Ashley Deal

I began work on this project one year after graduating with a degree in French from Vanderbilt University. I was raised in the rural South and spent a large part of my childhood riding horses and exploring my surroundings, so nature and the environment have been lifetime interests for me.

My involvement with this project — ranging from content organization and research to proofreading, editing, and graphic design — has been a tremendous opportunity for me to learn the science of the environment, from explaining daily observations in nature, to understanding current global environmental challenges.

It has also afforded me the privilege of working closely with Indira Nair and many other wonderful people on this project, who have had tremendous influence on my life academically, professionally, and personally.

Loads of gratitude for the opportunity and the experience...I hope that other students of the environment will benefit as considerably as I did from the knowledge presented here.