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AESS News Bulletins

AESS Announces 2023 Award Winners

Contact: Carolyn Anthon

canthon@aessonline.org 

Office: (202) 503-4638 

July 21, 2023

For immediate release

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) recognized three recipients of the 2023 AESS Awards during the AESS Annual Conference, July 9-12, 2023. Since 2010, these awards have recognized faculty, scholars and students in Environmental Studies and Sciences at all career stages who exemplify the highest standards of teaching, scholarship and service to the AESS community.

The Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences is a scholarly and professional organization that promotes interdisciplinary research, teaching and service for faculty and students in the more than 1,000 Environmental academic programs nationwide and beyond.  

2023 Award Recipients

Dr. James Proctor has been awarded the William R. Freudenburg Lifetime Achievement Award.  Named for an AESS founder, Dr. William R. Freudenburg, this Award seeks to recognize and advance the spirit of AESS co-founder, the late Professor William R. Freudenburg, who spawned a new generation of environmental professionals and academics who have pursued interdisciplinary research to address some of the most pressing issues of our time. Through this award, AESS honors members of the profession who have also devoted their lives to strengthening our field by mentoring the next generation of environmental scientists and activists. Jim Proctor is a Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at Lewis & Clark College, with a broad academic background spanning the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, and research interests in environmental theory. For over 30 years, Jim has been an innovative and productive scholar in Environmental Studies, an attentive and creative teacher in the ES classroom, and a generous and supportive mentor to many others in our interdisciplinary space. Jim was one of the founding members of AESS, and has written extensively about the discipline itself as well as many essential ideas in ESS, including social constructivism, environmental education, ideological conflict, and ethics. Most recently, he has developed the Ecotypes survey, an impressive synthesis of a variety of foundational ideas in ESS, and he is also heading the AESS Frameworks Project, a group working to understand and improve how ideological frameworks are understood and deployed in ESS classrooms. He has an incredible ability to bring people together around interesting topics and to create meaningful products from those efforts.

Dr. Lisa Powell has been awarded the AESS Early Career Award. This Award recognizes outstanding accomplishments and promising future potential for teaching, research, policy, or activism in any field of environmental science and studies.  Through this award, AESS honors individuals who are early in their careers, but have made significant contributions to knowledge, community and diversity in environmental studies and science, and have a career plan and trajectory that promise to continue and bolster such contributions. Lisa Powell is Director of the Center for Human and Environmental Sustainability, and Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Agriculture at Sweet Briar College in Virginia. Lisa is an interdisciplinary scholar of environments and food systems, whose research, teaching, and program development work weaves together her training in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, as well as her life-long involvement in her family’s farm. In her role as Director of Sweet Briar’s Center for Human and Environmental Sustainability, Lisa collaborates with students, faculty, staff, and surrounding communities on sustainability initiatives. She leads the academic and community-focused aspects of SBC’s agricultural areas, including the greenhouse, apiary, vineyard, garden, and forests. As a researcher, Lisa pursues a range of questions that all ultimately address human-environment relationships, most frequently in the contexts of food systems, policy, land use, and education.

Our Student Paper Award winner is Mr Peizhe Li . The AESS Student Paper Award recognizes the potential in graduate student research to create new insights and impact in environmental science and studies, and to engage with environmental policy, practice, and education.

Peizhe Li’s paper is titled “Climate adaptation planning for cultural heritages in coastal tourism destinations: A multi-objective optimization approach.” Peizhe Li is a graduate research and teaching assistant in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management at North Carolina State University. His research interests include human dimension of climate change, adaptation planning for cultural heritages, and tourists’ stress, emotions, and coping. He is passionate about addressing and exploring environmental and social issues of tourism and park management through research, education, and community engagement. We look forward to his continued impact on the world of ESS, as well as participation in the AESS Community.

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2023 Election Results

Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences Announces New Board Members

Contact: Carolyn Anthon

support@aessonline.org 

Office: (202) 503-4638 

June 15, 2023

For immediate release

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s elections. The candidates below were selected by their peers earlier this month, with the results certified by the AESS Elections committee. 

