Week 5

Speaker: Dr. Justin Luong

Engaging with restoration communities to improve social and ecological diversity

Dr. Justin Luong is a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis where he studies how to adapt restoration practices for secondary plant invasions. Justin is a recent PhD Alumni from the UCSC Environmental Studies department where he worked to integrate science and management, study climate-adaptive practices and guide restoration efforts at Younger Lagoon Reserve, the Campus Natural Reserve, and coastal grasslands beyond Santa Cruz. Currently and at UCSC, Justin works closely with undergraduate students to engage with underrepresented student groups and get a diverse cohort of trainees involved in scientific and ecological field work Justin with an internship program that over 200 students have participated within. Justin also serves as a board member for the California Native Grassland Association where he works to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion across the organization. Previously he worked to improve DEI at UCSC organizations such as The Norris Center for Natural History and the Environmental Studies Department.

Assigned reading

“Inclusive restoration: ten recommendations to support LGBTQ+ researchers in restoration science”: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/rec.13743