School Notes: School of the Environment
September/October 2016

Ecologist appointed F&ES dean

Ingrid C. “Indy” Burke, an accomplished ecologist and director of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming, has been appointed the 16th dean of F&ES. Burke will join F&ES on October 1 and will be the first female dean in the school’s history. 

The Haub School is among the top institutions in the western United States for research, teaching, and outreach in natural resources, and during Burke’s eight-year tenure, it has developed an international reputation. Under her direction, the school has grown dramatically in enrollment, joint degree programs, philanthropic donations, and engagement in state- and regionwide land management and policy. At F&ES, Burke will succeed Peter Crane, who, after seven years as dean, left Yale in June to become president of the newly created Oak Spring Garden Foundation in Virginia. 

“In recommending Indy Burke, we were particularly impressed by her academic background and accomplishments as a distinguished ecosystem ecologist, and her proven track record of leading a diverse interdisciplinary environment program,” said Karen Seto, professor of geography and urbanization science at F&ES and chair of the dean search committee. “Burke uniquely mixes innovative science with award-winning teaching, commitment to outreach, and stakeholder engagement,” Seto said. “And her management and leadership experience will be strong assets for the school.” 

Professor earns Yale mentorship award

Liza Comita, an assistant professor of tropical forest management at F&ES, received Yale University’s 2016 Postdoctoral Mentoring Prize, which annually recognizes one faculty member who best exemplifies the role of mentor to postdoctoral trainees. Nominations for the award, which is offered by the Office of the Provost, are solicited from postdoctoral fellows and associates campus-wide. Comita, who joined the F&ES faculty in 2014, was recognized for her efforts to help women postdocs succeed in their research by succeeding in the practical arenas of the faculty job search process, work-life balance, time management skills, conflict resolution, professional network development, and navigating the sciences as women. She provides guidance through Women in Science at Yale, an organization of students and postdocs that promotes the interests of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and advocates for gender equality in all fields.