About Bevin
My undergraduate studies were focused in interdisciplinary research in environmental science, which continued in my Masters program where I studied sustainability. I was drawn to anthropology to better understand how human communities are impacted by environmental degradation and climate change impacts. During my first summer in Chapel Hill, I utilized my interdisciplinary skill set to conduct water quality testing in combination with qualitative methods to investigate flooding disparities between two neighborhoods in Chapel Hill. In the summer of 2022 and 2023, I conducted preliminary research in my field site to identify current community stressors. After taking my comprehensive exams in November of 2023, I relocated to my field site at the beginning of January 2024 to conduct my dissertation research titled "Understanding Perceptions, Responses, and Imagined Futures Related to Climate Change on a Barrier Island in North Carolina, USA".
Research Interests
Environmental anthropology, climate change impacts, participatory research, community engaged research, coastal communities
Research Background
My research is focused on understanding perceptions, responses, and impacts related to climate change in a small island community located in the Outer Banks. Cultural context and community voices are often missing from decision making and research conducted by climatologists, policy makers, land managers, and so on. I seek to bridge this gap and test a framework that could better engage communities in research and capture their perspectives to help produce meaningful and effective solutions to climate change impacts.
Education
MS, University of Louisville, 2021; BS, University of Tennessee - Knoxville, 2018
Presentations
2023 -- Guest Lecture on Food Movements: The Urban Food System, Food Apartheid, and Food Sovereignty, for Dr. O’Connell’s course on Food, Environment, and Sustainability Spring Semester 2023 – University of North Carolina
2022 -- Guest Lecture on Food Movements: The Urban Food System, Food Apartheid, and Food Sovereignty, for Dr. O’Connell’s course on Food, Environment, and Sustainability Maymester 2022 – University of North Carolina
2021 -- Exit Seminar in the Urban Planning Department – The University of Louisville Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the Ohio River: Spatial and Temporal differences
2020 -- Guest Lecturer in the Ecology Department – The University of Louisville Climate Change Impacts on Conservation Efforts, Conservation Biology
2020 -- Ohio River Basin Symposium and Summit (Session Presenter) Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the Ohio River
2018 -- The University of Tennessee, Knoxville EURēCA Research Symposium (poster)
Frequency of Hemlock Wooly Adelgid Information Provided in the Media: Impacts, Ecology, and Citizen Outreach