Environmental Studies Policy and Politics, Political Science professor

Hometown: Bombay, India, and Marlborough, Massachusetts.

Academic pathway: MA, South Asian Studies, Cornell University; PhD, Environmental Studies, University of California–Santa Cruz.

Professional interests: It’s taken me a decade or more to stitch it all together. My teaching and scholarship is fairly broad and includes international development, water and energy policy, and science and citizenship issues. I’ve also worked in the nonprofit world, which helps me think about how grassroots activism creates far-reaching political change. Recent sabbatical: My sabbatical was devoted to fieldwork and writing a new book titled Visual Democracy. This is about the challenge of siting— determining a site for—wind energy farms in rural America.

The problem: While there is broad social approval for wind energy development, there is very strong local opposition to the siting of these facilities. Local communities are concerned about a range of economic and environmental issues. Some see this opposition as NIMBYism (not-in-my-backyard). I believe it goes much deeper than accusations of elitism or paranoia. There are many people from all walks of life in rural America who are deeply concerned about how our landscapes are going to dramatically change to make way for more renewable energy development.

The politics: Although I am thrilled that the Obama administration is paving the way for a new energy path for America, these changes are going to require a large-scale cultural shift that will take time.

Student involvement: My entire “Environmental Politics” class gets involved in this work each spring semester when they track new controversial wind projects. During the summers, I usually hire two or three students to work in our lab group through my National Science Foundation grant.

Environmental Studies faculty: Environmental Studies is the only major at the college that crosses three academic divisions: natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Understanding our relationship with nature involves everything from psychology to physics. We take a holistic approach that asks students to go for both breadth and depth in pursuing their academic interests.

Why Mac for environmental studies: Our department is unusual in that our work rarely stops at the classroom door. As a community, faculty, students and staff are often out in the world putting our ideas to work and experimenting with new ways of living on this planet.

Currently reading: The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw. This is a story about a defiant woman, an endangered species, and a dam in Belize. I’ve assigned it as summer reading for a first-year seminar on “Water Science and Policy” that I am co-teaching with geologist Kelly MacGregor.

Free time: My husband and I are usually chasing after our two silly sons, Adri (5) and Kiran (8). I love working with them in the garden, bird-watching, or reading a good book out loud.

Always with you: I don’t carry a watch or a cell phone, but I do always have my bike to whisk me to where I am supposed to be.