Remaining optimistic in the face of our current climate crisis can seem like an impossibility. In this episode Laura talks with world-renowned scientist Dr. Vance Vredenburg about everything from the origins of his love of nature as a child in Mexico, to his fight to save a species, to becoming one of the first scientists to recognize the sixth mass extinction. Together they discuss the importance of using scientific knowledge for positive impact and change, and how small accomplishments can keep overwhelm at bay.
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About Vance Vredenburg
Dr. Vance Vredenburg is Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Biology at San Francisco State University, Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, Research Associate at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at University of California Berkeley, and Fulbright Fellow (Spain & Morocco). He grew up in Mexico and the U.S., received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California Santa Barbara, and his Ph.D. from University of California Berkeley. His Ph.D. research included field experiments that revealed a method to rapidly recover threatened frog populations, and this has been implemented in mountain habitats globally. His current research focuses on the impacts of an emerging infectious disease (chytridiomycosis) and climate change on amphibians and the role of the amphibian skin microbiome in health and disease. Vredenburg is co-founder and Associate Director of AmphibiaWeb.org an online bioinformatics tool promoting science and conservation of the world’s amphibians and supports over 7.5 million queries per year.