April Karen Baptiste

Christian, Concerned citizen, Doctor, Educator/Teacher, Environmentalist, Foodie

A. Karen Baptiste, a national of The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and Fulbright Scholar, completed her Ph.D. in Environmental and Natural Resource Policy from State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2008. She graduated from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad with a B.Sc. in Chemistry and Management in 2002 and a M.Sc. in Environmental Management in 2004. Her research interests are in environmental justice, environmental psychology, livelihoods analysis, the rural poor and oil and gas studies. Her current research looks at the intersection between environmental psychology and environmental justice in an attempt to understand the factors that shape environmental actions and environmentalism within the Caribbean region. Having recently completed a Ford Foundation Post-doctoral Fellow in the African American Studies Department at Syracuse University, she is now an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Colgate University.

Environmental Issues, Poverty alleviation particularly among the rural poor, Jesus Christ, Education

I am thinking about designing an environmental education program for rural communities which will be targeted at teaching livelihood skills to tjhese communities which will allow them to have survival skills that extend beyond the short term.

Environmental Justice, Environmental Psychology, Environmental Sociology, Natural resource management, poverty alleviation

After attending TED Long Beach 2009, I must say that it was a great experience. I believe that my thinking in terms of what I can accomplished has been changed and it has changed my worldview to see myself as a leader. I am now engaging in activities that I can initiate and look for avenues to be a leader, particularly which my research fields but also as I engage in Scholarship in Action on the field. I am really grateful for the experience and continue to engage the TED community particularly the new friends that I have made during the week in Long Beach. I must say that my most favorite talk by far at Long Beach as that of Willie Smits!

Singing - specifically harmonizing