FACULTY CORNER

PhD Faculty & Student Publication is Out!

Recent PhD grads, Abby Yost (PC faculty), Steve Sassaman, Katie Williams and Dr. Kim Greeson (PhD Faculty) wrote this paper.. It should be available online and social media shortly.

Greeson, K., Sassaman, S., Williams, K., & Yost, A. (2022). Unsettling colonial structures in education through community-centered praxis. Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs, 6(3), 1-16.

PhD Professor Gretchen Gano debates ethics at international bioengineering conference

Dr. Gretchen Gano, Coordinator of the Master of Arts of Interdisciplinary Studies and Chair of the College’s ethics review committee, the Institutional Review Board, was an invited participant in the first ever conference on navigating the future of synthetic biology: a field of science that involves redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities. Held in parallel with the 2022 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Grand Jamboree, the Responsibility Conference brought together international organizations, leading thinkers and key practitioners from many different disciplines and geographic communities to engage in conversation about ethics, biosafety and security, and the governance of emerging technologies. Dr. Gano studies research agenda setting and is interested in building capacity to define and pursue research “with and for” communities. She is guest editing an upcoming special issue on Community Based Critical Research for the Journal of Sustainability Education. See the Call for Papers here.

Congratulations PhD Scholar Joel Clegg!

Let's congratulate the PhD’s Joel Clegg on the Yale School of the Environment Climate Fellowship (getting kids excited about environmental stewardship at the Mystic Aquarium, specifically). Joel operationalized part of her culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogical model "The Pineapple Vision" to offer youth an interactive way to engage environmental stewardship in their own communities.

Dr. Dianna Gielstra and student Phoenix Haas submitted an abstract to present a virtual reality and geoheritage experience this March for a national conference!

Cerveny, N.V., Moorman, L., Gielstra, D & Haas, P.  (2023). Using virtual geoheritage field trips as a didactical tool to explore topics in geography: The Franklin Expedition, the Grand Canyon, and the City of Austin, Texas. American Association of Geographers. American Association of Geographers 2022 Annual Conference. March 23-27, 2023.

Phoenix will use their studies about the subcanyon geodiversity, geoheritage, and botany to guide the audience through an immersive experience. Dr. Lynn Moorman guides the audience through the complexities of the geodiversity and geoheritage of Beechey Island through the spatial story of the Franklin Expedition. Dr. Dianna Gielstra explores the geoheritage found within Austin’s landmark’s and natural springs while taking the audience on a tour of the unique places that “Keep Austin Weird”.

Dr. Dianna Gielstra presented their work in geodiversity and geoeducation using immersive technologies at several conferences. The teachers participating in the live VR experiences most appreciated Escape Iceland for the gameified lessons to enliven learning in the classroom and to build capacity for spatial thinking and the geographic skills in the K-16 classroom.

Gielstra, D., Cerveny, N.V., Gielstra, J., & Moorman, L. (2022). Virtual learning experience for dynamic earth science education: GeoEPIC’s Escape Iceland. National Council for Geographic Education October 14-15, 2022. https://geoepic.app/lessons/field-trip-escape-iceland https://ncge.org/uncategorized/speakers/

Gielstra, D., Cerveny, N.V., Gielstra, J., & Moorman, L. (2022). Geoinquiry and geoheritage resources for earth science education: Capulin Volcano, New Mexico, USA. Geological Society of America  October 10-12, 2022 https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2022AM/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/383347

Gielstra, D., Cerveny, N., & Moorman, L. (2022). Immersive virtual learning experience design and implementation: Grinnell Glacier example. Conference of Higher Education and Pedagogy. Research session - Instructional technologies. February 11, 2022. https://geoepic.app/lessons/field-trip-geodiversity-of-grinnell-sexton-and-sperry-glacier-basins

Dr. Mariana Altricher, from the Environmental Studies Department, is the senior author of a collaborative scientific paper published in PLOS ONE in October 20, 2022, which documents the periodic disappearance (and reappearance) of white-lipped peccaries in nine countries in South and Central America. The authors say the population fluctuations may represent the first documented case of natural population cyclicity in a Neotropical mammal. The study was led by the Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de Brasilia, and co-authored by more than 20 other organizations. The ground-breaking study, which relies on collaboration and detective work to document disappearances at 38 sites in nine countries, also incorporates 88 years of commercial and subsistence harvest data from the Amazon. It confirms that this poorly-known species which is so ecologically important to neotropical forests, as well as culturally and socio-economically crucial to the Indigenous Peoples and local communities who live in these forests, has large-scale and long-term population cycles. The article was presented by the American Association for the Advancement of Science News Release in October 2022, and the story has been covered by 11 international news sites including Science Daily, Science Magazine, PhysOrg., and PlosMedicine, among others.

Students in the Prescott College Ecosa class - Creating a Sustainable World - have contributed ideas for the remodel of the cicada building to be an arts and humanities center. Some of their concepts influenced the design and have been incorporated into the preliminary concept plan which is now with an architectural firm who are creating the construction documents. Students in other classes have created conceptual plans for the improvement of the West campus. The Ecosa psychology of places class has studied stress related aspects of interior and exterior spaces and have identified lack of easy navigation as a stress point for those new to the campus. Another class has begun the process of researching and designing a comprehensive wayfinding plan to make navigating the campus easier for visitors, guests and new students. Ecosa continues to engage students in the design improvements of the campus as part of its suite of classes.

From Cecil Goodman - faculty in Adventure Education:

Adventure education seniors have completed another batch of amazing/inspiring/transformational senior projects - including Savannah Sandoe’s project working with the outdoor club at Phoenix Union High School which culminated in a 3-day fully PC student-led backpacking trip that sought to foster student leadership and community. There were rave reviews from the high school students and the teacher! 

Here’s what the teacher had to say: I wanted to take a moment and tell you that Savannah truly came through on her project.Here’s a list of the things that were completed excellently: her communication with me throughout the entire process; her presentation to the students at school before the trip; her going back out to the trail to confirm water sources; the menu she planned; the extra gear she obtained- everything! However, where she excelled the most was in her leadership of the trip.Her positive energy and vibe could be felt during the entire trip.She led and served endlessly throughout. I was so impressed with her. This trip was every bit as outstanding as any trip that I’ve been on with Prescott College and it was executed by 2 students!

Congrats Savannah!!!