October 10, 2016, by Lauren Bell

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Join the Sitka Sound Science Center staff and Board in welcoming Dr. Heather Ward to Sitka as our fall Scientist in Residency Fellow, here from October 10 to November 7. Dr. Ward is a Geographer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering Research and Development Center at the Geospatial Research Laboratory in Virginia.

Heather received her Ph.D in Coastal Resources Management at East Carolina University in North Carolina. Prior to her work with the Department of the Army, she was the Executive Director of Waterkeepers® Carolina and a Geographer Professor at Barton College. Dr. Ward also worked for a number of years for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as an Intelligence Analyst, where she was responsible for briefing senior Intelligence officials and acting as an intermediary between scientists, decision-makers and policy-makers.

During her Fellowship, Dr. Ward will be applying her expertise to research and expand upon an integrated (terrestrial-marine-human) coastal zone management understanding of the Alexander Archipelago area. To do so, she is hoping to engage with Sitkans to gain a diverse understanding of people’s sense of place in this region and their utilization and interaction with the local ecosystem. Heather can be heard on the KCAW radio morning interview here. She will share her work and interests during a Natural History Seminar talk entitled “Magic and Models – Sense of Place @ the Speed of Need” on Thursday, Oct. 27^th at 7:30pm in UAS room 229. Heather also plans to engage with students in Sitka High School’s AP Human Geography and Global Studies class to discuss geospatial careers and the military’s use of geography. Her Fellowship will extend through Sitka WhaleFest, where she will connect with a broad community of students, scientists, and local citizens. SSSC is excited to host Dr. Ward over the next month, as she will bring a unique background and perspective to our community!

SSSC’s Scientist in Residency Fellowship (SIRF) program, funded by the National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs and the Sam Skaggs Foundation, brings preeminent mid-career scientists to Sitka for one-month mini-sabbaticals, science communication training, and community engagement. The program provides scientists the opportunity to engage our town in science, sharing their research and career pathways, while also benefiting from the important local knowledge of residents. Each year the program becomes more competitive due to increasing interest, and choosing Fellows is challenging as all applicants have great science and experience to offer our community. This summer, we selected 7 exceptional scientists for Fellowships over the next two years (2017-2018). For more information about the activities of our past SIRFs and to meet future Fellows, visit sitkascience.org/SIRF or contact SIRF Director Lauren Bell at 907.747.8878 ext. 9.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]