President-Elect: Susan Caplow 

Board at-large: Laureen Elgert, Laura Henry-Stone, Nirav Patel

Nominations Committee: Nurcan Atlan-Helicke, Elly Engle, Joy Yu-Rong Liu

The new members come from wide ranging backgrounds including a forest ecologist, an environmental justice professor and a social scientist. We have individuals joining us from across the entire United States, from New York to Alabama and across to Arizona. The newly elected board, some who have served on the board previously, expressed honor and gratitude at serving AESS in their new positions. 

“It is a huge honor to be selected to serve as the President Elect for the Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences,” Susan Caplow said. “AESS has always been such a welcoming community for me, a place where I have been able to collaboratively explore the unique challenges and opportunities inherent to interdisciplinary environmental programs.” 

Nirav Patel, an expert in experiential learning, shared that AESS has offered a welcoming platform since the beginning for all environmental areas. “I am deeply aware of the challenges many members of our profession face, especially those in underrepresented groups. I am excited to work with the members and the president elect on designing programs that can allow talented, creative, and diverse voices to emerge.”

As coordinator of McDaniel College’s Agrifood Program, Elly Engle examines ways in which community-led food initiatives contribute to localized sustainable development and socio-ecological justice. She expressed gratitude for the AESS community for giving her “support like no other professional organization.” She said she looks forward to returning this support for others in her new service role on the board.

The newly elected will officially take office following the close of the annual AESS conference, which is being held in Portland, OR July 9-12, 2023. To find out more about the elected, visit AESS’s election page

Thank you to the Nominations Committee, who is responsible for recruiting and nominating candidates for elective offices. Learn more about AESS Committees. If you wish to serve on a committee, email support@aessonline.org. All AESS members are welcome to serve!

The Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences is a scholarly and professional organization that promotes interdisciplinary research, teaching and service for faculty and students in the more than 1,000 Environmental academic programs nationwide and beyond.

https://aessonline.org/2023-election-results/

Board President Elect

Susan Caplow

Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Montevallo

It is a huge honor to be selected to serve as the President Elect for the Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences. AESS has always been such a welcoming community for me, a place where I have been able to collaboratively explore the unique challenges and opportunities inherent to interdisciplinary environmental programs. In this role, I look forward to exploring ways to expand AESS’s reach and improve our services to the ESS community.

 

Board At-Large

Laureen Elgert

Professor, Environmental Policy and International Development
Department Head, Integrative and Global Studies
Global School, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Laura Henry-Stone

Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences and Sustainability, University of Lynchburg

Nirav Patel

Lecturer, Binghamton University, Department of Environmental Studies and Sustainability


Nominations Committee

Nurcan Atlan-Helicke

Associate Professor in Environmental Studies and Sciences, Skidmore

Elly Engle

Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, McDaniel College

Joy Yu-Rong Liu

Independent Consultant, International Development and Environmental Studies in Higher Education
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DEI internship

Diversity Equity and Inclusion Internship

Introduction

The Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) is an independent professional association that serves the needs of environmental scholars, educators, students, and professionals who value interdisciplinary approaches to research, teaching, and problem-solving. We’re excited to offer an internship focused on addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion within AESS. This intern will work with the AESS diversity committee on implementing DEI strategies in the AESS strategic plan. Individuals from historically marginalized groups are highly encouraged to apply. 

Internship Terms 

  • The intern will commit to working an average of 7 hours a week for 15 weeks from June 1 to August 31, 2023. Preference will be given to those who can commit to a second semester in the fall of 2023. Start and end dates are negotiable, as well as flexible time distribution to accommodate the student’s academic schedule and personal commitments. 
  • The internship is fully remote. 
  • The intern will report to Katherine Hasnain, co-chair of the AESS diversity committee as well as a faculty member at their home institution.  The intern will participate in the AESS diversity committee and have access to mentorship from the committee members. 
  • Course credit is available with arrangement with the student’s academic institution. We encourage students to apply for funding from their institution or other sources. In addition, the intern will receive 1-year membership and complimentary registration to the annual AESS Conference.

