Rate My Professor Lorena Alves Carvalho Nascimento

Lorena Alves Carvalho Nascimento serves as a GIS instructor in the Geoscience faculty at Portland Community College (PCC), based at the Sylvania Campus within the Social Sciences and Human Development Division. She earned her PhD in Urban Studies from Portland State University after relocating from Brazil to Portland for her graduate studies. Her dissertation, "Nature-based solutions in environmental planning: ecosystem-based adaptations, green infrastructures, and ecosystem services to promote diversity in urban landscapes," explores ecosystem-based approaches to foster diversity in urban settings. As a geospatial instructor, she teaches courses including GEO 170 and GEO 265: Introduction to GIS, emphasizing practical applications of geospatial technologies. Nascimento is affiliated with PCC's Center of Artificial Intelligence & Cultural Computing, where she investigates AI-driven data storytelling, Afrofuturism, and narratives advancing environmental justice and data empowerment.

Her academic interests center on geospatial technologies, environmental justice, environmental social governance, multicultural ecosystem services, urban forestry management, and nature-based solutions. Key publications include "Integrating diverse perspectives for managing neighborhood trees and urban ecosystem services in Portland, OR (US)" in Land (2021, co-authored with V. Shandas) and "Exploring the inclusion of multicultural ecosystem services values in environmental planning" in Nature-Based Solutions (2024, co-authored with P. Fung). Her research addresses the Western criminalization, acculturation, and cultural appropriation of Black and Indigenous values related to cultural ecosystem services, such as knowledge systems, spirituality, and recreation. Nascimento has documented graffiti as a form of resistance and cultural expression through mapping projects in Rio de Janeiro, New Orleans, and Portland, culminating in the 2024 PCC exhibition "Graffiti as Resistance" in collaboration with Cherise Frehner. She participates in initiatives like the GIS Leaders Committee, contributing to regional geospatial efforts and discussions on climate justice and habitable cities.