.
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CONTACT:
Mark Littmann: (865-974-8756; littmann@utk.edu)
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)