Melissa Sevigny
Science & Technology ReporterMelissa joined KNAU's team in 2015 to report on science, health, and the environment. Her work has appeared nationally on NPR and has been featured on Science Friday.
Before joining KNAU, Melissa worked as a science communicator in the fields of space exploration, western water policy, and sustainable agriculture. She was the education and public outreach specialist for the Phoenix Mars Mission, which landed on Mars in 2008. She has a bachelor's degree in environmental science from the University of Arizona and a master of fine arts in environmental writing from Iowa State University.
She grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where she fell in love with the ecology and geology of the Sonoran desert. She enjoys hiking, reading, and gardening.
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The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has called for the seven states of the Colorado River Basin to make immediate, steep cuts in their water use. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, Monday is the deadline for the states to finalize their plans, but the call has been met with confusion and dismay. -
Three environmental groups have published a report that calls for major upgrades to the infrastructure of Glen Canyon Dam in the face of long-running drought. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.
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Emory oak trees in the Mogollon Rim country of Arizona have begun to disappear. Their loss means the loss of a cherished tradition of the Apache people, who prize Emory oak acorns for food. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, tribal elders, foresters, and scientists teamed up to try to save the tree, and with it, a vital piece of Apache culture.
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Most people think of a drought as a long, slow-moving disaster. But there is a growing number of “flash droughts” around the world. Like flash floods, these are short, intense events that arrive without warning. Flash droughts can develop in less than week and bring intense heat and dryness.
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Two different meteor showers will mingle in the skies tonight and through the weekend. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports on why it’s the best chance to see shooting stars this summer.
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A team led by a University of Arizona scientist has traced the source of the COVID-19 virus to a wildlife market in China. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports on the research, published this week in Science.
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Visitation to Arizona’s national parks and monuments dropped dramatically during the first year of the pandemic, but a federal report shows the numbers are climbing again. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.
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Northern Arizona Healthcare plans to build a “health and wellness village” in Flagstaff. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, the proposed facilities include a new hospital with expanded capacity to serve patients from Flagstaff, the Navajo Nation, and rural areas of Northern Arizona.
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The space beneath solar panels is often thought to be bare, wasted ground. But what if it could be used to grow crops and graze livestock? That’s the idea behind agrivoltaics.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show high levels of COVID-19 transmission throughout most of Arizona, including all counties in the northern half of the state.
