Dr. Tala Awada is a professor of plant ecophysiology in the School of Natural Resources at UNL.
Dr. Awada specializes in studying the responses of plants and ecosystems to environmental stresses and climate change. Such studies are necessary to better understand and manage our ecosystems.
The main focus of her research has been on determining the ecological impacts of woody species expansion into semi-arid grasslands and riparian areas in Nebraska. She has been conducting several studies on the functional characteristics of dominant grasses, trees and shrubs in Nebraska and the Great Plains. In addition to her work in Nebraska, she has been collaborating with several researchers in Greece to determine the impacts of climate change on Mediterranean pine forests.
Nebraska Conservation Summit 