Biographical Information

Amanda Cravens is a scholar and student of landscapes and the way human societies perceive and interact with them. In particular, she is interested in the role cultural values play in environmental decision-making and in the mechanisms by which individual attitudes are translated into societal choices about land use.

Academically, Amanda was trained as a geographer and environmental historian with particular interests in how multiple understandings of places were recognized or erased by decisions about using those places. She graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. with High Honors and later earned an M.A. with Distinction from the University of Canterbury. Her graduate study in Christchurch, New Zealand, was supported by a Fulbright Fellowship.

Amanda has also worked professionally as an information architect, project manager, and web editor for environmental policy organizations based in Washington, DC, and London.

Amanda's current research interests lie at the intersection of these past experiences. She is exploring the opportunities and limitations of using mapping and other visualization technologies in environmental conflict resolution practice.

The geographical focus of Amanda's work is the American West, which she considers home. Born in Colorado, she is an avid kayaker as well as former river guide.