People

Victor Ayegba Mathew is an Environmental Educator and youth advocate dedicated to making climate education practical, engaging, and inclusive for young people in Nigeria. Through his Vikipedia initiative, he leads environmental programs across 31 schools, reaching over 4,800 students, including children with special needs. He founded the Earthstorytelling Clubs and has implemented projects such as Untold Stories About Nature, Untold Stories About Water, Plant a Birthday Tree, and the Nature and Arts outdoor learning project. Victor also supports youth development through the Vikipedia Mentorship Program and has contributed to mental health programs for juveniles at the Kano State Remand Home. He currently teaches at Sahel Academy, Kano.

I am an environmental science grad student at UVA, and I studied environmental science, global sustainability, and environmental policy as an undergrad. I am very interested in climate change education, specifically its carbon mitigation potential as a climate solution.

I am currently a student.

Dr. Sherri A. Mason (aka “Sam”) earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin.  She completed her doctorate in Chemistry at the University of Montana as a NASA Earth System Science scholar. Her research group was among the first to study the prevalence and impact of plastic pollution within freshwater ecosystems. She currently serves as the Director of Project NePTWNE at Gannon University.

As the first Director of Education for a long-standing membership driven non-profit, I have opportunity to learn from our diverse program leaders and members every day. Our mission to preserve, protect, and restore is present in all of our citizen science projects and especially in our outreach to public school teachers in a collaborative project between Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and Loudoun Co. Public Schools. The Peterson Young Naturalist journaling program brings teachers and students to the outdoors and to the idea that nature can be our teacher and our classroom.

4th-year doctoral candidate in the Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies (DPS) at the U of A. My research explores the advancements of increased accessibility, program inclusion, and equitable practices within EE educational opportunities for historically marginalized communities.

I have a background in freshwater fisheries management and outdoor education. I recently shifted to teaching full time in a higher ed institution. My courses include environmental education for natural resources students, ichthyology, principles of ecology, and marine ecology.