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Contact me: lillich@hawaii.edu
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I was born and raised in Southern California, and graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in June of 1999 with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolution. I am currently working towards an M.A. in Geography with a specialization in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology. My thesis research falls into the areas of environmental psychology and the social sciences by looking more closely at the group dynamics of community-led environmental groups. I am focusing on identifying the barriers to sustained commitment by participants in Watershed groups within the Waimanalo Community on the Windward side of Oahu.
As a future physical geographer and environmental scientist, I would like to better understand how local communities interact with their environment and how to foster this relationship to yield positive change in the local ecosystems with the aide of current scientific knowledge. My personal goal in doing this research is to get a feel for what motivates people to enter into a participatory process such as a watershed group and what drives them to either drop out or continue. Whatever process we choose, whether its individual or group, must have enough lasting power to see through projects which can span over many years.
For my GK-12 projects, I have chosen to focus on exposing students of the 5th through 7th grade level to water quality and water quality issues in their local environment. This includes exploring ideas about water, water use, watersheds, cultural ideas on water management, maps and aerial photographs, water testing, point and non-point source pollution, pollution sources, visual stream assessments, ethics and discussing plans of action. My unit is constantly changing as I work with new classrooms and teachers and gain more exposure to other water curriculum and scientific knowledge. My overall goal is to have each student walk away feeling like they can make a difference in their local watersheds and that through their explorations they have created a connection with nature worth fighting and caring for throughout their lifetime.
