Women in Science: Viniece Jennings
The new Women in Science series features women scientists from across the Southern Research Station (SRS)–their education, career paths, challenges, achievements, and inspirations.
Meet SRS scientist Viniece Jennings, a research scientist with the Integrating Human and Natural Systems Research Unit in Athens, Georgia. Jennings’ research helps people understand the connections between green spaces and physical, mental, and social health.
She earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Science, with a focus in policy and management, from Florida A&M University. She received a B.S. in Natural Resources/Environmental Science from Delaware State University.
“Natural sciences and public health can be complex fields, but we are continuing to uncover areas of common ground to promote their partnership,” Jennings says. Her research has been published in journals such as the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, PLOS One, Environmental Justice, Healthcare, and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Jennings was also the lead author of an article that was recognized as top research between 2012 and 2015 in a document published by the National Parks and Recreation Association.
Prior to her role at the USDA, Jennings interned at the White House Council on Environmental Quality for the Obama Administration.
Read on to learn more about Jennings. Who inspires her? What led her to pursue this field of study? How did she start her career? Listen to Jennings describe her and Cassandra Johnson Gaither’s research at the SRS Sound Research link for Approaching environmental health disparities and green spaces: An ecosystem services perspective. Visit Women in Science to learn more about Jennings and others.
For more information, email Patty Matteson at phmatteson@fs.fed.us.