Primary Research Interests
Dr. Spiegal is a Range Management Specialist at the USDA-ARS Range Management Research Unit in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where she conducts collaborative research to understand the effects of agricultural management strategies on environmental, economic, and social sustainability outcomes in US agriculture. Connections among the distant links of the US beef supply chain are a primary focus, from ranching in the Southwest, to grain finishing in the Great Plains, to marketing nationwide. With an eye toward recycling as a basic component of sustainability, she investigates prospects for recycling manure nutrients in the manuresheds surrounding livestock feeding sites.
Professional Experience
- 2015-2019 - Post-doctoral Research Animal Scientist, USDA-ARS, Jornada Experimental Range, Las Cruces, NM
- Spring 2015 - Graduate Student Instructor, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
- 2008-2015 - Graduate Student Researcher, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
- 2009-2010 - Student Trainee, USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service, Petaluma, CA
- 2000-2008 - Fundraiser, National Audubon Society, New York, NY; Los Angeles, CA; Emeryville, CA
Education
- 2015 - Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
- 2010 - M.S., University of California, Berkeley, Range Management
- 2000 - B.A., Connecticut College, Environmental Studies
Synergistic Activities
- Co-Project Director, Sustainable Southwest Beef Coordinated Agricultural Project
- Co-Lead, LTAR Manureshed Project
- Lead, LTAR Indicators Working Group
- Past Chair, Rangeland Ecology Section, Ecological Society of America
- California Certified Associate Rangeland Manager, California-Pacific Section, Society for Range Management and California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection
