Kourtney grew up in Southeast Michigan and received a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology & Environmental Studies from Western Michigan University. As an undergraduate she interned on the trail crew at Baxter State Park and fell in love with the state of Maine, so returned in 2010 to earn a Master of Science in Forest Resources from the University of Maine. Kourtney remained at UMaine and in 2016 became the first person to graduate with a PhD from the college's then newly inaugurated Anthropology and Environmental Policy doctoral program. 

As an applied environmental anthropologist, Kourtney has worked throughout Maine and Maritime Canada on a number of projects that she will describe today. Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Wenner Gren Foundation, USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative, Henry David Thoreau Foundation, and more. 

This conversation was recorded in April 2025.

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The Maine Science Podcast is a production of the Maine Discovery Museum. It is recorded at Discovery Studios, at the Maine Discovery Museum, in Bangor, ME. The Maine Science Podcast is hosted and executive produced by Kate Dickerson; edited and produced by Scott Loiselle.

The Discover Maine theme was composed and performed by Nick Parker.

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