Kristen Lea Wickert

Dr. Kristen Wickert is a natural resources scientist who enjoys a day hike as much as a backpacking trip that lasts for months. Her passion for understanding the forest and its inhabitants began during her childhood, spent roughly a mile from the Appalachian Trail. It evolved to a professional level with her bachelors of forest science from Penn State, her masters and doctorate in forest plant pathology from West Virginia University, and her later work as an entomologist and plant pathologist. Through her Instagram account (@KaydubsTheHikingScientist) she shares a core message: Each of us can care for the ecosystem by providing habitats for native flora, fungi, and fauna in our own backyards.