Dr Smriti Safaya
Affiliated Researcher

Profile

Biography

Smriti an SEI affiliated researcher and a Croucher Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow working in Environmental Sustainability at York between the Environment & Geography, and the Education departments. 

Her current research focus is the 'Environmental Citizen Science in Schools' project looking at the impact of such environmental education on how U.K. and Hong Kong youth feel, think and act towards the natural environment. This research is an extension of her PhD in Education (University of York) which involved only Hong Kong schools.

Her interest in experiential education stems from her years teaching in international schools in Hong Kong after her Bachelors of Education (U. of British Columbia), and her fieldwork seasons during her Masters in Earth Science (University of Hong Kong) and her Bachelor of Science in Geology (University of California, Davis). She is keen to support educators with developing more experiential teaching and learning opportunities, be it with students, pre-service and in-service educators in schools and universities. 

Smriti has run immersive nature-based experiences for university staff and the public, around the beautiful York campus and the city centre, to highlight the value of multi-sensory experiential education. Additional projects include the 'York Biodiversity Citizen Science Programme' (funded by the Croucher Science Education Outreach Allowance) where she is part of an organising team to help York succeed in its first time participating in the global City Nature Challenge!