Emariana Widner

I joined the faculty as an assistant professor in the Department of Geography at Kent State University in 2009 and teach, or have taught, courses including GIS, Geovisualization, Cities and Urbanization, and a couple courses in Environmental Geography.

My research interests lie in biogeography, urbanization, ecological systems, environmental philosophy, and conservation. Within these broader areas, I have focused on species response to human influenced land use change, and urban ecology.  I am also interested in understanding environmental perceptions, citizen action, and how these elements affect the political process and policy decisions.  I firmly believe that the proliferation of urban systems, concurrent with human population growth, makes cities the new wilderness for species conservation and I am passionate about identifying and creating sustainable solutions for people and wildlife.