About

Rebecca Kauten grew up on a farm in northeast Iowa and has spent the last two decades working in natural resource management, environmental science and field research relative to the native Midwestern landscape. From 2020-2024, she served as Scientist in Residence for Iowa’s only ecological field station and teaches courses in geographical and sustainability science for both the University of Iowa and Montana State University at Billings, where she mentors undergraduate and graduate researchers, facilitating opportunities for field-based study with agencies and organizations focused on sustainable development. Since 2009, she has helped facilitate more than a dozen study abroad programs to India, leading sustainable development experiences in six different states within the subcontinent. She holds advanced degrees in Geographical & Sustainability Science and Public Policy and spent several years working outside academia as a writer and technical communications professional for the private and nonprofit sectors. When not in the field or the classroom, she splits her time between Cedar Falls and rural Marion, Iowa (USA).