Master of Environmental Studies Research
Students in the MES Program have a wide range of opportunities to carry out research in conjunction with Evergreen faculty members throughout the college.
Faculty members and others who are available to work with MES students:
Clyde Barlow and Jeff Kelly develop spectroscopic and imaging methods to measure regional blood flow and metabolism in tissues. Computer-based instrument control, computer-based data analysis, physiology, spectroscopy, image analysis, biochemistry, and chemistry of fluorescent and phosphorescent probes are all topics that are pursued in this laboratory. They also utilize chemical and instrumental approaches to measure chemical compositions of environmental waters. Current projects involve studies of meromictic lakes in Central Washington and future projects involve possible studies of the Elwha River and suitable control sites to monitor effects of Elwha Dam deconstruction and its environmental consequences.
Maria Bastaki studies the toxicity of chemical mixtures in the context of multiple concurrent exposures to environmental pollutants. Research projects involve computer chemical modeling of structure-activity relationships and laboratory toxicology methods using in vitro cell cultures. Research projects will focus on toxicological interactions among endocrine disrupters, chemicals that have long-term effects not only on individuals but also on the population in the long run. Attention to interactions among chemicals originally focused on interactions among pharmaceuticals (especially in the elderly who take multiple medications). More recently the concurrent exposure to multiple environmental chemicals was recognized as a more realistic scenario for evaluating health effects (as opposed to single chemical toxicity) and is a proposition that has recently been supported both by the US-EPA and the European Union.
Frederica Bowcutt studies floristic diversity on public lands. Her publications include flora for three California state parks. Students who have taken course work in plant systematics are especially encouraged to consider completing a floristic study for the master's thesis. Students will be required to collect hundreds of voucher specimens in the field and verify their identifications at suitable herbaria. Students have access to research space in Evergreen's small herbarium. Interested students should query Dr. Bowcutt about involvement in ongoing floristic research or about alternate sights of interest to the student.
Gerardo Chin-Leo studies marine phytoplankton and bacteria. His research interests include understanding the factors that control seasonal changes in the biomass and species composition of Puget Sound phytoplankton. In addition, he is investigating the role of marine bacteria in the geochemistry of estuaries and hypoxic fjords.
Judy Cushing conducts research on the management of scientific databases, software engineering, and integrating research results into the undergraduate curriculum.
Peter Dorman studies economic aspects of environmental systems. Two of his current research projects are the practical implementation of precautionary decision-making in regulatory agencies, and the creation of successful common property ownership forms for natural assets. He also works on the economics of occupational safety and health, the effects of international trade on ecological objectives, and policies to promote sustainable development in low-income countries.
Dylan Fischer conducts research on a variety of topics within the realm of ecosystem science. Much of his work is on forest trees and their effects on energy and nutrient status in forest ecosystems. Many of his papers deal specifically with how trees work in nature, and how variation between trees affects ecosystems. He has worked extensively with measuring whole-tree water-use, fine-root production and turnover, forest and soil carbon balance, nitrogen cycling, plant community analysis, and forest restoration. Projects he's interested in run the gamut from quantifying forest structure and function, to forest restoration, to biological conservation, ecological genetics, ecosystem evolution, and philosophical issues in ecological research. His current work is divided between structure and function of riparian cottonwood forests in the western United States, and long-term forest plots in western Washington. He has also worked extensively with a multi-institution lab group that is trying to understand how forest tree genetics affect the rest of a forest ecosystem, from bugs to beavers, to large herbivores like elk. His part in this work has been investigating how genetics affects ecosystem function. Please check out his website for more information (http://academic.evergreen.edu/f/fischerd/).
Martha Henderson studies the ways in which humans transform Earth's surfaces. She is particularly interested in cultural and social ideas that become evident in landscapes. For example, she studies the role of wildland fire in creating culturally significant landscapes. Her current research on wildland fire and landscapes is focused in the eastern Mediterranean region. Students interested in cultural landscapes, ethnic studies, environmental history, land-use patterns and urban agriculture are encouraged to develop projects. Qualitative research methodologies will be taught.
Elizabeth Kutter studies microbiology, focusing particularly on bacteriophages-key model organisms in molecular genetics that play major roles in controlling microbial ecology worldwide. Her research, along with that of faculty member Andrew Brabban, involves approximately 12 students each year who explore bacterial metabolism and the infection process under a variety of environmental conditions, phage ecology and genomics and the application of phages as antibacterial agents in systems such as E. coli in infant diarrhea or the guts of livestock, Pseudomonas in human and dog-ear infections and Aeromonas salmonicida in furunculosis in local hatchery fish. They collaborate actively with scientists at the USDA in College Station, Texas and in Beltsville, Maryland on projects to reduce the incidence of E. coli 0157:H7 in the human food chain. Student researchers are often presenters at national conferences and co-authors on papers. In addition, they participate in the biennial Evergreen International Phage Biology meetings.
