This course provides hands-on experience writing a research proposal for external funding and a suitable foundation from which to craft your dissertation proposal. The syllabus is structured to scaffold writing the key parts of a research proposal, each deliverable that you will submit will form a part of the final proposal. Our class meetings are run in seminar format, where we will discuss components of the research proposal and the nature of the research landscape, guided by a selection of readings. We also use our class meetings for peer-review workshops where you review each other's ongoing proposal writing.
This course examines the ways that ecological systems function in the urban environment. The intertwined relationships between humans and so-called natural systems are explored, leading to an understanding of the effects of human activity on the biotic and abiotic components of urban systems. The course includes field trips to urban landscapes that are emblematic of the confluence of social, cultural, and environmental forces in the city. Geospatial analysis and mapping are incorporated to spatialize the complex and dynamic systems present in urban ecologies. This course will also help students develop a solid, hands-on understanding of the use and application of geographic information systems to: acquire technical skills in the use of advanced GIS software; perform qualitative and quantitative skills in data and document gathering; analyze information and perform spatial calculations; investigate the potential and practicality of GIS technologies in several scenario-based settings to real-world applications.
Co-production, transdisciplinarity, and fostering spaces of authentic co-learning in knowledge exchanges are core pedagogic principles of my work that are critical for building inclusive policy solutions. Here are two signature programs that I created and co-lead:
NaturePLACE (People, Landscapes, Arts, Creativity, Ecologies) Collaborative Arts Program builds understanding and engagement in social-ecological systems through arts. It fosters transdisciplinary collaboration between artists, scientists, and land managers focused on sustainability challenges. And it curate events and public programs that explore ideas emerging from these collaborations. It began in New York City and expanded to other locations around the country and world. Over nine years we have engaged 35 artists and fostered a durable network of collaborators, co-authored peer-reviewed articles, and created public exhibitions.
By curating relationships rather than commissioning artwork, our goal is to promote collaboration throughout all stages of knowledge production. We have found that artists pose provocative or critical questions not often considered by practitioners. Engaging in diverse media, artists use many modes of perception, including multisensory, embodied approaches that work on emotional registers. And artists engage the public in novel ways that go beyond one-way flows of science communication. For these reasons, artists are key collaborators for unlocking sustainability pathways.
Stewardship Salons, have a goal of increasing capacity for place-based caretaking of the environment from a biocultural lens. The Stewardship Salon concept drew inspiration from a workshop called “Learning from Place” that brought Kekuhi Kealiikanakaoleohaililani, a Native Hawaiian kumu (expert teacher) and her learners from Hawai’i to exchange with NYC practitioners. Kekuhi encouraged us to organize our own community to be in dialogue with different ways of knowing and Indigenous practices.
These Salons foster a relational, practitioner network for voices in natural resources stewardship that aim to learn from place and learn from each other. As a co-learning space, the salons uplift biocultural stewardship approaches and local ecological knowledge that is not often centered in natural resource arenas. This has provided inspiration, capacity building, and new networks to combat burnout and isolation that can set in among practitioners.