Danielle Lawson’s research aims to empower all members of current and future generations to tackle complex issues associated with environmental health and well-being. Danielle’s professional experiences as an educator in both classroom and outdoor environments, combined with her personal experiences growing up in a Latinx household, led her to ask, how can learning in and about the natural world be done in a way that: 1) promotes environmental stewardship, 2) encourages civic engagement, and 3) respects the views of members of multiple cultures, communities, and generations? To answer these questions, Danielle focuses on the three interrelated thematic areas of environmental education, intergenerational learning, and social justice. Her work has focused on a variety of topics and in a variety of areas across the globe (e.g., climate change in coastal North Carolina, cacao-based agroforestry in Belize).
Prior to coming to Penn State, Danielle spent time as USDA-NIFA Postdoctoral Scholar at NC State University researching how intergenerational learning can be used to increase climate change concern of NC’s agricultural communities.