Duties

The following is a list of possible projects and tasks that the intern can work on; they are neither exhaustive nor imperative. Exact responsibilities are to be negotiated between the supervisor and intern based on the supervisor’s needs and intern abilities. 

Programming 

  • Lead the preparation of a diversity panel at the AESS conference
  • Lead the preparation of a diversity roundtable at the AESS conference
  • Assist with diversity programming at the AESS conference in Portland, July 9-13

Research 

  • Compile resources for teaching environmental justice
  • Gather case studies of DEI programs in environmental studies
  • Research funding opportunities and assist with fundraising
  • Be involved in the planning and execution of a webinar series 

Administrative 

  • Weekly check-in or co-work with the intern supervisor 
  • Attend AESS Diversity Committee monthly meetings 
  • Help create meeting agendas, set up meeting times, take notes, distribute notes, and follow up on action items 

Qualifications

  • The candidate must be enrolled in an undergraduate/graduate program at an accredited higher education institution. International students may apply. 
  • Demonstrated interest in environmental issues and social justice. 
  • Demonstrated experience managing projects and organizing events, especially those relating to environmental and/or DEI issues. 
  • Because this internship is fully remote, it requires a highly motivated person who has the ability to work independently with minimal supervision. 
  • The individual will ideally be able to attend the in-person AESS conference in Portland, July 9-13. If unable to physically attend, the individual is expected to attend virtually and assist with events remotely. 

Application

Please apply by filling out this Google form. Please apply by May 15, 2023. Final consideration is May 31, 2023. If you have difficulty with the google form, please email cover letter, resume, and a writing sample to Katherine Hasnain <katherinehasnain@gmail.com> and Clara Fang cfang@antioch.edu.

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Nominations Open for AESS Board and Committee

Nominations for the 2023 AESS Elections are open!

The AESS Nomination Committee is looking for enthusiastic and energetic AESS members to run for office next year. Nominations are due by March 20, 2023. SUBMIT FORM

Open positions beginning in 2023 will include:

  • (1) President-Elect (2023-2024), then President (2024-2025) & Past President (2025-2026)
  • (3) Board Member-At-Large (2023-2025)
  • (3) Nominations Committee Member-At-Large (2023-2025)

 

Serving in a professional organization is a great opportunity to build leadership skills, expand your professional network, and to help AESS grow and thrive.

Note that any nominees selected for the 2023 ballot will be asked to confirm or renew their AESS member status. Visit https://aessonline.org/#myaccount today to review your current membership status or become a new member!

Position descriptions including estimated time commitments are detailed on our elections webpage.  If you’re interested, please fill out and submit your self-nomination and candidate statement using this form. If you have questions, please contact Devin Judge-Lord, Nominations Chair via support@aessonline.org.

 

The nominations committee is responsible for recruiting and nominating candidates for the elective offices of the Association. Nominations Committee. In identifying candidates for positions, the Nominations Committee seeks to assure the representation of the Association’s diversity of membership, in terms of age, gender, racial and ethnic background, substantive interest, field of work, type of employing institutions, and other considerations.

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AESS Student Research Symposium

AESS Student Research Symposium: Feb 24, 2023

Proposal Due January 20, 2023.

The Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) invites proposals for a special symposium focused on students and their accomplishment. The primary purpose of this student focused event is to provide a forum for students across the globe to present their original research in brief, 3-4 minute “poster” presentations, to the broader environmental community – that is, beyond their own university – and facilitate networking for future opportunities in research and practice.

Symposia will be held in a virtual format on Friday, February 24th, 2023, ahead of the in-person meeting for AESS annual conference to be held in Portland in July 9-12, 2023. 

The virtual format provides unique opportunities to engage a diversity of speakers (and likewise audience) with wide geographic representation.

