About me
Jessica Pratt is a community ecologist and teaching professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine. She is broadly interested in the application of ecological theory to environmental problem-solving, and in effective pedagogy to train the next generation of environmental leaders and Earth stewards. Dr. Pratt’s research interests are motivated by a deep desire for improved environmental literacy in K-12 education, greater self-efficacy and transfer of knowledge to action in our emerging environmental leaders, and increasing diversity and representation of minoritized groups within environmental science and education. Dr. Pratt’s current research examines the affective dimensions (i.e. emotions, moods, attitudes) of learning and working in the environmental and climate justice space. Through her research and teaching, she hopes to develop effective approaches to teaching about planetary crises while also instilling critical hope, emotional resilience, and a determined self-efficacy in her students.When not working, Jessica can be found hitting the trails with her puppies, out on the soccer field with her kiddos, cooking from her home garden, on her yoga mat, or tucked in with a good book and cup of tea. All of which are effective coping strategies for her own ecological grief and climate anxiety.
