Dr. Kenneth Walker (Principal Investigator)
I am a rhetorical scholar/practitioner with expertise in science and environmental communication and transdisciplinary ecological research. Informed by the intersections of critical cultural theory and science and technology studies, my rhetorical scholarship considers how publics affect cultural and political change, especially in relation to ecological justice, crisis, and care. I am the author of Climate Politics on the Border: Environmental Justice Rhetorics, which examines public and political responses to extreme weather events through 100 years of San Antonioโs history, and argues for broad investments into ecological, decolonial, and democratic pluralism in a future characterized by climate breakdown. My community-engaged research in borderlands rhetorical ecologies combines transnational praxis with transdisciplinary environmental humanities through rhetoric and writing studies. Born in the Great Basin in Nevada/Alta California/Washoe Territory, I currently have three areas of active research: 1) a grant-funded transdisciplinary environmental justice project called the #UrbanBirdProject; 2) Transnational climate and environmental justice rhetorics, especially how local communities respond to extreme weather events to foster coalitions, cooperation, and resurgence; and 3) user experience, content strategy, and information design in critical-cultural approaches to digital rhetoric with technical/scientific communication.ย I am also an Associate Professor of English at the University of Texas, San Antonio: https://colfa.utsa.edu/faculty/profiles/walker-kenneth.html
Dr. Jen Smith (Co-Principal Investigator)
I am an avian ecologist and my research aims to evaluate the potential effects of urbanization (the process of an area becoming urban) on the space use, demography (e.g., survival, number of offspring produced), and behavior of birds. My research aims not only to explore โhowโ urbanization potentially affects birds, but โwhyโ by considering e.g., backyard bird feeding, habitat loss, and light and noise pollution. I am also interested in the connections between wildlife and humans and how such connections influence wildlife and people in our towns and cities. Overall, my objective is to conduct research that promotes sustainable land uses that consider the conservation of wildlife and human well-being. I am originally from the UK where I completed my undergraduate at Cardiff University and PhD at the University of Birmingham. I am currently an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at San Antonio – Go Runners!
Dr. Claudia Garcรญa Louis (Co-Principal Investigator)
I am a Mexican immigrant, MamรญScholar, and the proud daughter of former farmworkers. ย I was the first in my family to graduate from high school and go to college. ย Now as an assistant professor in the Education Leadership and Policy Studies Department at the University of Texas San Antonio, I use my lived experiences to inform my scholarship. My research approach is interdisciplinary in nature as I seek to disrupt negative stereotypes about Latinx students, minoritized populations, and underrepresented students through the critical incorporation of culturally appropriate, asset-based methodological approaches. My research goals are to expand the definitions of Latinidad and Blackness in higher education, to make a critical contribution to a newly formed line of inquiry that explores the educational experiences of AfroLatinx, and to conduct research that highlights Latinx intra-group heterogeneity, and the experiences of Latina-mamรญ-scholars. I envision this project breaking down barriers to science education while centering identity formation and parent involvement.
Dr. Amelia King-Kostelac (Co-Principal Investigator)
For me, the Urban Bird Project represents the culmination of many years of interdisciplinary cultural and scientific research and advocacy work.ย I am excited to be engaging in community-lead research exploring narratives of the culture and ecology of birds alongside students, their families and communities in San Antonio.
I have worn many professional hats over the years, but the unifying theme of my work has been commitment to supporting equitable, culturally-sustaining educational opportunities for both youth and adult learners. For the past several years, I have worked as a researcher and mentor within the University of Texas at San Antonioโs Department of Environmental Science and Ecology, where I coordinate an NSF-funded program focused on supporting minoritized studentsโ success via holistic mentoring, public science communication training, and integration of habitual writing across the curriculum. I study and write about how studentsโ educational experiences can relate to development of a sense of belonging within educational spaces.
