UGA Center for Integrative Conservation Research

🐝 🫐 Entomology doctoral candidate Sarah Rezende recently conducted the most comprehensive survey of wild bees in Georgia blueberry farms to date, recording more than 5,000 wild bees across 72 species and 26 genera. 🔗 bit.ly/4mG7Hdp -- @USDA @USDA_NRCS

🌊 #CICRSpotlight: Dr. Deepak Mishra @universityofga is leading a new @NASAEarth CMS project to map blue carbon in SE US tidal wetlands using open-source remote sensing. Big step in reducing uncertainty in carbon stocks & aiding restoration! 🌱🛰️ #BlueCarbon #UGAResearch #UGACICR

Meet Shinyeong Park, #ICON PhD student studying endangered crane feeding near Korea’s DMZ to rethink human-wildlife coexistence amid political and ecological uncertainty. #UGAICON #UGACICR #ICONStudentSpotlight #IntegrativeConservation @UGAWarnell @UGAResearch

📢 @NanceeUniyal (PhD student, ICON & Geography @universityofga) will defend her proposal: “Investigating the Hydro-Social Cycle of the Ganga River Water Quality Through NASA Earth Observation, Community Perspectives, and Policy Insights,” on May 16, 10:00 AM. DM for questions!

🌟 ICON Student Spotlight Patty Torres (PhD, ICON+Forestry) explores tick-borne disease exposure in Native American communities. Her One Health study connects culture, ecology & health to address inequities in disease risk. Link: sciencedirect.com/science/articl… #UGACICR #UGAICON #ICON

#ICONProspectusDefense Join us for Aoife Kate Pitts’ ICON prospectus defense: “Chagras in Transition: Agroforestry, Livelihoods & Knowledge in the Colombian Amazon” 📅 April 24, 9 AM, Baldwin G32 #UGACICR #UGAICON

Join us for Suneel Kumar (ICON & Anthropology)'s PhD Dissertation defense: “The Life of Delta: A More-Than-Human Ethnography of the Indus Delta in Pakistan” on April 25 at 8:30 AM (ET). Scan the QR for the Zoom Link. #UGACICR #UGAICON #ICONDissertationDefense

Happy Earth Day from the Center for Integrative Conservation Research! Today, we celebrate our planet and the incredible work our graduate students and faculty do. By combining research, innovation, and community, we’re building a sustainable future for "all-beings."

🌟 ICON Spotlight: Sameera Gujarathi-Talati, PhD Candidate @UGAICON @UGAEcology Her research shows environmental choices are shaped by structural forces—not just individual motivation. Congrats Sameera on recently defending your dissertation! #UGAICON #UGACICR #ICONSpotlights

New research, led by Amy Dickman, explores community camera trapping as an innovative, incentive-based conservation strategy. 🦁 Local communities monitor their wildlife and generate points which are translated into locally-chosen community benefits. 👉 bit.ly/4luuWXb

Explore The Conservation Social Science Partnership Training Library—a collection of high-quality, free, or low-cost training resources designed to support conservation practitioners in applying social science effectively. consosci.org/Resources/Trai…… #UGACICR #UGAICON #ConSocSci

🎉@amitkaushiktw (ICON & Anthropology PhD candidate) recently co-authored two papers published in @ConBiology, as part of the Special Issue on Trends and Future Directions in the Conservation Social Sciences @SCB_SSWG Read more here: cicr.uga.edu/new-research-l…… #UGACICR #UGAICON

PhD Defense, HAPPENING NOW! Kanchana Balasubramanian (ICON/Forestry) Ecological and Social Dimensions of Ecosystem Services: Gendered Perceptions and Spatial Prioritization for Sustainable Forest Management and Conservation Planning Friday, April 4, 8:00 AM Warnell Building 4-132

In a Forbes article, Dr. Marshall Shepherd stresses the need to train #STEM grads as "End-to-End Scientists," combining research with real-world skills. He highlights @UGAICON at the @universityofga as a leading example. #UGAICON #UGACICR forbes.com/sites/marshall…

SIC Student Awards - Poster Presentations 🌅 A big round of applause for our Poster Presentation Winners at #SIC2025: 🏅 1st Place - Poster Presentation: @amitkaushiktw Runner-up - Poster Presentation: Eileen Joseph #UGACICR #UGAICON #UGAICSO #SIC2025

🎤 A huge congratulations to our #SIC2025 Student Award Winners in the Oral Presentations: 1st Place - Oral Presentation: Wezddy Del Toro Orozco Runner-up - Oral Presentation: Matt Tatz and in 5-Minute Speed Talks categories: 1st Place - Ravneet Kaur Runner-up - Bhavya Iyer

Congratulations to the #ICON Program Award Winners! #SIC2025: 🏆 Ashley Block Memorial Award: Ravneet Kaur 🏆 J. Peter Brosius Research Award: Shinyeong Park 🏆 ICON Agile Scientist Award: Kristie Gill Thank you for inspiring us all! #UGACICR #UGAICON #UGAICSO #SIC2025

A major highlight of #SIC2025 was the debut of the #ICONPhotovoices! 📸 We’re grateful to the contributors who shared their powerful images, reminding us that these aren’t just pictures—they are stories that speak to the lives of both humans and more-than-human beings. 🌍

At #SIC2025, we were excited to showcase four amazing poster presentations from our talented ICON students. Thank you to our poster presenters for sharing their impactful research!✨ #UGACICR #UGAICON #UGAICSO #SIC2025

🎤 We were honored to have Dr. Jennifer Bloodgood, Assistant Professor of Practice at Cornell University, deliver a powerful keynote at #SIC2025. In her talk, “How I’ve Put My #ICON Training into Practice,” Dr. Bloodgood shared insights from her diverse projects. Thank you!