“My goal has always been to help people connect with their environment, value and preserve it” Prof H.
I Rita Hagevik was born in Chicago and raised in a rural area. While growing up, she played in the swamp and fell in love with the environment.
She is the program director for the Master of Science and the Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Science Education at UNCP. She has been a professor in the Biology Department at UNCP since 2011. She has a North Carolina teaching license for grades K-12.
Hagevik’s research interests include environmental education and sustainability, preservice teacher education, and teacher support systems. Her scholarship investigates sustainable gardens, preparing and supporting teachers to use geo-technology tools to teach the next sustainably literate society.
Hagevik and her husband have two grown daughters. She enjoys spending time doing
“about anything” in the outdoors.
Hagevik recently spoke at a Climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
HOW DID YOUR PASSION BRING YOU INTO THIS FIELD?
Growing up, I loved the environment as a kid and admired how things loved and grew around me. I attended University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. I got married and moved to Wisconsin and my husband got transferred to North Carolina in 1980 and then I attended Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., and North Carolina State University for my master’s and PhD programs. I then became a public school science teacher for 12 years. I taught the students how to preserve the environment in their little way. I was part of the first group of teachers to earn the Environmental Educator Certificate in North Carolina. I always engaged my students with environmental project and even wrote grants to provide environmental camps for school kids; this led me to working on statewide projects and getting my students involved in Geographic Information system (GIS).
WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED IN YOUR CAREER?
One of the challenges I faced in my career was stereotypes being 2 girls in a PhD class in
2002. When I obtained my PhD in Urban Forestry, working with guys in the class was a challenge, cause there were not many women involved in the STEM at that time. Another challenge faced was finding the best place for people to experience the bio diversified areas to get that experience and this prompted the engagement of students in the citizen science projects.
WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED IN YOUR CAREER?
One of the challenges I faced in my career was stereotypes being 2 girls in a PhD class in
2002. When I obtained my PhD in Urban Forestry, working with guys in the class was a challenge, cause there were not many women involved in the STEM at that time. Another challenge faced was finding the best place for people to experience the bio diversified areas to get that experience and this prompted the engagement of students in the citizen science projects.
WHAT WAS THE MAIN MESSAGE OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE EVENT IN DENMARK?
The conference took place in the vibrant city of Copenhagen, Denmark, and was hosted by the European Science Educator Research Association (ESERA). The theme was “Transition in science Education: Sustainability and digital Advances. I was one of the five speakers at this event, and we had 1,811 participants in attendance representing 59 countries across 6 continents. The main reason for the event was comparing US, Turkey and Indonesia’s survey of their pre-serviced teachers to see what they know and believe about climate change and, the results were intriguing. One thing we found out in general, people’s culture and experiences is an important part that affects how they know and believe climate change which is called global climate change. The results from Indonesia were more ecocentric which is, they see themselves in the environment, while the Turkish are more
like the U.S. teachers that are more concerned about their personal or economic value. In conclusion, they need more education about climate change at all levels.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED IN PREPARING OR THE CAUSE OF THE RESEARCH?
One of the challenges faced in the research was reaching rural, indigenous, or marginalized populations. It was logistically difficult an ethnically complex. These communities or areas often face the harshest climate impacts but are underrepresented in the data and policy discussions. Climate systems are evolving, so keeping up with the changes is challenging.
Political and public resistance to climate change leading to lack of funding is another challenge faced in the cause of the research. Countries use varying methods to collect and report climate data, and this data could be missing or difficult to obtain.
HOW DO YOU SEE THE ROLE OF COUNTRIES LIKE DENMARK IN GLOBAL CLIMATE ACTION?
Europe or Denmark is a leader in climate action, majority of people that live there are like minded, and are critically addressing climate change. Denmark is also leading in wind energy. Europe has produced things that are not making a negative significant impact on the environment and climate.
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUNG PEOPLE CAN DO TO MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE IN FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE?
The younger people should eat a more plant-based diet that will reduce the impact we have on our ecosystem. Another thing is to refuse to use plastics because recycling, reusing, and reducing cannot work at the rate by which people use plastic these days.
Jane Goodall said “Our future is the young people,” so if the younger generations make personal decisions on not using plastics the environment with be more eco-friendly. We should also learn to use the sidewalk, not walking on the created sidewalks and on grasses or green plants compresses the topsoil making animals lose their habitats. Buying organic food is another way of fighting climate change, normalize buying food at a farmer’s market, these foods are grown locally. I will also advise UNCP students to join the group called “The Greener Coalition” a chapter of like minded eco- friendly people who are concerned about how to do things to protect and preserve the environment.