Lydia Jennings is from the Pascua Yaqui and Huichol Nations, and a PhD student in the Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science, with a Minor in American Indian Policy. Lydia earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Science, Technology and Policy at California State University, Monterey Bay. Lydia works in Dr. Raina Maier’s Environmental Microbiology Group to identify soil health biogeochemical indicators of soil reclamation, in order to make modern mining reclamation more effective and cost efficient. Additionally, Lydia is interested in how policy has placed many mines on/or bordering tribal nations and extraction on public lands.