Much of our understanding of environmental systems begins somewhere far more fundamental: standing in a forest, measuring trees, examining soil, monitoring wildlife, and collecting observations that help us understand how ecosystems change over time.
From Cory Tompkins, a recent graduate of Northern Arizona University with a Master’s degree in Climate Science and Solutions, I learned how field research, ecological restoration, climate science, and community engagement all play important roles in building a more resilient future.
From recovering food waste on campus to collecting data in forests across northern Arizona, Cory’s experiences highlight how environmental careers often emerge from curiosity, hands-on learning, and a willingness to explore different pathways.
Discovering a Passion for the Environment
Like many environmental professionals, Cory’s interest in sustainability did not begin with a single class or research project. Instead, it started outdoors.
Growing up, he spent significant time in nature through the Boy Scouts, where he developed an appreciation for forests, wildlife, and the natural world. Those experiences sparked a broader curiosity about environmental issues and sustainability.
When he entered college, he was still uncertain about exactly what career path he wanted to pursue. Rather than committing immediately to a highly specialized field, he chose Environmental and Sustainability Studies because it offered a broad foundation that combined both scientific and social perspectives. That decision proved to be an important one.
The interdisciplinary nature of the degree allowed him to explore a wide range of environmental topics, helping him identify the issues that interested him most while developing a systems-level understanding of sustainability.
As his studies progressed, he became increasingly interested in environmental policy, climate change, and practical solutions that could create measurable environmental impact.
This eventually led him to Northern Arizona University’s accelerated 4+1 program, allowing him to complete a Master’s degree in Climate Science and Solutions just one year after earning his bachelor’s degree. Looking back, Cory describes pursuing graduate school as one of the most valuable decisions he made because it opened opportunities to explore climate issues from multiple perspectives and gain hands-on experience across different disciplines.
Fighting Climate Change Through Food Systems
One of the most influential experiences during Cory’s college years came not from a classroom, but through student leadership. For several years, he was involved with Food Recovery Network (FRN), a student-led organization dedicated to reducing food waste and improving food security. Food waste is often overlooked in climate conversations, yet it represents a major environmental challenge. Producing food requires land, water, fertilizer, transportation, labor, and energy. When food is discarded, all of those resources are wasted as well.
Over time, decomposing food waste also generates methane, a greenhouse gas significantly more potent than carbon dioxide.
As president of NAU’s Food Recovery Network chapter, Cory helped rebuild participation in the organization and expand its outreach efforts. Several times each week, teams of volunteers collected surplus food from campus dining halls and delivered it to local shelters throughout Flagstaff. The results were tangible.
Over just two years, NAU’s chapter recovered more than 9,300 pounds of food that otherwise would have been thrown away. For Cory, the experience was especially meaningful because it demonstrated how environmental action can create immediate, visible impacts within local communities. It also reinforced a lesson that would appear throughout his later climate work: many environmental solutions already exist. The challenge is often implementation, coordination, and community engagement.
Learning from Arizona’s Forests
During graduate school summer, Cory joined Northern Arizona University’s Ecological Restoration Institute as a Field Technician. This position introduced him to an entirely different side of environmental science. He found himself working directly in forests throughout northern Arizona, collecting ecological data that helps researchers understand forest health, wildfire behavior, and ecosystem resilience.
Although he entered the role with limited forestry experience, the fieldwork provided valuable opportunities to learn directly from researchers and the landscapes themselves. One project took him to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, where teams established monitoring plots within mixed conifer forests.
Researchers collected information on tree species, height, canopy structure, trunk diameter, and other characteristics that help scientists understand forest composition and growth patterns.
Through this work, Cory developed a deeper understanding of how different tree species interact and how forest ecosystems function as interconnected systems rather than collections of individual trees.
Another project brought him to Fort Valley near Flagstaff, where researchers examined forest floor conditions, soil health, vegetation regeneration, and wildfire-related factors. It was here that he gained some of his most valuable insights into wildfire resilience.
Understanding Wildfire Beyond the Headlines
Wildfires frequently make national news headlines, but the science behind wildfire behavior is often far more complex than many people realize. According to Cory, one of the most important lessons he learned involved the role of materials found on the forest floor.
Layers of pine needles, bark, dead vegetation, organic matter, and soil interact in ways that influence how fires spread through an ecosystem. The dryness of these materials, their abundance, and their arrangement can dramatically affect fire behavior.
Some forests contain large accumulations of fuel that can intensify wildfire severity, while healthier forests may be better able to withstand fire events. Understanding these relationships requires detailed field observations collected over long periods of time. This is one reason long-term ecological monitoring is so valuable.
The Ecological Restoration Institute has monitored some sites for decades, creating extensive datasets that allow scientists to track changes in forest health, vegetation, wildfire impacts, and ecosystem recovery over time.
By revisiting the same locations year after year, researchers can observe patterns that would otherwise remain invisible. These long-term observations help inform future land management decisions aimed at reducing wildfire risks and improving ecosystem resilience.
