Nalini Nadkarni

To see the world through Dr. Nalini Nadkarni’s eyes you have to look up — way up. As an expert on the ecology of tropical and temperate forest canopies — particularly role that canopy-dwelling plants play in forests at the ecosystem level — Nadkarni’s research takes her far above ground in Washington State and in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Multidisciplinary tree activist Nadkarni is at the forefront of communicating forest canopy research results to non-scientists through collaborations with artists, physicians, sports figures, and religious leaders. Nadkarni has also appeared in numerous television documentaries, most recently in Heroes of the High Frontier, the Emmy Award- winning National Geographic television special on tropical forest canopies. In 1994, Nadkarni co-founded and became President of the International Canopy Network, a non-profit organization that fosters communication among researchers, educators, and conservationists concerned with forest canopies. At The Evergreen State College Nadkarni teaches in the Environmental Studies program — a single faculty position she splits with her husband, Jack Longino, who studies tropical insect biodiversity.