NEWS

Lincoln Larson

Graduate Student Excellence-in-Research Award 2013

Lincoln Larson, a recent doctoral graduate in forest resources, was an outstanding graduate student during his time at UGA. Larson worked with his advisors and other researchers on projects involving a central theme: the application of a social science research to address natural resource problems. In both his master’s thesis and dissertation, he explored the human-environment relationship and identified factors that encourage environmental stewardship and positive relationships between people and the natural world. His dissertation project, “State Park Use and Outdoor Recreation Benefits Across Demographically Diverse Populations in Georgia,” which represents one of the largest studies of state park users and non-users ever conducted in the U.S., highlighted multiple ways that public parks contribute to active, healthy lifestyles. His conclusions have been used by federal and state agencies to inform resource management and policy, and his work is celebrated by many in the field as an excellent example of evidence-based resource management. Larson is currently a postdoctoral research associate at Cornell University.