This was my second time listening to Dr. Karina Yager’s presentation and it was still so interesting how she combined art in her research in the field. Last time, she said she was doing interdisciplinary research however this time, she has stated that she has become a transdisciplinary scientist by working with various other scientists in different fields. She has taken multiple pictures of the receding glaciers atop the Andes Mountains via a camera on a helicopter and cross-compared them with photos found in a museum. Not only did she document the glaciers, but her group also documented and discovered various plants that were uncovered by the receding glaciers. Her group also did community outreach where they talked to the locals and even taught in schools to inform kids about the glaciers and to conduct verbal research on what the Andes Mountains mean to them.

Through her research alone, it was learned that the locals regard the Andes Mountains as a deity and that the glaciers are a vital part of not only the ecosystem but the way of life for many. The glaciers not only provided the locals with water but also hydrated the peatland systems which would help the alpaca herding efforts. The glaciers and the peatlands were also major tourist sites where people would get bottles of glacier water however now since the glaciers are more scarce, this bottled water tradition was shut down and only authorized personnel were allowed to get water from the glaciers. Along with the shutdown of the bottled glacier water, the peatlands have also started to dry out which has affected alpaca herding as there is no grass for the alpacas to graze on which has caused the profession to dwindle as people started to move out of the area to find better opportunities to provide for themselves and their families. 

Another thing that stood out was the process she took to get to her current position. Dr. Yager said that she both switched and expanded upon her interests multiple times which eventually led to her studying the environment. She also stated how connections also helped her to get to where she is now which is now at Stony Brook University. Her connections also allowed her to expand upon her research to NASA and even other universities which helped her to become a transdisciplinary researcher. 

Dr. Yager’s Website: https://www.karinayager.org/