Faculty Feature: Meet Kathryn Stevenson

Kathryn Stevenson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.  She manages the EE Lab at NC State where she and her  talented team work to identify drivers of environmental literacy among K-12 students. Together, they uncover and examine the myriad of benefits of time in nature and environmental education for children, and also highlight how children might be agents of change in the context of environmental challenges.

An Interview with Kathryn

Where were you born and where have you lived?

I was born in Chapel Hill, which is a fact I don’t share widely on this side of the Triangle.  I grew up in Hickory and went to Davidson, so NC is home. I have gotten the chance to travel widely – a semester in Ecuador, a summer in Kenya and Zimbabwe, and quite a bit of time traveling in Central and South America and a really memorable trip to Thailand. I also lived and worked in California for most of my 20s, as a marine science instructor on Catalina Island and a high school teacher in San Francisco. I loved that time, but came to the Triangle to be closer to family. I feel super lucky to have found a home in Raleigh now — we love it here.

What was your favorite subject in grade school? In college?

Predictably, I liked science best in grade school. But another favorite was orchestra — I played the cello in middle and high school. Really, I liked anything but spelling — I’ve never been good at that. I majored in Biology in college. We didn’t have things like PRTM at Davidson (I didn’t know that existed before grad school), but I always loved getting outside, and quickly learned that I loved getting kids outside. I volunteered in the herpetology lab at Davidson, and my favorite tasks were taking our animals to schools and getting kids into the field with us. The liberal arts curriculum meant we took a broad range of classes, and some other favorites were Spanish (I minored in Spanish), political science (particularly Latin American politics), and music. A stand-out class was the music of Hitchcock films. I also took voice lessons in college and put on a senior recital, so music was a big part of college experience. I really like taking classes, and will probably be a retiree that takes classes for free. I took a woodworking class this fall and loved it.

What or where is your favorite “environment?” And why?

That’s a tough one, but I think I have to pick the NC mountains. The California coastline, and particularly the kelp forests, will always tug on my heartstrings. I had an incredible two years living on Catalina island — swimming with dolphins and blue whales and teaching kids to snorkel in these magical kelp forests. And I was pretty taken with the natural landscapes of the Bay Area — it’s just breathtaking. But the NC mountains are home. They’re really old, and to me, feel really familiar and wise and comforting. My parents live in the mountains, and we try to spend a lot of time up there.

How do you motivate others (friends, family, colleagues) to experience the outdoors?

I kind of struggle with this a little — as someone who studies kids and nature, I wonder — are my kids getting enough outside time?  I mainly focus on trying to get them outside as much as I can when we’re not all at school and working.  The pandemic has been hard, but it has been great for getting outside with the kids more. We have explored more parks, and especially in the early pandemic days, when the kids were home with us full time and the weather was beautiful, we were outside all day with them. That was wonderful.

What are some of your favorite outdoor places/spaces in the Triangle?

Yates Mill Park is a go-to for us. The trail around the pond is short enough that the kids do it easily, plus there’s the mill at the end, which is fun, and it’s right across the road from the new Howling Cow visitor center and scoop shop. My husband is in the Food Science department, so ice cream is as much a part of their upbringing as parks. We also love Dix, Umstead, and our walkable parks — the pocket park by our house, Mordecai park, and Lyons are kid favorites.

What is the last book you read?

The last one I finished was probably one of the million I read my kids at bedtime. But I’m currently reading Obama’s Promised Land, which is good, but so long! I typically like fiction and memoirs. The Yellow House and Beartown were recent reads that I liked a lot.

Do you have a favorite tv show?

Right now, my husband and I are watching Yellowstone, which I’m really enjoying. It fits a very narrow genre of shows we both like. My daughter also loves to watch HGTV shows with me, which is our shared guilty pleasure.

Any podcast picks?

I listen to The Daily pretty regularly, but not much beyond that.