Ayana Elizabeth Johnson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ayana Johnson
Born	1980/1981 (age 44–45)
Education	Harvard University (BA) University of California, San Diego (MS, PhD)
Organization	Urban Ocean Lab
Known for	Marine biology Marine conservation Climate communication Climate policy
Board member of	Patagonia Greenwave
Awards	Time100 NEXT 2021
Scientific career
Thesis	Fish, Fishing, Diving and the Management of Coral Reefs (2011)
Doctoral advisor	Jeremy Jackson

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson was born on May 18, 1981. She is a marine biologist, which means she studies ocean life. She is also an expert in how to protect our oceans and the planet.

Ayana is the co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab. This is a special group that creates ideas for how cities near the ocean can help fight climate change. She is also a distinguished scholar at Bowdoin College. Ayana wrote a book called What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures. She also helped edit another book, All We Can Save, and worked on a plan called the Blue New Deal.

Before her current work, she was a professor at New York University. She also worked for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Early Life and Education

Ayana Johnson grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother was a teacher and farmer, and her father was an architect and potter. When she was in high school, she helped with conservation projects. She worked on the Continental Divide Trail in the San Juan Mountains.

In 2002, Ayana earned her first degree from Harvard University. She studied environmental science and public policy there. Later, in 2011, she earned her PhD in marine biology. She got this advanced degree from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Her research focused on how to manage coral reefs in a way that helps them last. Her main project was about fish, fishing, diving, and how to manage coral reefs.

For her important research, Ayana received several special awards and fellowships. She even invented a fish trap that helps reduce bycatch. Bycatch is when fishermen accidentally catch animals they don't mean to. Her invention won a contest in 2012.

Career and Ocean Protection

Ayana Johnson's work focuses on protecting oceans in cities. She also studies sustainable fishing, how to divide ocean areas for different uses, climate change, and social justice. She has researched how fishing traps affect Caribbean coral reefs. She also worked on ways countries can team up to reduce climate change impacts on small islands.

After getting her PhD, Ayana worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Then, she became the Director of Science and Solutions at the Waitt Institute. There, she helped fund projects to protect the ocean. In 2013, she became the executive director of the Waitt Institute. She also helped start the Blue Halo Initiative. This project worked with governments and local communities. They created better plans for using and protecting the ocean in places like Barbuda, Montserrat, and Curaçao.

With the Blue Halo Initiative, Ayana led the first successful ocean zoning project in the Caribbean. This project helped the island of Barbuda. It provided maps, communication, and scientific help. This allowed Barbuda to protect its coastal waters.

Today, Ayana is a consultant for ocean conservation and climate policy. She leads Urban Ocean Lab, the group she co-founded. Until 2021, she also led Ocean Collectiv. This was a company that found ocean conservation solutions that also focused on fairness for people. She was also a professor at New York University.

In 2017, Ayana was a national co-director for the first March For Science. This was a big event where people marched to support science.

In August 2020, Ayana started a podcast called "How to Save a Planet." In September 2020, her first book, All We Can Save, was published. This book is a collection of writings by women who are leaders in fighting climate change. Ayana edited it with Katharine Wilkinson.

In November 2021, Ayana helped organize a statement signed by over 100 important people. They asked a company called Edelman to stop working with fossil fuel companies. She also used social media to promote this idea.

In July 2023, Ayana became the Roux Distinguished Scholar at Bowdoin College. Her book What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures was published in 2024. It received great reviews.

Awards and Recognition

Ayana Johnson has received many honors for her work. In 2014, she was named a Mack Lipkin Man and Nature Series Fellow. She was also chosen as a TED resident in 2016. This means she got to spend time at TED working on her ideas. She was also an Aspen Institute Fellow in 2016. The University of California, San Diego named her one of their "40 Under 40" outstanding alumni.

She serves on the board of directors for several important organizations. These include Patagonia, Greenwave, the Billion Oyster Project, and World Surf League's PURE campaign. She also advises other groups like the Environmental Voter Project and Scientific American.

In 2016, Ayana gave a TED talk in New York City. It was called "How to Use the Ocean Without Using it Up." She gave another TED talk in Vancouver called "A Love Story for the Coral Reef Crisis." In 2017, she was a main speaker at the Smithsonian Institution's "Earth Optimism" conference. She also helped organize the first World Ocean Festival in 2017. In February 2021, she was named a Time100 Next by Gina McCarthy.

In June 2022, Ayana Johnson was appointed to the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken's Foreign Affairs Policy Board. This board gives advice on international issues.

Media Coverage

Ayana Johnson's work has been featured in many major publications. These include The New York Times, Nature journal, Scientific American, and The Atlantic. Her work on conservation and policy is often highlighted in popular magazines. These include The Observer, Atlas of the Future, Outside, and Elle. Elle even named her one of the "27 Women Leading the Charge to Protect Our Environment."

Ayana writes about how climate change, ocean protection, and environmental justice are connected. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, and Scientific American. She was interviewed by the NPR podcast, Short Wave, in 2020. Since 2013, she has also written for the National Geographic Society and HuffPost blogs.

See also

In Spanish: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson para niños