In 2015, ecologist Nalini Nadkarni fell 50 feet from the top of a tree. As she fought to regain her strength over the next year, Nalini realized that due to her earlier research on a theory she termed “disturbance and recovery,” she had the tools she needed to help her get well.
Nalini had become interested in disturbance and recovery through her work studying trees, after noticing the ways they shifted and changed to account for disturbances in their world. She started a colloquium with a group of other professors from the University of Utah and together they drew on their research across disciplines to expand her initial findings. Now, as we grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, we look at how disturbances can upend our worlds, and how recoveries can potentially give us a new way of seeing.
To see our RadioWest Film Fallen Tree about Nalini's fall, click here.
GUESTS:
- Dr. Nalini Nadkarni, ecologist and professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Utah
- Dr. Scott Ward, professor of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training at the University of Utah
- Dr. Russell Isabella, associate professor of Family and Consumer Studies at the University of Utah