Why Ecological Data Matters
Environmental research often involves measuring variables that may seem insignificant at first glance. Tree diameters. Plant species. Insect populations. Soil conditions. Ground cover.
Yet each of these measurements contributes to a larger understanding of ecosystem health. Cory worked on projects that monitored understory vegetation, helping researchers understand how forests regenerate after disturbances and how future forest conditions may evolve.
He also participated in a project examining insect abundance within pinyon-juniper ecosystems. The study emerged from concerns about declining insect populations and their implications for ecosystem function.
Researchers used pitfall traps placed strategically beneath juniper trees to monitor insect communities and better understand biodiversity patterns in the region.
Although these projects focused on different ecological components, they shared a common goal: building a more complete picture of environmental change. The more accurately scientists can understand ecosystems today, the better equipped they are to manage them tomorrow.
How LiDAR Is Transforming Forest Research
One of the most exciting technologies Cory encountered during his fieldwork was LiDAR.
LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, uses laser pulses to create highly detailed three-dimensional models of landscapes and vegetation. While working with terrestrial and handheld LiDAR systems, Cory helped capture detailed scans of forest monitoring plots.
A terrestrial LiDAR scanner placed in the center of a plot can record an incredibly detailed 360-degree representation of the surrounding forest. These scans allow researchers to create digital models showing the precise structure of trees, vegetation, and forest canopies.
Because monitoring sites are revisited repeatedly, researchers can compare scans over time and track changes in forest growth, health, and structure. The technology offers advantages that would have been difficult to imagine just a few decades ago.
Scientists can now combine traditional field measurements with detailed 3D representations of entire ecosystems. These digital models improve research accuracy while also supporting education, outreach, and long-term ecological monitoring.
Technology and Climate Research
LiDAR is just one example of how technology is reshaping environmental science. Even relatively simple innovations, such as replacing paper data sheets with tablets, have significantly improved field research.
Digital data collection reduces transcription errors, prevents information loss, and allows researchers to organize and analyze data more efficiently. More broadly, emerging technologies are helping scientists collect larger datasets, monitor ecosystems with greater precision, and better understand environmental systems operating across large geographic scales.
As climate challenges become increasingly complex, these tools will likely play an even larger role in environmental research and decision-making.
Climate Solutions That Deserve More Attention
When discussing climate solutions, Cory repeatedly returned to one issue that often receives less attention than renewable energy or transportation: food waste.
According to Project Drawdown, a leading climate solutions framework, reducing food waste ranks among the most impactful climate actions available today. Globally, approximately one-third of all food produced is wasted. The environmental implications are enormous.
Food production consumes significant amounts of land, water, energy, and resources. Reducing food waste, therefore, addresses climate change from multiple angles simultaneously. Cory’s experiences with Food Recovery Network reinforced his belief that food systems deserve much greater attention within climate conversations.
While renewable energy and emissions reductions remain essential, improving food system efficiency represents an opportunity to achieve substantial environmental benefits while also addressing social challenges such as food insecurity.
The Growing Importance of Greenhouse Gas Accounting
Another area Cory believes will become increasingly important is greenhouse gas accounting. Although many people have never heard of it, greenhouse gas accounting serves as the foundation for many corporate sustainability efforts.
Organizations use these systems to measure emissions associated with their operations, transportation networks, supply chains, and products. By understanding where emissions originate, companies can identify opportunities to reduce their environmental impact.
Cory views greenhouse gas accounting as an emerging field with significant potential to drive meaningful change. Large corporations influence enormous portions of global emissions, and improved transparency can help organizations make more informed decisions regarding energy use, logistics, and sustainability investments.
Why Science Communication Matters
Alongside technical expertise, Cory emphasized another skill that he believes is essential for climate professionals: science communication.
Climate science is often complex. Researchers work with detailed datasets, technical terminology, and sophisticated analytical methods. Yet scientific knowledge can only drive change if it is accessible to broader audiences.
One of the most valuable lessons Cory learned through his science communication coursework was how to translate complex information into formats that diverse audiences can understand. Whether communicating through writing, presentations, graphics, news articles, or digital media, the ability to explain scientific findings clearly is increasingly important.
Public understanding plays a critical role in climate action. Without effective communication, even the strongest research may struggle to create real-world impact.
Advice for Future Environmental Leaders
For students interested in environmental science, Cory’s advice is straightforward: get involved. Some of his most valuable experiences came through student organizations, leadership positions, internships, and opportunities outside traditional coursework.
These experiences helped him develop skills that apply across virtually every environmental career path, including leadership, communication, collaboration, organization, and problem-solving.
He also encourages students to remain open to exploring different subjects and experiences. During college, he pursued a Spanish minor, completed graduate certificates, and studied abroad in both Costa Rica and Peru. These opportunities broadened his perspective and helped shape his understanding of environmental issues as global challenges requiring global solutions.
Looking ahead, as environmental challenges continue to evolve, the next generation of climate leaders will need exactly that combination of curiosity, adaptability, and commitment to making a difference.