Erin has a background in paleontology and ecology and loves talking about science with everyone. Her work focuses on community-building programs that share resources and tools to mitigate natural disaster effects and which encourage people to explore how climate change impacts their lives. She also loves to collaborate with artists to create objects and experiences that connect people to the natural world.
Erin is the program manager for the Lens on Climate Change project, she holds a Master's in Geology from the University of California and a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Colorado.
- University of Colorado, Boulder, CO; Geological Sciences; Ph.D. 2014
- University of California, Santa Barbara, CA; Geological Sciences; M.S. 2004
- Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA; Biology-Geology; B.A. 1997
- Program Manager, CIRES Education and Outreach, University of Colorado
- Post-doctoral researcher, 2015, Integrative Ecology Lab, University of Sydney, Australia
- Instructor, 2015, Biology Department, Front Range Community College
- Outreach Scientist, 2011-2013, Biological Sciences Initiative, University of Colorado
Session presenter: Teacher Professional Development Training, Boulder Valley School District 2018
Session co-convener for Climate Literacy and K-12 Session, American Geophysical Union (AGU) annual meeting 2017
Community Development Coordinator, Sedimentary Geology, Time, Environment, Paleontology, Paleoclimate and Energy program, Geological Society of America
Educational Outreach (examples)
Educator Professional Development workshop developer and presenter, Creative Climate Communication workshop for teachers, University of Colorado, 2017; Teacher Pathways Professional Development Training Course, Boulder Valley School District 2018
Presenter, Florissant Fossil Beds National Park Seminar Series, University of Sydney grant writing workshop
Leader, teacher training workshops with Biological Sciences Initiative and Geological Society of America
Taylor, L., Leckey, E.H. and D. Hochuli (in review). Any green will do: urban residents want utility from urban parks.
Gold, A.U., Leckey, E., Littrell-Baez, M., Smith, L., Lynds, S. (2018): Student-Produced Short Films About Impacts of Climate Change on Local Communities: An Effective Approach That Combines Art and Place-Based Learning. Opportunities and challenges of program implementation with secondary school students. Journal of Sustainability Education (ISSN: 2151-7452)
Tayne, K., Littrell-Baez, M.K., Leckey, E., Gold, A.U. (2018): Engaging with Climate Change as a Socioscientific Issue in an Informal Science Learning Environment. In: Kay, J. & Luckin, R. (eds.) Rethinking Learning in the Digital Age. Making the Learning Sciences Count., International Society of Learning Sciences Conference Proceedings, v. 1, p. 1715-1716.
Littrell-Baez, M., Tayne, K., Leckey, E., Gold, A., Okochi, C., Wise, S., Lynds, S., Smith, L., Oonk, D. (2018): A Qualitative Approach to Understanding Lens on Climate Change Students' Perspectives on Climate Change. Paper presented at the American Evaluation Research Association, Annual Conference, New York.
Leckey, E.H. and D.M. Smith, 2017. Individual host taxa may resist the climate-mediated trend in herbivory: Cenozoic herbivory patterns in western North American oaks. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 487:15–24.
Oonk, D.J., Leckey, E.H.,Gold, A.U., Margolin-Sneider, J., Littrell-Baez, M., Smith, L.K., Lynds, S. 2017. Lens on Climate Change - using place-based learning to explore climate change effects. Science Scope, 41:86–94.
Leckey, E.H. and D.M. Smith, 2015. Host fidelity over geologic time: restricted use of oaks by oak gallwasps. Journal of Paleontology, 89:236–244.
Leckey, E.H., D.M. Smith, C.R. Nufio and K.F. Fornash, 2014. Oak-insect herbivore interactions along a temperature and precipitation gradient. Acta Oecologica, 61:1–8.
Alroy, J., M. Aberhan, D. Bottjer, M. Foote, F. Fürsich, P. Harries, A. Hendy, S. Holland, L. Ivany, W. Kiessling, M. Kosnik, C. Marshall, A. McGowan, A. Miller, T. Olszewski, M. Patzkowsky, S. Peters, L. Villier, P. Wagner, N. Bonuso, P. Borkow, B. Brenneis, M. Clapham, L. Fall, C. Ferguson, V. Hanson, A. Krug, K. Layou, E. Leckey, S. Nürnberg, C. Powers, J. Sessa, C. Simpson, A. Tomasovych, and C. Visaggi, 2008. Phanerozoic Trends in the Global Diversity of Marine Invertebrates, Science, 4:97–100.