07/14/2026
🎓 Congratulations, Dr. Kaiya Tamlyn!
It’s with so much pride that we celebrate Kaiya, who recently completed her PhD in HDNR. As founding President of our Graduate Student Organization and creator of “Lunch Club,” Kaiya built community from the ground up, helping students, faculty, and staff connect over shared meals and purpose. As our student representative on the Graduate Committee, she brought thoughtful, grounded input to every conversation.
Her dissertation, Nature, Connectedness, & Collaboration: Pathways Toward Collective Well-being, explored how connecting with nature and collaborating across disciplines can drive positive outcomes for people and the planet.
Next up: Kaiya continues her work with the Collective for Nature Immersion Science and Practice, only now at the University of Vermont, leading research on the health and well-being benefits of time in nature, and helping build bridges between researchers and practitioners in the field.
Thank you for everything you brought to HDNR, Kaiya. We can’t wait to see where this next chapter takes you! 🌿