Risa Askerooth

Risa grew up on Oahu, Hawaii, and became fascinated by many of the plant and animal species native to her childhood home, such as Hawaiian sea turtles and hibiscus. She is passionate about mitigating the impacts of climate change and other anthropogenic disturbance on native species, as well as food systems and food sovereignty. In 2018, Risa and two other students started one of the first in-dorm composting programs in the U.S, at WWU, enabling more than 4,000 students to engage in sustainable waste sorting habits each year. She also completed a Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the University of Michigan Biological Station, where she researched plant response to acid rain. As a NOAA Hollings Scholar, she spent Summer 2019 in a Lake Superior estuary evaluating the success of a restoration and learning how to fish. Her senior year, Risa was a student research assistant at Western working on creating the Atlas of the Salish Sea.