My goal is to engage inquiry and practices which identify and dismantle barriers to studentsโ success, and support policies and institutional cultures which center the cultural knowledge and expertise of historically-marginalized peoples and cultures. At present, my research focuses on two aspects of belonging: (1) how studentsโ engagement in free speech, expression and advocacy activities influences their belonging, and (2) how belonging relates to studentsโ disciplinary and professional identities. My background in visual studies informs many aspects of my approach to research, including interest in using drawing, mapping and collage as methods for understanding studentsโ perceptions and experiences. More information about my publications and current research projects can be found here.
Dr. Lilliana Saldaรฑa (Co-Principal Investigator)
Piyali/Hello! Na notoka/My name is Lilliana Patricia Saldaรฑa. I’m a local activist scholar from Yanawana, occupied territory known as San Antonio, with ancestral roots in San Luis Potosรญ (Guachichil), Zacatecas (Caxcan), and Michoacan (P’urรฉpecha). As an Associate Professor in Mexican American Studies (MAS), with a strong commitment to Chicanx, BIPOC, working-class, immigrant, queer, and bilingual communities, I bring an interdisciplinary and community-based approach to my teaching, research, and praxis-oriented public scholarship. My research draws from Chicanx Studies methodologies, Xicana/x feminist thought, and decolonial studies to document and examine teacher identity and consciousness, epistemic struggles in education, and the coloniality of public celebrations like San Antonioโs Fiesta.ย
My work is published in nationally recognized journals includingย Chicana/Latina Studies,ย Journal of Latinos and Education, andย Decolonization: Indigeneity, culture, & society,ย and am co-editor of two books:ย Latinas and the Politics of Urban Spaceย (2020)ย with Sharon Navarro andย Entre el Sur y el Norte: Decolonizing education through critical readings of Chicana/x/o, Indigenous, and Mexican musicย with Marco Cervantes. As a public intellectual and community-engaged scholar, I serveย on the boards of organizations like theย Esperanza Peace and Justice Centerย which promotes social justice through cultural arts programming and historic preservation,ย and theย Mexican American Civil Rights Institute,ย which is dedicated to chronicling and sharing historic and contemporary civil rights milestones. Over the past seven years, Iโve worked with fellow scholars and educators across the state to advocate for MAS/Ethnic Studies in Texas K-12 public schools. To sustain these on-going efforts, I co-director the MAS Teachers’ Academy, a community-powered institute that supports teachers with MAS/Ethnic Studies pedagogy, curriculum development, and community leadership, with my colleague Dr. Gloria Gonzรกles.ย Iโm excited to be a part of the Urban Bird Project where I can weave community-engaged research, Chicanx Studies/MAS pedagogies, and Indigenous ecological knowledge!
Carolina Hinojosa (Mellon Graduate Fellow)
I am an English Doctoral Fellow in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts at UT-San Antonio. I earned my Master’s degree in Literature, Creative Writing, and Social Justice from Our Lady of the Lake University and an undergraduate degree in English from UT-San Antonio.
My research focuses on Chicana feminist ecologies. I am from the Southside of Yanaguana San Antonio, Texas, and I am privileged to undertake my shared research alongside my community in my birthplace.
As a poet and scholar-mami, I am elated to be a member of the Urban Bird Project, where I share my passion for birds, comunidad, storytelling, and imagination.
Eres Gomez (Research Program Coordinator)
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, my family has deep roots in the Yanaguana region. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Master of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). My graduate research focused on the effects of anticoagulant rodenticides (rodent poisons) on raptors (birds of prey) and I also worked in raptor rehabilitation where I assisted in the care and husbandry of injured, sick, and orphaned birds of prey like hawks, owls, eagles, falcons, vultures, caracaras, kites, crows and ravens, as well as learning basic falconry techniques. I am of Lipan Apache descent and birds have special cultural significance to me and my family. I love and appreciate that the Urban Bird Project brings together Birds and Indigenous culture for the greater community.
