Dr. Nyairo Brings Unique Environmental Perspective Environmental Studies Department Hires Climate Scientist

VIOLET CALKIN ‘26(SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER

The search for a new member of Davidson’s Environmental Studies department is over. An expert on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) modeling, climate scientist Dr. Risper Nyairo is set to join the faculty in the fall. She’ll bring both a unique specialization and passion for marrying the environmental, social and economic aspects of climate change into an interdisciplinary study.

Dr. Nyairo graduated from high school in Limuru, Kenya before studying at the University of Nairobi and University of Osaka, where she earned a doctorate degree in environmental engineering. She has worked with the Africa Waste and Environment Management Center and World Bank in Kenya, and is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science at the University of Wisconsin Platteville.

Dr. Nyairo will teach a course on weather, climate, and ocean environments in the fall. In the spring, her classes will focus on climate systems and paleoclimatology. In educating students, Dr. Nyairo aims to rectify misconceptions about climate change and illuminate potential productive responses.

“The climate subject has been introduced to people in a very abstract manner,” Dr. Nyairo said. “My work is to break down this subject and unpack it very simply in a way that my students will realize for themselves that actions potentially have negative impacts on the environment, so that they can start making conscious decisions to help reduce our contribution to emissions.”

Dr. Nyairo’s research integrates the social sciences into her field. At the University of Nairobi, she studied how differences in climatic variables affect the livelihoods of communities. Her doctoral work focused on how ecological, environmental, social, and climatic factors affected use of Kenya’s trees and assessed the vulnerability of East African communities to climate change. This multidisciplinary approach to climate science is part of what appealed to Davidson’s Environmental Studies Department, according to Professor and Chair Annie Merrill.

“She works on climate change, but a lot of her work connects to socioeconomic and sociological issues, and that’s very specifically what we were looking for,” Merrill said. “We were looking for a climate scientist, but also somebody who could talk about the human dimensions of climate change. She brings this wonderfully international perspective and definitely has the expertise that we’re looking for.”

In addition to her specialization, Dr. Nyairo will contribute skills in GIS modeling to Davidson.

“The beauty of it is that models are just decision support tools. They help us as resource managers — the landowner, and any other person who’s responsible for stewarding the land — in making better decisions for the future,” Nyairo said. “My passion comes from the fact that the work I do is

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Dr. Nyairo plans to seek funding for her proposed research, building a station to monitor how gas fluxes from various environments contribute to climate change. Ultimately, she hopes to constructively engage with the Davidson community.

“I want the community to appreciate the fact that our climate is changing, and to know that I’m there to provide any answers to any questions that they may have. I know a lot about the subject but I don’t know everything. I’m open to new experiences and new perspectives,” Dr. Nyairo said. “I’m looking forward to an exciting time at Davidson.”

February 8th

BILAL RAZZAK ‘25 POLITICS EDITOR

For SGA’s first meeting of the semester, they discussed a wealth of information. Starting out with the Community Committee, there were updates about a potential new art project on campus. Next, the Accessibility Committee gave an update on their recent activity. The Golf Cart program now has an established budget, with over $200 dollars allocated for each student who requires the service. Director of Student Activities Mike Good was insistent that everything over $200 dollars not be covered. The Transparency committee discussed their new newsletter. Following the committee updates, ATC had a couple of monetary decisions to discuss. First, the new concert budget for the union board was increased by $30,000. Second, Debate was also given more funding in order to attend international competition. Finally, the committee approved the charter of the climbing club. Going forward, there will be stricter attendance policies for the SGA. Last, freshmen representatives who have served a term are now allowed to run for both Vice-President and President positions.

1. Committee Updates

2. ATC Updates

3. Bylaw Changes

4. Announcements and Adjourn