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Stephen Elser

Stephen Elser

Graduate Fellow, Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network, Arizona State University

Stephen.Elser@asu.edu

School of Life Sciences
Arizona State University
PO Box 874601
Tempe, AZ 85287-4601

Titles

  • PhD Student, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
  • Graduate Fellow, Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network, Arizona State University

Biography

Stephen is a PhD student at Arizona State University in the School of Life Sciences. While his background is predominantly in aquatic ecology, he’s always been interested in the connections between people and the environment. His research now focuses on ecosystem services of green infrastructure and the ways in which urban stakeholders perceive and use those services to prepare for the future.

Stephen is passionate about science communication and outreach. He is a mentor in the Graduate Partners in Science Education program through the School of Life Sciences, a volunteer with Ecology Explorers, a co-host of the Society for Freshwater Sciences podcast, Making Waves, and is a co-creator and co-host of the UREx SRN podcast, Future Cities.

Prior to ASU, Stephen graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2014 with a BS in Environmental Science and a minor in Sustainability. He then worked for two years as a research technician in a stream ecology lab at Baylor University, where his team was tasked with settling a decades’ long dispute between the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma regarding water quality in a shared watershed.

Education

  • BS, Environmental Science (minor Sustainability), University of Notre Dame, 2014

Journal Articles

2022

McPhearson, P. T., E. M. Cook, M. Berbés-Blázquez, C. Cheng, N. B. Grimm, E. Andersson, O. Barbosa, D. G. Chandler, H. Chang, M. V. Chester, D. L. Childers, S. R. Elser, N. Frantzeskaki, Z. J. Grabowski, P. M. Groffman, R. L. Hale, D. M. Iwaniec, N. Kabisch, C. Kennedy, S. A. Markolf, M. Matsler, L. McPhillips, T. R. Miller, T. A. Munoz-Erickson, E. J. Rosi and T. G. Troxler. 2022. A social-ecological-technological systems framework for urban ecosystem services. One Earth 5(5):505-518. DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2022.04.007. (link )

2014

Allen, D. C., K. E. McCluney, S. R. Elser and J. L. Sabo. 2014. Water as a trophic currency in dryland food webs. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 12:156-160. DOI: 10.1890/130160. (link )

Posters

2020

Elser, S. R., N. B. Grimm and A. Middel. 2020. Growing shade: Daytime cooling ecosystem services of common street trees in Phoenix. Poster presented at the Twenty-second Annual CAP LTER All Scientists Meeting and Poster Symposium, January 17, 2020, Skysong, Scottsdale, AZ. (link )

Rosales, J., M. K. Wright, S. R. Elser, A. Henning, M. Herrera, N. Cox, D. M. Hondula and J. K. Vanos. 2020. Heat and sun exposure along active transport pedestrian pathways. Poster presented at the Twenty-second Annual CAP LTER All Scientists Meeting and Poster Symposium, January 17, 2020, Skysong, Scottsdale, AZ. (link )

2019

Elser, S. R., E. M. Cook, N. B. Grimm and O. Barbosa. 2019. Positive perceptions of urban wetlands and their ecosystem services in Valdivia, Chile. Poster presented at the ESAUSSEE 2019, August 11-16, 2019, Louisville, KY. (link )

Elser, S. R. and N. B. Grimm. 2019. Modeling water use to achieve 25% canopy cover in Phoenix, Arizona. Poster presented at the 21st Annual CAP LTER All Scientists Meeting and Poster Symposium, January 11, 2019, Skysong, Scottsdale, AZ. (link )

2018

Elser, S. R., E. M. Cook, O. Barbosa and N. B. Grimm. 2018. Water quality in wetlands along an impervious surface gradient. Poster presented at the 20th Annual CAP LTER All Scientists Meeting and Poster Symposium, January 5, 2018, Skysong, Scottsdale, AZ. (link )

Elser, S. R., E. M. Cook, O. Barbosa and N. B. Grimm. 2018. Water quality in wetlands along an impervious surface gradient. Poster presented at the Third Annual UREx SRN All Hands Meeting, March 19-21, 2018, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

Presentations

2020

Grimm, N. B., M. Berbés-Blázquez, H. Chang, E. M. Cook, S. R. Elser, D. M. Iwaniec, P. T. McPhearson, A. Pallathadka, J. Sauer and T. G. Troxler. 2020. A SETS approach to understanding urban ecosystem (E) vulnerability and providing nature-based solutions for urban resilience in cities. Presentation at the Harnessing the Ecological Data Revolution, 2020 ESA Annual Meeting, August 3-6, 20202, Virtual. (link )

2019

Matsler, M., L. McPhillips, B. Rosenzweig, P. M. Groffman, S. R. Elser, N. B. Grimm, H. Chang and R. Zimmerman. 2019. Green infrastructure implementation and performance: Lessons learned from nine US and Latin American cities in the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN). Presentation at the AGU Fall Meeting, December 9-13, 2019, San Francisco, CA. (link )

2018

Elser, S. R., E. M. Cook, O. Barbosa and N. B. Grimm. 2018. Water quality in wetlands along an urbanization gradient. Presentation at the Society for Freshwater Society 2018 Annual Meeting: Navigating Boundaries in Freshwater Science, May 20-24, 2018, Detroit, MI. (link )

Elser, S. R., T. Saffell, A. Shreeves and M. Smith. 2018. Evaluating social perceptions, human intervention, and ecological function of Valdivia’s urban wetlands. Presentation at the Third Annual UREx SRN All Hands Meeting, Phoenix, AZ.

2017

Elser, S. R., E. M. Cook, O. Barbosa and N. B. Grimm. 2017. Calidad de agua en humedales urbanos a lo largo de un gradient de superficie impermeable. Presentation at the Reunion Anual de la Sociedad de Ecologia de Chile, Puerto Varas, Chile.

Thesis (PhD)

2022

Elser, S. R. 2022. Ecosystem Services from Urban Ecological Infrastructure: Perceptions, Performance, and Priorities for Climate Resilient Cities.. PhD Dissertation. Arizona State University. (link )