Lauren Granger (Mellon Graduate Fellow)
I am an Environmental Science Masterโs Student in the Smith Lab at UTSA. My research will investigate the effects of backyard bird feeding on bird movements by utilizing Cellular Tracking Technology and community science.ย
Over the past 8 years, I have worked with non-profits and research intuitions, including the National Audubon Society, Virginia Tech, Powdermill Avian Research Center, and Klamath Bird Observatory.ย Working on a variety of research projects, I have had the privilege of banding birds along the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways while gaining knowledge in methods and techniques to survey avian populations.
In addition to fieldwork, I have served as an educator and taught environmental education as a Naturalist at a state park and as a volunteer with Audubonโs Green Leader Program. I am thrilled to be a member of the Urban Bird Project team, where I share my passion for birds while connecting communities to nature.
Juan-Danniel Hernandez (Mellon Graduate Fellow)
I am an English Doctoral Student in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). I earned my Bachelor of Arts in English at UTSA before leaving to obtain my Master of Arts in English at Texas Tech University (TTU). There I specialized in Literature, Social Justice, and the Environment (LSJE).
My doctoral research focuses on transdisciplinary Environmental Justice Rhetorics and Politics. Having been born and raised in San Antonio, my research also stems from looking at more autonomously oriented designs to urban transitions for Mexican-American and other minority communities within San Antonio.
I am excited to engage in this community-led research on birds, people, and communities. I hope the Urban Bird Project can help promote understanding and build communities for students in the San Antonio area and beyond.
Brenda Daniela Rivera Lรณpez (Mellon Graduate Fellow)
Brenda is an international student originally from Mexico, raised and born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leรณn, and identifies herself as Mexicana and Latina. She is a doctoral full-time student in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program emphasized in Higher Education at the University of Texas at San Antonio. With up to 10 years of working trajectory in the academic field, her research is focused on experiences and struggles faced by Mujeres Mexicanas in the U.S. Educational System through testimonios, spotlighting the experiences of Mexicanas as they strive for success in Higher Education as a result of transmigration to the U.S. ย
ยกOrgullosamente Norteรฑa!
Mariel Ortega (Mellon Graduate Fellow)
I am a current UTSA Master’s student in environmental science with an interest in avian ecology, citizen science, and microplastics. I received my BS in Wildlife Ecology and BA in English from Texas A&M University. Over the past several years, I have worked on several ecology projects as a field technician and also as a science educator/communicator. Outside of work, I enjoy learning languages, playing chess, training capoeira, and of course birdwatching.
Henry Walker-Tamboli (Mellon Graduate Fellow)
I am a current UTSA Master’s student in Geography and Environmental Sustainability. I received my BA in Environmental Studies and Classical Studies with a minor in Museum Studies from Trinity University in 2023. In the past, I’ve worked primarily in museums and archives. My research interests are in how we can utilize archival collections and historical research as tools for climate and heritage preservation. Outside of work, I enjoy reading, swimming, and spending time with my pets.
Olarotimi Ogungbemi (Mellow Graduate Fellow)
I am a PhD Fellow at the University of Texas at San Antonio, specializing in environmental justice rhetorics, regenerative ecology, climate communication, and environmental stewardship. This multifaceted research aims to address environmental and climate challenges, balancing ecological preservation with social justice. With a decade of teaching experience in English studies in Nigeria, my expertise also extends to linguistics, discourse analysis, and sociolinguistics. I am a Fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies and an Urban Bird Scholar at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His work is particularly focused on integrating community voices into discussions about climate adaptation and policy-making to ensure that local needs and perspectives are recognized and prioritized. Growing up in Nigeria, I witnessed both the beauty and degradation of Nigeriaโs ecosystems. This upbringing fuels my belief in the urgency of ecological stewardship and the need for environmental literacy education. In my free time, I enjoy observing our non-human neighbors, making physical and mental notes about them. My mission is to inspire others to make small changes in their daily lives for a significant environmental impact.