Sara LoTemplio

Sara B. LoTemplio

Assistant Professor, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.Profile URL

I grew up just north of New York’s scenic Adirondack Mountains and spent a lot of time interacting with nature. I studied both environmental science and psychology in my undergrad, and while I very much enjoyed my time out in the field identifying coral samples or under the microscope looking at aquatic invertebrates, I have always been most fascinated by how people interact with the environments; what we gain from nature, why we love nature, and how and if we choose to protect it. Additionally, I have always been fascinated by the brain! Therefore, I pursued and completed my PhD in Dr. Dave Strayer’s Applied Cognition Lab (ACL) at the University of Utah. Over my five years in the ACL, we became some of the first to record event-related brain potentials outside in nature, providing preliminary evidence of restored attentional resources in nature.

Before my PhD, I am proud to have worked for the Keystone Science School, an educational nonprofit that teaches environmental science to children and educators, as well as the Green Mountain Club, where I spent time as a summit steward on the Long Trail.

Outside-of-work hobbies include: hiking/trail running, skiing, biking, and rock climbing. I also enjoy cooking, taking my dog for a walk or run, listening to podcasts, and reading.

Research

Research Article

Nature images are more visually engaging than urban images: evidence from neural oscillations in the brain

| Frontiers in Human Neuroscience | Volume 19

Research Article

Immersion in nature decreases neural sensitivity to extrinsic reward

| Journal of Environmental Psychology | Volume 102

Research Article

Healthy by Nature: Policy Practices Aimed at Maximizing the Human Behavioral Health Benefits of Nature Contact

| Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences | Volume 10, Issue 2

Research Article

Do Mental Health Changes in Nature Co-occur with Changes in Heartrate Variability and Executive Functioning? A Systematic Review

| Current Environmental Health Reports | Volume 10, Issue 3

Research Article

Improvements in Depressive Symptoms in Nature May Be Partly Caused by Improvements in Vagal Tone: A Review and Theoretical Perspective

| Ecopsychology | Ahead of Print

Research Article

Measuring affect and complex working memory in natural and urban environments

| Frontiers in Psychology | Volume 14: 1039334

Research Article

Toward a unified model of stress recovery and cognitive restoration in nature

| Parks Stewardship Forum | Volume 37, Issue 1