  1. Proposed symposium topics should support the Association’s goal to advance communication across boundaries and strengthen research in environmental studies and sciences.
  2. The deadline to apply is January 20th, 2023, by 5pm ET.
  3. Please submit proposals no later than 17:00 pm Eastern Time on January 20, 2023. 
  4. Proposal authors must include the name and contact information for a faculty or other mentor who has advised their research and/or will agree to mentor them as they develop their talk.
  5. Use the link below to review submission guidelines and registration details.

Student Poster Symposium – AESSOnline.org

In line with the AESS commitment to diversity, we encourage submissions from students from diverse backgrounds, institutions, career stages, geography, gender, race etc. to present their work and research ideas at this symposium to advance their professional needs and development.

The selection committee will evaluate proposals based on the likelihood of attracting a substantial audience, the significance and timeliness of the topic, and on the topic’s convergence to the evolving environmental science and studies scope of study. All applicants will be notified of the decision by January 31, 2023.

Questions?  Feel free to contact Dr. Nirav S. Patel and Dr. Valerie Rountree

email events@aessonline.org

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JESS ISSUE NOTIFICATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THE SEPTEMBER 2022 ISSUE OF THE JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND SCIENCES. Access via Springer.

Volume 12, issue 3, September 2022

22 articles in this issue

  1. Assessing the quantity and toxicity of chemical releases from TRI facilities in Upstate New York

    Authors (first, second and last of 4)

    • Amanda T. Charette
    • Dustin T. Hill
    • Jaime E. Mirowsky
    • Content type:Original Article
    • Published: 31 March 2022
    • Pages: 417 – 429
  2. Shades of green: environmental action in places of worship

    Authors

    • Charles Caldwell
    • Natalie Probstein
    • Tanhum Yoreh
    • Content type:Research Article
    • Published: 15 April 2022
    • Pages: 430 – 452
  3. Conveying environmental information to fishers: a smartphone application on marine protected areas

    Authors (first, second and last of 9)

    • Fabrizio D’Ascenzo
    • Andrea Rocchi
    • Clara Cicatiello
    • Content type:Original Article
    • Published: 18 January 2022
    • Pages: 453 – 465
  4. Environmental safety of residents of Yakutsk and Zhatay: evidence from sociological research

    Authors (first, second and last of 8)

    • Olga Krivoshapkina
    • Alexandra Yakovleva
    • Ol’ga Kunickaya
    • Content type:Original Article
    • Published: 07 May 2022
    • Pages: 566 – 576
  5. Regional scale analysis of land cover dynamics in Kerala over last two decades through MODIS data and statistical techniques

    Authors

    • Vijith H.
    • Ninu Krishnan MV.
    • Alhassan Sulemana
    • Content type:Original Article
    • Published: 17 May 2022
    • Pages: 577 – 593
  6. Stakeholder mapping and promotion of Sustainable Development Goals in local management

    Authors

    • Abril Catzín-Tamayo
    • Oscar Frausto-Martínez
    • Lucinda Arroyo-Arcos
    • Content type:Review Article
    • Published: 12 April 2022
    • Pages: 611 – 626

 

Note: AESS Members receive full access to JESS. If you would like to become a member to access JESS, join today!

To submit a piece for publication, review guidelines.

 

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Environmental Studies Catalog

Polity 2022 Environmental Studies Catalog Now Online

This year’s catalogue showcases all of Polity’s new and recent environmental studies titles, including:

Key features

  • Fully searchable, from cover to cover
  • Each entry is hyperlinked to the related page on our website
  • Ordering books and examination copies is easy

Our textbooks are available as e-texts via major e-book platforms.

If you are interested in adopting any of our books as an e-textbook, please get in touch with us at usmarketing@politybooks.com.

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2022 Election Results

Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences Announces New Board Members

Contact: Carolyn Anthon

support@aessonline.org 

Office: (202) 503-4638 

May 26, 2022

For immediate release

Baltimore, MD — The Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s elections. The candidates below were selected by their peers earlier this month, with the results certified by the AESS Elections committee. 

