Lisa Trapp is a second year master’s student at Western Michigan University focusing on soundscape ecology. Her research explores temporal and spatial changes to soundscapes in grassland and forest ecosystems. Prior to returning to academia, Trapp managed a nature center and worked for an urban greening nonprofit. She enjoys experimenting with a variety of art mediums to facilitate innovative scientific communication. She was a student in the inaugural 2024 art+science course and now is the teaching assistant for the 25-26 cohort.

TSN Conference 2026

January 23rd, 2026 (Friday) // 11:20 am – 12:20 pm // Room 104 // Coalesce: Science and Art Collaborations to Foster Environmental Engagement // In a challenging environmental landscape, unconventional approaches to engage people in conservation are urgently needed. Our panel of science and art students and professors will share perspectives on teaching and research practices to provide new insights into environmental issues and creative conservation solutions. As educators, we’ve created an interdisciplinary program that provides students with experiences that bridge science and art, fostering creative problem solving. Science students learn to communicate not only facts but also stories and data visualizations that engage audiences. Art majors learn about ecological processes and ideas that can be fertile ground for artistic exploration. As researchers, we use scientific and conservation evidence, artificial intelligence, and kinetic imaging to tell stories of bird extinctions. Together, we practice making our disciplines more relatable to each other and by extension, more relatable to the public.