Benjamin Duerr

Background

About Benjamin Duerr

I completed an MS degree in Sustainability Studies in May, 2025. My capstone research project was written during and after Hurricane Helene and encapsulates the complacency that resulted in western North Carolina’s devastation. My project also detailed how intentional flood infrastructure saved lives and reduced flood severity. As I continue to work with RiverLink as their Education Coordinator, I have the opportunity to survey creeks and rivers across western North Carolina. I continue to write, record, and hypothesize on various perspectives of the 2024 storm. My undergraduate research project focused on the Attention Restoration Theory which posits that Nature’s wealth of stimuli has a restorative effect which strengthens focus ability and retention of information. I studied how green spaces, and respites in nature, relieve and restore one’s ability to employ directed attention. I learned that time spent in green spaces is especially helpful for neurodiverse individuals. This research supported my passion and success as Riverlink’s Education Coordinator. In this role, I introduce schoolchildren to the fascinating aspects of stream ecosystems so that they will want to advocate for their protection. We examine macroinvertebrate populations to determine the overall health of streams; students become aware of food webs and the importance of biodiversity. I use an interactive stream table model to demonstrate how streams form and alter environments. Children also learn the water cycle; this knowledge will be helpful as climate change continues to cause disruptive precipitation events