President-Elect: Karin Warren 

Board Treasurer: Dave Hassenzahl

Board at-large: Katherine Hasnain, Theresa Selfa, Zipangani Vokhiwa

Nominations Committee: Christine Kirchhoff, Brieanne Berry, Christina Downs (Student)

The new members come from wide ranging backgrounds including a natural scientist, a former livestock officer and an archeology technician. We have individuals joining us from across the entire United States, from Maine and Florida all the way to California. The newly elected board, some who have served on the board previously, expressed honor and gratitude at serving AESS in their new positions. 

“I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity to serve as President-Elect with AESS President Kat Owens and continuing and new AESS Board members,” said Karin Warren. “I respect the potential and power of shared vision and collaborative leadership and look forward to helping to increase participation and engagement in our organization and inclusion of a diversity of perspectives and experiences.”

Brieanne Berry, whose research focuses on systems of production/consumption/disposal, said, “I’m so thrilled to join AESS in this capacity and look forward to strengthening and growing this vibrant organization!”

Dave Hassenzahl brings a wealth of experience to the AESS board as he previously served as president and secretary and he is also one of the founding members of AESS. In his new role as treasurer, he plans “to continue the good work of the outgoing treasurer by maintaining transparent, sustainable, and orderly finances.” 

The newly elected will officially take office following the close of the annual AESS conference, which is being held in Baltimore from June 20-22. 

Thank you to the Nominations Committee, chaired by Erin Burkett, who is responsible for recruiting and nominating candidates for elective offices. Learn more about AESS Committees. If you wish to serve on a committee, email support@aessonline.org. All AESS members are welcome to serve!

The Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences is a scholarly and professional organization that promotes interdisciplinary research, teaching and service for faculty and students in the more than 1,000 Environmental academic programs nationwide and beyond.  

To find out more about the elected, visit AESS’s election page.

Board President Elect

Karin Warren

Herzog Family Chair of Environmental Studies & Science, Randolph College


Board Treasurer

Dave Hassenzahl

Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, California State University, Chico


Board At-Large

Katherine Hasnain

MSc student in Environmental Policy at the London School of Economics, and 2022 Yale Environmental Fellow

Theresa Selfa

Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental Studies, SUNY-ESF

Zipangani Vokhiwa

Professor of Science, Mercer University


Nominations Committee

Christine Kirchhoff

 Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental   Engineering, University of Connecticut

Brieanne Berry

Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Ursinus College

Christina Downs

MA graduate Interdisciplinary Studies major with Anthropology and Environmental Sustainability concentrations, University of Central Florida
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AESS Statement on IPCC Sixth Climate Change Report

Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences Statement on the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report 

March 10, 2022

According to the update of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report on climate change released 28 February 2022, we may soon lose the ability to adapt to our changing climate if we do not curb emissions from fossil fuels. In addition, oil and gas exports fund Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering arguments in a case that will likely decide the ability of federal agencies to regulate carbon pollution from the power sector.

The Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) stands firmly behind the consensus on climate science and the need to accelerate our efforts to study, mitigate, and adapt to the climate emergency. We support any and all efforts to conduct research, educate, and advocate for policies and equitable solutions to the climate crisis. We urge all affiliated institutions and cooperatives at AESS to work with us in supporting interdisciplinary and equitable approaches to tackling these intersectional challenges.

The following are ways you can take action:

The time is short, but change is still possible. We already have all the solutions we need to avert this crisis. We call upon all institutions and entities to act strongly and decisively in response to this collective challenge. To connect with us at our conference this June 20-22, visit https://aessconference.org/. For resources provided by AESS, visit AESSOnline.org.

See AESS’s other response to the IPCC report.

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Statement HBCU Threats

Statement on HBCU Threats During Black History Month

The Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences is deeply troubled and concerned that many historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have received bomb threats recently, including on the first day of February, which is recognized as Black History Month in the United States. We recognize these senseless threats are a coordinated attack being used as a tool to intimidate, harass, and traumatize the students, staff, and faculty of HBCUs. We stand in solidarity with our HBCU colleagues and support their right to a safe and healthy learning environment without intimidation.

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