Northern Research Station scientist part of IF/THEN exhibit

NEW HAMPSHIRE – Lindsey Rustad, a research ecologist with the Northern Research Station based in Durham, New Hampshire, is part of a first-of-its-kind, life-sized statue exhibit that includes more than 120 Association for the Advancement of Science IF/THEN® Ambassadors hailing from more than 40 states.

“#IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit” celebrates the contributions of contemporary female STEM professionals and role models from a variety of industries including entertainment, fashion, sports, business and academia. Originally planned in 2020 and postponed due to the pandemic, the exhibit debuted at Dallas’ NorthPark Center on May 15 and will run through October.

Working with partners, Rustad and a team of researchers at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest pioneered a novel approach to creating an experimental gradient of ice storm disturbances to evaluate the impacts of different intensities and frequencies of ice storms to a northern forest. Rustad received an IF/THEN grant to support innovative work combining art and science, particularly with research on winter ice storms, to showcase “cool women doing cool forest science.”

The choice of centering the exhibit around statues was deliberate, according to the #IfThenSheCan organization. In the 10 largest cities in the nation, there are fewer than half a dozen statues of women. Just as women are not well represented in statuary, women are also not well represented in STEM, making up about 30 percent of today’s STEM workforce, according to the IF/THEN organization.

“#IfThenSheCan” is the result of a partnership between Lyda Hill Philanthropies and the American Association for the Advancement of Science that aims to fill a void in media representation of women in science. Rustad is one of just 125 women in the Nation selected to help Hill and AAAS accomplish that goal.

As an IF/THEN Ambassador, Rustad has been emphasizing work with girls to share “…how awesome it is to work for the USDA Forest Service, and have an opportunity to ‘care for the land and serve the people.”

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