Congratulations to Dr. Karen Kainer for receiving UF CALS Graduate Teacher/Advisor of the Year!

Karen, a professor in the School of Forest Resources and Conservation and TCD core faculty, was nominated by her graduate students [Stephanie Cadaval (SFRC)  Ana Violato Espada (SFRC), Johanna Depenthal (SFRC), Mabel Baez Schon (SFRC), Yeyetsi Maldonado Caballero (MDP)] for CALS prestigious faculty award. For nearly two decades Karen has been advising graduate students and conducting research targeted at ecosystem conservation through sustainable use, with a focus on community forest management systems in western Amazonia.  She has also spear-headed the interdisciplinary and collaborative learning approaches that characterize the TCD program. In fact, Karen’s students highlighted her “use of participatory pedagogical methods to engage students in her classes” as a successful learning model.  As a mentor, Karen’s “never wavering in her support for our research nor our professional development” even during the challenges presented by COVID-19 helped strengthened the lab and created an environment where learning and participation in research could advance.  Further, Karen’s long history of working with partners have resulted in professional networks and connections which created opportunities to “embed [graduate students] research with more dynamic perspectives”.  We are very lucky and honored to have Karen Kainer in TCD, the Center for Latin American Studies, and SFRC!