Molly Jenkins using methodology to map community resilience

Molly Jenkins

ORISE Participant,
Translational Science and Outreach for EnviroAtlas at US EPA
jenkins.molly@epa.gov
Molly’s LinkedIn

Favorite Place

My neighborhood is heavily forested, and I love that about it – I’m grateful that my neighbors have opted to keep forests in lieu of lawn space.

What was your first interaction with a school-community partnership project?

It was actually a student-run food cooperative at the University of Delaware, my alma mater. The co-op was called “The Down to Earth Food Co-op”, and it brought together a lot of students and community members during community dinner nights. That was my first glimpse of what a community-student alliance could look like, however small. It definitely showed me that community members and students didn’t have to live in enmity, and that these alliances could mobilize into unifying political will at local scales.

How did you first learn about EPIC-N?

I learned about EPIC-N almost as soon as I was brought on at the EPA for my fellowship. My host project, EnviroAtlas, has a strong relationship with EPIC-N.

What are some of the top priorities you are working on this year?

Community resilience is my big priority. Everything I do is effectively feeding into that.

In what ways are you looking to engage, or work with others, either from within the EPIC-Network, or in general?

I’m looking to learn more qualitative methodology and get other ideas and perspectives on how to do robust qualitative methodologies. I’m working with EPIC-N to pilot my community resilience analyses and storytelling with my research team.

Why do you think the EPIC-Network is important?

It’s important for universities to give back to the communities in which they are instituted and rooted. EPIC-N provides the infrastructure and framework to do that.

What is your favorite part of the EPIC-Network?

The people – I think EPIC-N definitely brings people together.

What led you to participate within the EPIC-Network in your current capacity?

During the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021, I’ll be working with EPIC-N staff to pilot my community resilience analyses and storytelling with my research team.