Lydia Jennings facts for kids

Dr. Lydia Jennings is a Native American scientist who studies soil and the environment. She is a soil microbiologist, which means she looks at tiny living things in the soil. She is also an environmental scientist, focusing on how we can protect our planet.

Dr. Jennings is very interested in how healthy soil works and how to clean up pollution. She also studies how indigenous science (traditional knowledge from Native American communities) can help the environment. Her work looks at rules about mining and how Native American tribes can control their own environmental information. She helps groups that support Native American scientists who study the Earth. She also works to combine modern Earth science with the wisdom of Indigenous people. Her work was even shown in a documentary film called Run to Be Visible in 2020, made by Patagonia.

Early Life and Education

Lydia Jennings grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is a member of two Native American tribes: the Huichol (Wixáritari) and the Pascua Yaqui (Yoeme).

She started her college education at Cabrillo College, earning a degree in biology. Then, she went to California State University, Monterey Bay. There, she earned a bachelor's degree in environmental science, technology, and policy. She also studied chemistry.

In 2020, Dr. Jennings earned her Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. For her main research, she studied tiny living things in the soil. She wanted to find out how these microbes could help clean up land after mining. Her other research looked at laws about mining on federal lands. These are lands that Native American tribes have historical claims to.

Research and Career

Dr. Jennings's main research areas include how pollution moves in the environment. She also studies how to use natural methods to clean up polluted areas. A big part of her work is about environmental justice. This means making sure that all groups of people, especially those who are often overlooked, have a fair chance to live in a healthy environment.

Before going to graduate school, Dr. Jennings worked for a few years. She studied water pollution at a field station in Big Sur, California. This experience made her think about how she could use her science skills. She wanted to help the places she came from, especially with environmental problems caused by mining.

Her current work focuses on finding ways to make land clean-up after mining more effective. She looks for signs in the soil that show it is becoming healthy again. This helps make the clean-up process better and less costly. She also studies how government rules have led to many mines being built on or near tribal lands.

Connecting Science and Indigenous Knowledge

Dr. Jennings has been part of the Indigenous Food Knowledges Network (IFKN). In June 2019, she visited the Chickaloon Village in Alaska. There, she learned about their food and land systems.

She credits the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) for helping her in graduate school. AISES helped her improve her research skills. It also showed her how to respect and use information from Indigenous sources. This helped her connect Earth science with cultural identity.

Dr. Jennings has given presentations at international conferences. She talks about topics like how soil parts help plants grow on reclaimed mine lands. She also speaks about how Indigenous communities can control their own data. She discusses how Indigenous-led projects can work across different environments.

She used her time as an American Geophysical Union Voices of Science advocate. Her goal was to "increase visibility of Indigenous scientists." She wanted to show that Indigenous people are not just subjects of science. Instead, they continue their own scientific traditions through cultural and environmental knowledge.

The Run to Be Visible Documentary

In May 2020, Dr. Jennings's graduation ceremony was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She decided to do something special instead. She ran 50 miles to honor the Indigenous scientists and knowledge keepers who came before her.

Her amazing run was filmed and turned into a 19-minute documentary. The film is called Run to Be Visible. It was released on Patagonia's YouTube channel. It is part of their "Run to" series.

Dr. Jennings often has a special helper during her fieldwork. It's her blue heeler dog named Salchicha. She adopted Salchicha in 2019.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Lydia Jennings has received many important awards and honors. These include:

• 2015 - National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow
• 2018 - American Indian Science & Engineering Society's Rising Leader Award
• 2019 - American Geophysical Union Voices for Science Fellow
• 2019 - Native Nations Institute Indigenous Data Sovereignty Fellow
• 2019 - Southwest Climate Adaptation Natural Resources Workforce Fellow