Dr. Nalini Nadkarni will be accepting the William Julius Wilson Award for the Advancement of Social Justice and presenting:

“Not Such Strange Bedfellows: Bringing Science, Nature, and Nature Imagery to Prisons”  (CUB Auditorium, WSU Pullman)

Dr. Nadkarni is a world-renowned forest ecologist who works to bring science and job training to prisons. Her innovative efforts promote social inclusiveness of prisoners and reduce post-prison joblessness. “One of the most pressing problems facing society today is the increasing distance between humans and nature,” Nadkarni says. “Another issue—seemingly unrelated—is the failure of our system of incarceration to provide inmates with the education and experiences they need to become useful citizens after release.”

To address both of these problems, Nadkarni has worked with corrections systems in Washington state and across the country to bring science and nature/conservation projects to the incarcerated, from prisoners in minimum security to those in solitary confinement. In her presentation, she will describe her successes and challenges she has faced at the convergence of academic science and state corrections.

Washington State University created the William Julius Wilson Award for the Advancement of Social Justice in 2009 to honor individuals who promote social inclusiveness and diversity in social policies and strive to reduce joblessness.  The award is named after William Julius Wilson, who received his PhD in sociology from WSU in 1966. Professor Wilson is widely considered one of the nation’s most influential sociologists.