People
Sharon J. Hall
Assistant Professor
Life Sciences A Wing-Rm 320
sharonjhall@asu.edu
I am an ecosystem ecologist with profound interests in the dynamic relationship between humans and the environment. How do humans change the environment, and how long do these changes last? Most of my work has been based in the natural sciences, primarily through study of Earth´s biogeochemical cycles. In the future, through interactions with social science colleagues and students in the Global Institute for Sustainability (GIOS), the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research program (CAP LTER), and the NSF IGERT program in Urban Ecology, I hope to also explore the reciprocal question: What factors govern human behavior towards environmental issues, and how do we achieve long-term ecological sustainability within our societies?
A bit of personal history: I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area where I also stayed for college, graduating from Stanford University in 1990 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. After graduation, I assisted with several marine ecology courses at the Hopkins Marine Station and at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where I learned both about the complexities of the ocean system and the rewards of teaching. Because I enjoyed showing students the intricacies of the environment, I pursued an Ed.M. degree at Harvard University in 1992, and I taught for a few years in the public schools and at the Keystone Science School in the mountain ecosystems of Colorado. Soon, however, I realized that my teaching was limited by my own simple knowledge of ecology. In order to learn more about the natural world, I enrolled in graduate school at UC Berkeley and finished in 1998 with a Ph.D. degree in Ecosystem Science.
After a post-doc at the University of Colorado, I was excited to accept a faculty position in the new Environmental Science Program at Colorado College (CC) where I could pursue my passion for teaching. At CC, I spent 5 years learning from master teachers and students about hands-on education, executing exhilarating field trips, and successful undergraduate mentoring while living among the trees at the foot of Pikes Peak. In 2005, I returned to scientific research in earnest with my move to the School of Life Sciences here at Arizona State University in order to work with a broader range of students and colleagues in ecology. Over the next chapter of my continuing education and work, I look forward to inviting high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, post-graduate students, and post-doctoral colleagues into my research group so we can together explore the ecology of the biosphere and the means toward a more sustainable future for life on Earth.
