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Environmental Studies Department |
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Newsletter A Publication of Macalester's Environmental Studies Department
Alumni Survey In the summer of 2006, we sent out a survey to 311 Environmental Studies Alumni for whom we had email addresses. There were 132 surveys completed for a response rate of 42.4%. These results were put into our report to the department review team. Some of the questions and responses are: Indicate what you are currently doing:
What types of degree programs have you completed or are pursuing?
Did you complete more than one major at Macalester?
If you completed a semester long off-campus study program, how helpful has that experience turned out to be for the things you have done since graduating?
If you completed a capstone experience as part of your ES major, how helpful has that experience turned out to be for the things you have done since graduating?
Overall, how did the courses you took to complete your ES major compare to the Macalester courses you took outside of your ES major?
Alumni were also asked two open-ended questions about the ES major; "What aspect of your ES major and the overall ES Program have you found to be of greatest value to you since you have graduated?" and “What aspects of your ES major and the overall ES Program could have been better?” In typical Macalester fashion, the alumni wrote extensively. In the question about the greatest value, there were many responses about individual faculty members, individual courses and the interdisciplinary nature of the major. In relation to what could be improved in the ES major, a number of responses indicated the need for more courses and faculty and a department. There was also a call for more rigor in the curriculum and stronger connections to other departments. We hope we’re on the right track to improve these aspects of the department.
Department Review The Environmental Studies Department External Review took place on October 9-10, 2006. David Campbell from Grinnell College, Kathryn Morse from Middlebury College, and Tom Princen from the University of Michigan comprised the review team. While they were on campus, they met with the members of the Environmental Studies Department as well as the Environmental Studies Coordinating Committee, the Provost, Macalester student group members (MACCARES and MacBike), and ES majors. The review document plus the ES department's response can be found in the ES office. Some of the highlights are:
Department Chair Search During this school year, we conducted a search for a Department Chair. We were looking for a person with scholarly and teaching interest in Environmental Science or Physical Geography. We brought in five candidates during the spring semester who made research presentations, classroom presentations, and met with faculty and students. None of these candidates were quite what we were looking for so it was declared a failed search. It was decided to search for a climate scientist (appointment will be at the Assistant, Associate or Full Professor rank) next fall. For the next four years, Dan Hornbach (who was acting chair this year) will be the chair of the department.
Majors and Minors The number of Environmental Studies majors and minors has been growing steadily. We currently have 48 majors (20 seniors and 26 juniors) and 6 minors (3 seniors and 3 juniors).
Senior Graduation Pledge As in past years, Macalester graduates signed the Senior Graduation Pledge and wore green ribbons at this year's commencement ceremonies. This year 125 graduates of the class of 2007 signed the pledge. The graduation pledge states, "I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider or any organization for which I work."
EnviroThursday Attendance Over 850 This school year's EnviroThursday presentations attracted over 850 people. The last EnviroThursday of the school year was by Paul Douglas, Chief Meteorologist at WCCO-TV, and his talk was titled "A Threat and an Opportunity: Climate Change in Minnesota."
The rest of the EnviroThursdays included a wide range of topics:
EnviroThursdays take place every Thursday during the school year in Olin-Rice 250 at 12 noon.
Macalester's EcoHouse
Environmental Studies Faculty and Staff
Prof. Dan Hornbach, Chair During the 2006-2007 academic year, Dan Hornbach taught Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Science (in the fall as a first year class, and again in the spring). His Environmental Science classes conducted an Ecological Footprint Analysis of Macalester in the Fall and developed a draft sustainability plan in the spring. Dan was acting chair of Environmental Studies for the year and will become chair starting in June. Dan gave presentations at the North American Benthological Society meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, and at the St. Croix Research Rendezvous on his work with freshwater mussels in the St. Croix River. During the summer of 2006, Dan had five students working with him on this research, funded by his National Park Service grant. The students gave presentations at the St. Croix Research Rendezvous sponsored by the Science Museum of Minnesota. One student, Emily Kuschner, presented her work with co-sponsor Prof. Kelly MacGregor of the Geology Department at the Geological Society of America meetings in Philadelphia in the fall of 2006. For summer 2007, Dan will be back out in the St. Croix with five students (Suzy Szumowski, returning from last year, plus new mussel recruits, Alese Colehour, Skadi von Reis Crooks, Cassie Warren, and Lucia Wang) to continue his work for the National Park Service. The group will continue the long-term monitoring program on mussel populations in the river and will examine the habitat requirements for two federally endangered species of mussels. In addition Dan will visit the SIT study-away program “Mekong Delta: Natural and Cultural Ecology” in Vietnam. He will also travel to Antwerp Belgium to present a paper titled “Can Freshwater Mussel Density be Predicted by Complex Hydraulic Parameters?” at the World Malacological Congress. What’s Malacology? The study of mollusks! In the fall Dan will teach Environmental Science and a new joint-listed course with Biology – Lakes, Streams and Rivers. Dan taught the following classes during the 2006-07 school year:
Prof. Roopali Phadke In addition to the courses listed below, Roopali has been pursuing two research projects over the last year and through this summer. First, she is turning her dissertation research on dams and development in Roopali is supervising two student research projects this summer. Katie Clifford (ES Class of ’09) has been awarded a Lilly fellowship to study the role religious organizations are playing in combating global climate change. Anna Goldberg (ES Class of ’08) was awarded a Sielaff award this summer to study how non-government organizations in In the Fall, Roopali will teach a new course in the ES department – The Environmental Leadership Practicum. This course is a combined seminar and internship experience. Students in her upcoming Water and Power class will be participating in Macalester’s “Difficult Dialogues” project to discuss issues related to water, peace and conflict in the Roopali taught the following classes during the 2006-07 school year:
Prof. Chris Wells This summer Chris Wells will be putting together his third-year review file and working on writing a book, tentatively titled "Car Country." In the Fall Chris willl teach a section of his American Environmental History course as a first-year course--one of four first-year courses that are cross-listed with ES!--and in the Spring he will introduce the department's new Environmental Classics course. He will also remain involved with various campus sustainability projects, including EcoHouse and various Clean Energy Revolving Fund (CERF) projects. Chris will also serve on the advisory committee for the new Institute for Global Citizenship building, which is seeking LEED Platinum certification. Chris taught the following classes during the 2006-07 school year:
Prof. Jerald Dosch During the 2006-07 academic year Prof. Dosch taught courses in environmental science, ecology, ornithology, and, for the first time at Macalester, a two term course in winter ecology. The new winter ecology course was taught as an advanced topics seminar during the fall semester and then as an intensive 10-day field course in northern MN during the January break. Four students from the winter course, Janet Aubin, Ben Dickinson, Liz Goldsmith, and Anna Shamey, presented their research on the daily movement of zooplankton beneath the ice of Lake Itasca at the annual meeting of the Minnesota Academy of Science. Prof. Dosch also accompanied two Environmental Studies students, Ellie Rogers and Alese Colehour, to the EPA’s annual EP 3 conference in Washington, DC where they presented their research, “Regionally Appropriate Sustainable Design: Urban Green Roof Applications for Temperate Continental Climates.”
This summer Jerald Dosch will continue pursuing his research interests in post-agricultural forest succession in Costa Rica and historical levels of heavy metal pollutants in Common Loons collected in Minnesota. The Costa Rica project team, lead by Chris Peterson from the University of Georgia, published some of their work in the Journal of Tropical Ecology this spring and the loon project will be the subject of an article by Prof. Dosch in the journal Environmental History this summer. Jerald taught the following classes during the 2006-07 school year:
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