J. Drew Lanham facts for kids

Joseph Drew Lanham is an American writer, poet, and scientist who studies wildlife. In 2022, he won a special award called the MacArthur Fellowship. He got this award for his amazing work that mixes science about nature with personal stories and history. He helps us understand how people connect with the natural world.

About Joseph Drew Lanham

Early Life and Education

Joseph Drew Lanham grew up in Edgefield, South Carolina. He went to Clemson University to study zoology, which is the study of animals. Later, in 1997, he earned a special degree called a PhD in Forest Resources from the same university. In 2012, he became an important professor there. Today, he teaches classes about birds and wildlife science.

Connecting with Nature

Dr. Lanham says his main goal is "connecting the conservation dots." This means he wants to link different ideas to help nature. His early work looked at how things like forest management affect songbirds, small animals, and butterflies. More recently, he has been studying how different cultures, especially Black Americans, connect with wildlife. He also explores how birdwatchers and hunters can work together for conservation.

Protecting Wildlife

Dr. Lanham's research often focuses on songbirds. He is a member of many groups that work to protect nature. These include the South Carolina Wildlife Federation and Audubon South Carolina. He also serves on the board of the Aldo Leopold Foundation and BirdNote. In 2019, he received the Dan W. Lufkin Prize for Environmental Leadership. This award honors people who have spent their lives helping the environment. For over 20 years, he has taught students about woodland ecology and wildlife. He has also guided more than 40 students in their studies.

A Voice for Diversity

Dr. Lanham strongly believes that African Americans play a key role in protecting nature. He is interested in how our culture and background change how we see nature. He thinks that saving nature needs both smart science and heartfelt art.

In 2013, he wrote an article called "9 Rules for the Black Birdwatcher." This piece highlighted that there were not many Black birdwatchers or diverse people in nature studies. The article became very popular online. In 2016, he wrote another piece called "Birding While Black."

Books and Media

In 2017, Dr. Lanham published an award-winning book called The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature. This book won several awards and was listed as one of the best scholarly books of the 2010s.

He has also appeared in TV shows and podcasts. In 2019, he was featured in the TV series Birds of North America. In 2020, he was interviewed on the podcast This Is Love. In December 2020, he received the E. O. Wilson Biodiversity Award for his science and advocacy. In 2022, a newspaper in South Carolina recognized him as one of twelve Black Leaders.

Personal Life

Dr. Lanham is married to Janice Garrison Lanham. She is a teacher at Clemson University. They have two grown children. The family lives in the Upstate area of South Carolina.