Nalini Nadkarni facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nalini Moreshwar Nadkarni
Nadkarni in 2009
Nationality	American
Education	Brown University (BS), University of Washington (PhD)
Occupation	Forest Ecologist

Nalini Nadkarni (born in 1954) is an American forest ecologist. An ecologist is a scientist who studies how living things interact with their environment. Nalini was one of the first scientists to study the tops of trees, called the canopy, in the Costa Rican rain forest.

She used special mountain climbing gear to reach the canopy. In 1981, she started counting and listing all the plants and animals she found there. She did this again in 1984. Because of her amazing work, Nalini Nadkarni is often called «the queen of the forest canopy».

Early Life and Education

Nalini Nadkarni was born in Bethesda, Maryland in 1954. She grew up there. Her father was Hindu, and her mother was Jewish.

Nalini went to Brown University for her first college degree. She studied both biology and modern dance. After college, she worked as a biologist in Papua New Guinea. Then, she moved to Paris to dance. After trying both, she decided to focus on biology. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington.

Discoveries in the Rain Forest

Nalini became interested in rain forests because of a puzzle. Rain forests have many different kinds of plants, but their soil is very poor in nutrients. She wanted to find out how these plants got enough food to grow.

Her studies in the canopy showed something amazing. She found plants called epiphytes. These are plants like orchids and ferns that grow on other plants, but they don't harm them. Epiphytes were trapping dead leaves and other natural materials under their roots. This created a rich, nutrient-filled mat.

The trees in the rain forest had developed special roots that grew out of their trunks and branches, high up in the air. These "aerial roots" grew into the nutrient mats made by the epiphytes. This helped the trees get the food they needed, since the soil below was poor.

Sharing Science with Everyone

Nalini Nadkarni loves to share her science with people of all ages.

• In 1988, her work in Costa Rica was shown on the PBS TV series, The Second Voyage of the Mimi. A young Ben Affleck was in this show!
• She wrote a book called Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate Connections to Trees.
• She has given popular TED Talks about saving the canopy and about science in prisons.
• In 2006, she wrote parts of a book for young explorers called Kingfisher Voyages: Rain Forest.
• She has even worked with prisoners to help them grow moss. She also brings artists, like musicians, into the forest canopy to get ideas for their work.

Nalini was a professor at The Evergreen State College for 20 years. Now, she is a professor in the Biology Department at the University of Utah.

In November 2019, Mattel made a new Barbie doll that looks like Nalini Nadkarni. This doll helps inspire kids to learn about science!

Family Life

Nalini is married to Jack Longino. He is a myrmecologist, which means he studies ants! He is also a professor at the University of Utah. They have two children named August and Rikki.

Community and Outreach Work

Nalini Nadkarni is very dedicated to helping people connect with science.

• In 1994, she helped start the International Canopy Network. This group helps scientists, teachers, and people who work to protect nature share ideas about forest canopies.
• She has given many talks around the world, including two TED talks: Conserving the Canopy and Life Science in Prison.

Nalini has also started programs to bring science education and nature into prisons.

• In 2003, she helped create the Sustainability in Prison Program in Washington State.
• In 2011, she started the Initiative to bring Science Programs to the Incarcerated (INSPIRE). These programs help prisoners learn about science and nature. They also help scientists and the community.

Awards and Recognition

Nalini Nadkarni has received many important awards for her work:

• John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, 2001
• Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship, 2004
• Public Service Award from the National Science Board, 2010
• AAAS Public Engagement With Science Award, 2011
• Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2014 for the Blue Room, a special prison room that helps inmates relax.
• Wings Worldquest, Women of Discovery Awards 2018

Species Named After Her

Two species have been named after Nalini Nadkarni because of her important contributions to science:

• Procryptocerus nalini Longino & Snelling 2002 - a type of Gliding ant
• Porina nadkarniae Lücking & Merwin 2008 - a type of epiphytic lichen

See also

In Spanish: Nalini Nadkarni para niños