Alana Edwards
Title: Education & Training Coordinator
Location: Davie & Jupiter Campus, Pine Jog
Phone: (954) 236-1104
Email: aedwards@fau.edu
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Alana Edwards has worked for Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Environmental Studies (CES) since 1999. When Alana first started at CES, she worked as a field assistant on the Kissimmee River at the Riverwoods Field Lab . In her 20+ years with CES, she has worked on a variety of projects such as serving as lead facilitator for dozens of teacher training workshops throughout south Florida including workshops focused on the Everglades and Ocean Energy Technology. In 2015, she completed a NASA-funded climate change education program for high school and undergraduate students called Climate Science Investigations (CSI) with Dr. Julie Lambert from FAU’s College of Education. Alana is a three-time graduate of FAU (undergraduate: Spanish; graduate: Environmental Science; graduate: Geosciences). In her spare time, she volunteers for the local chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) heading up the Palm Beach County yearly butterfly counts. She also volunteers at the national level where she has a unique position on the NABA Common Names Committee, providing common names for newly described butterfly species. |
While I was in graduate school, I went on a field trip to the Riverwoods Field Lab to learn about the Kissimmee River Restoration. While on the trip, I met the lab director, Loisa Kerwin. She and I immediately bonded, and she asked if I’d be interested in working with CES if she were able to find funding. I said yes and 6 months later I was interviewing for a part-time position. That was in May of 1999. By 2002, I was hired as a full-time FAU employee.
I have three degrees from FAU. My first degree, earned in 1995, is in Spanish Education. After my undergraduate, I worked for two years as a Spanish teacher. I decided to switch my focus to the environment in 1997 and returned to FAU taking a few science courses. In 1998 I learned about the Master’s in Environmental Science program and was accepted into the program in the Fall of 1998. My master’s research focused on the Effect of Time-Since-Burn on the Richness and Abundance of Butterflies in Pine Flatwoods . Years later I decided to pursue a PhD in the Department of Geosciences. I worked on my coursework and research for several years but, for personal health reasons, I was unable to finish the program. Due to the amount of coursework completed, I was awarded another master’s degree.
I focused on Spanish education for my first degree because I always loved the language and traveling to the places with Spanish was spoken. Although I truly enjoyed teaching Spanish, working with young children wasn’t a perfect fit for me. During this time, I had become a local expert on butterflies and decided to return to FAU to study them.
