Rebecca Kauten, PhD, currently serves as the Scientist in Residence for Iowa Lakeside Laboratory in northwest Iowa. In this role, she leads field-based research projects on Iowa’s natural resources and supervises related undergraduate research. She also teaches Prairie Ecology, GIS, and an Introduction to Research and Inquiry as field-based experiences. Previously, she worked in watershed management and water quality monitoring as both a statewide and local technical resource for community projects for more than a decade. Dr. Kauten has been an advocate for water resources and watershed management as a volunteer, citizen scientist, educator, and trained professional. Her current research focus explores social dimensions of water resource management as well as monitoring transformational effects of human activity on unique glacial wetlands within the southern range of the Wisconsin formation.