Rae Wynn-Grant is a large-carnivore ecologist and a fellow with

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, natural sc ...

. She is best known for her research of the human impact on the behavior of black bears in

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

and is an advocate for women and

people of color The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...

in the sciences.

Early life and education

Wynn-Grant was born in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. She says that, as a child, she spent time watching television shows about wildlife and conservation which inspired her interest in

ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

. Wynn-Grant received her B.S. in Environmental Studies from

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

and her

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. in Environmental Studies from The Yale School of the Environment at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, and her

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

Ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

and

Evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. She also completed a Conservation Science Research and Teaching Postdoctoral Fellowship with the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...

Career

Wynn-Grant is an ecologist, storyteller, and science communicator. She is a current research fellow with

. She also serves as a visiting scientist position at the

and an adjunct professor at

and

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

Research

Wynn-Grant studies large carnivores with a focus on using statistical modeling to determine how human activity alters the spatial patterns of carnivore behavior and ecology. As a

fellow, she worked with the American Prairie to predict which human habitats will attract bears as part of the reserve's restoration efforts in northeast

. Wynn-Grant used

camera trap A camera trap is a camera that is automatically triggered by motion in its vicinity, like the presence of an animal or a human being. It is typically equipped with a motion sensor—usually a passive infrared (PIR) sensor or an active infrared ...

geographic information system A geographic information system (GIS) consists of integrated computer hardware and Geographic information system software, software that store, manage, Spatial analysis, analyze, edit, output, and Cartographic design, visualize Geographic data ...

s and other research methods to study the movements of bears to better understand their habitat preferences and risk of being struck by vehicles or euthanized by local authorities.

Other activities

From April to July 2021, Wynn-Grant hosted '' Crash Course Zoology'', a fourteen-episode series on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

which focuses on different aspects of animal biology. In 2021, she was a collaborator for the

Reebok Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

collection of family-friendly shoes, alongside photographer

Matthieu Paley Matthieu Paley (born May 18, 1973, in Rouen, France) is a French photographer and regular contributor for ''National Geographic''. He is best known for his work documenting communities in the western region of the greater Himalaya: the Karakoram, ...

. She is the host and writer on the podcast series, Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant by

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

Nature, which was honored in 2022 by the Webby Awards for Best Limited Series.

Notable publications

* Rae Wynn-Grant, Joshua R. Ginsberg, Carl W. Lackey, Eleanor J. Sterling, Jon P. Beckmann
Risky business: Modeling mortality risk near the urban-wildland interface for a large carnivore
Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 16, 2018, e00443, ISSN 2351-9894

* Wynn-Grant, Rae Jackson (2015).
Using Anthropogenic Parameters at Multiple Scales to Inform Conservation and Management of a Large Carnivore
' (Thesis). Columbia University. Doi (identifier), doi:10.7916/d8d50mm0. * Wynn-Grant, R. 2019
On reporting scientific and racial history
Science. 20 Sep 2019: Vol. 365, Issue 6459, pp. 1256-1257 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay2459 * Peth, Darcy. Hoyle, Jennifer. Alcott, Emily. Siegal, Jessica. Kamal, Shristi. Wynn-Grant, Rae. (2015) The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: A Rapid Appraisal and Recommendations. In: Clark S., Hohl A., Picard C., Thomas E. (eds) Large-Scale Conservation in the Common Interest. Springer Series on Environmental Management. Springer, Cham

Awards and leadership

Wynn-Grant is an advocate for women and people of color in the sciences. In 2019, the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

named her one of 100 IF/THEN Ambassadors, a program designed to highlight women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields to create high-profile role models for middle school girls. Wynn-Grant also serves as Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Officer on the Board of Governors for the

Society for Conservation Biology The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) is an 501(c)(3) non-profit international professional organization that is dedicated to conserving biodiversity. There are over 4,000 members worldwide, including students and those in related non-academ ...

. Wynn-Grant is committed to raising awareness of

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

and equity in the sciences. In September 2019, she wrote a response to

Sam Kean Sam Kean is an American writer. He has written for ''The New York Times Magazine'', ''Mental Floss'', ''Slate'', ''Psychology Today'', and ''The New Scientist''. He has also published six books which discuss scientific discoveries in a narrative s ...

's feature, "Science's debt to the slave trade," in

Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

. Wynn-Grant criticized Kean's article for centering the motivations and work of white scientists in discussing the slave trade while including little on how Black people experienced the violence of slavery and how its legacy has influenced the participation of Black people in the sciences today. Wynn-Grant also serves on the board of directors for The Explorer's Club.

References

External links

CrashCourse Zoology on YouTube

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant official site

Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wynn-Grant, Rae African-American women academics American women academics 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics American ecologists Women ecologists National Geographic Society Emory University alumni Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies alumni Columbia University alumni People associated with the American Museum of Natural History Johns Hopkins University faculty Columbia University faculty Living people 1985 births 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women Academics from San Francisco