Elizabeth Barron has been a professor at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in the geography department and the environmental studies program since the fall of 2013.

Barron came to UW Oshkosh from a post doctoral position where she conducted and collected a lot of data and research on how different people value different things in conservation.

“The last few papers I have been working on are a combination of resource management and conservation. The papers that I have done most recently are about value, how people find value, create value, and talk about that in the natural world,” Barron said.

Barron explains that it is important to look at conservation, specifically with morel mushrooms, from various points of view–not only the scientific view but also from the viewpoint of the locals who have grown up with nature and passed down traditions for generations.

“I like to think that the research I’m doing here is giving people new opportunities for discussion, new information, and to push people to think about things that they haven’t  thought about before,” Barron said.

Aside from her current research and publications, Barron was in the Peace Corps, has a master’s degree in forest ecology, a doctorate in geography, and has participated in post doctoral work in biology. Her multidisciplinary background not only aids her when working with community members for research but also when she is in the classroom with her students.

“I think my background helps me bring in stories from different areas that will relate with students who are not necessarily geography or environmental majors. Most importantly, though, I think my teaching makes me a better researcher,” Barron said.

“In teaching, I have to constantly revisit the core concepts of my field, and try to explain that to people who are encountering it for the first time. Sometimes when you are with something for ten or 15 years you get so embedded in the details and complexities that you have a hard time communicating that in a more basic way,” Barron said. “ This makes me a better researcher because when I write I can be more direct and clear–and that is what I’m always trying to push my students to do in their writing”

Barron is continuing to make research strides and is excited to pair up with other professors at UW Oshkosh and work on a sustainability project with the Fox River Watershed.