Jennifer Alford

Dr. Jennifer B. Alford is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and the Director of the Water Resources Institute at CSUSB. She is also the incoming Associate Director for Research for the CSU WATER Affinity group. Her teaching focuses on hydrology related to water quality, environmental sustainability, policy, environmental education and community engagement. Her courses often incorporate high impact practices including service based learning, community based research, environmental education and partnering with numerous community organizations so students can gain real-world experiences while completing courses. Her community partners include non-profit and government organizations across the San Bernardino National Forests, the Inland Empire Resources Conservation District, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District among many other community partnerships. 

Dr. Alford's research centers on monitoring and protecting surface water resources at the river basin and headwater stream watersheds scales across the Cape Fear River Basin in North Carolina and across the San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF) in Southern California. She currently monitors 23 sites across the SBNF for over 10 water quality metrics and is working with graduate students to develop an online mapping tool that displays water quality data to educate the community and to protect public and ecological health. She also collaborates with local, regional and state wide organizations to enhance environmental education opportunities for the public and K-12 settings across the Southern California region with current focus on the San Bernardino National Forest. 

Additionally, Dr. Alford works with the CSU Water Resources and Policy Institute (WRPI) to survey and identify water resources needs in disadvantaged and tribal communities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties and related river basins. Her most recent publication with Dr. James Fenelon (CSUSB Sociology) highlights avenues for changing the unsustainable trajectory of the Anthropocene by promote grass-roots, community-level sustainability through the adoption of Indigenous ideologies that balance human needs with ecological services. 

Geography has played a vital role in Dr. Alford's teaching, research and service endeavors. For example, understanding how water quality changes within a river basin or along a stream is vital to identifying pollution inputs and developing strategies to mitigate harmful impacts to water resources. Although this knowledge can be applied using GIS technology, it is the field data collection and experiences that are most impactful to understanding the spatial and temporal characteristics of water quality. As a result, Dr. Alford often includes students in her research endeavors so that they can learn to appreciate the value of geography in resolving real-world issues. In addition to her role with WRI and WRPI, Dr. Alford has also applied her geographical knowledge in several roles at CSUSB including serving as Co-Chair of the Sustainability Taskforce, as Faculty Associate for the Office of Community Engagement, Co-Director of the Faculty Center for Excellence, and Faculty Advisor for the Masters of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Masters of Social Science programs.