Carri LeRoy studies terrestrial-aquatic linkages and the effects of species diversity, genetic diversity and environmental factors on leaf litter quality, aquatic decomposition, aquatic macroinvertebrate communities and aquatic fungi. Carri's research centers on stream ecology and limnology and she is also interested in trophic dynamics, stable isotopes and biostatistics.
John Longino studies insect taxonomy and ecology, with specific research focus on ants. His research program is a combination of field work in Costa Rica and collections-based research at the Evergreen campus. Students may become involved in local or neotropical fauna studies, with field- and/or collections-based activities.
Linda Moon Stumpff has research interests in the areas of tribal natural and cultural resources; indigenous/world peoples and environment; forestry; intergovernmental relations and environment; environmental planning and policy; and wilderness.
Nalini Nadkarni is a forest ecologist and environmental educator. Her research concerns the ecology of tropical and temperate forest canopies, particularly the role that canopy-dwelling plants play in ecosystem processes. She carries out field research in Washington State and in Costa Rica with grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society. She has published two books and over 80 scientific articles in scientific journals. In 1994, she co-founded the International Canopy Network, a not-for-profit organization that fosters communication among researchers, educators, and conservationists concerned with forest canopies. In 2001, she received a Guggenheim Fellowship to pursue her interests in communication of canopy research to non-scientists with collaborations of artists, musicians, physicians, sports figures, and religious leaders. She created and directs the NSF-funded "Research Ambassador Program", which offers training and appropriate rewards to scientists to disseminate their research to non-traditional public audiences.
Lin Nelson is a social scientist who has worked with national and regional organizations doing research and advocacy on the linkages among environment, health and community. Students who would like to assist in developing case studies of environmental health in Northwest communities (with a focus on environmental justice and environment-labor connections) can contact her. A related area, for students with sufficient preparation, is the examination of Washington state's plan to phase out selected persistent, bioaccumulative toxins. Lin is collaborating with Media Studies faculty member Anne Fischel and Evergreen's Labor Education & Research Center on a project entitled "No Borders: Communities Living and Working with Asarco." This project entails an examination of the public health impact of Asarco company smelting, mining and Superfund clean-ups, as well as the impact of current bankruptcy proceedings. If you are interested in broad research on global political economy and environmental health, you might be able to contribute to this on-going project.
Paula Schofield conducts research in two areas: biodegradable plastics and biomedical polymers. Her students prepare novel biodegradable plastics that have the potential to replace popular petroleum derived materials (e.g. PE and PP), and reduce the environmental impact of plastic wastes. Their research involves the preparation and characterization of such materials, and monitoring biodegradation in a variety of environments. Alternatively, students design and synthesize novel biomedical polymers for use as artificial blood vessels and in tissue engineering. This research also involves testing the physical, chemical and biocompatibility properties of these materials. Students need a background in chemistry and/or biology, but projects can be tailored to fit students particular strengths.
Erik Thuesen conducts research on the ecological physiology of marine animals. He and his students are currently investigating the physiological, behavioral and biochemical adaptations of gelatinous zooplankton to estuarine hypoxia. Other research is focused on the biodiversity of marine zooplankton. Students working in his lab typically have backgrounds in different aspects of marine science, ecology, physiology and biochemistry.
Richard Weiss works in the field of computer vision, which can be important in environmental studies for quantitative analysis of aerial as well as microscopic images, for example in identifying populations or measuring root growth.
Ted Whitesell is a cultural geographer who specializes in the study of protected areas and resident peoples. His research in this area began with studies of grassroots conservation initiatives in the Amazon Basin and is currently centered on the relationship between marine protected areas and Native American rights and interests in Washington State, funded by a grant from the SeaDoc Society, a program of the Wildlife Health Center at the University of California, Davis. He is also working with a faculty team from the Northwest Indian Applied Research Institute, the Master of Public Administration program and Evergreen's Native American and World Indigenous Peoples Studies to analyze the impacts of climate change on indigenous peoples located in the Pacific Rim. This is a multi-year project involving environmental scientists from Aotearoa/New Zealand, Hawai'i, Alaska, Canada and the Pacific Northwest, as well as indigenous political leaders. In the first phase of this project (i.e., the summer of 2006), undergraduate and graduate students will be researching the impacts of climate change on Pacific Rim indigenous peoples, and the possible mechanisms for indigenous nations to intervene in global forums to protect their environmental and cultural interests. In addition to these projects, Ted is also coordinating an oral history research project in nearby Hood Canal, funded by a special appropriation from the Washington Legislature. Students of The Evergreen State College will record and document oral histories of tribal elders and other long-term residents of the Hood Canal area in order to gain historical insight into the decline of the marine ecosystem and fisheries of Hood Canal. Results of this research will be preserved as part of the state's oral history program.
For a list of more research going on at Evergreen: www.evergreen.edu/research.