Director
Caroline Gottschalk Druschke, MA, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of Wisconsin-Madison
[email protected] -OR- [email protected]
Download papers here.
Dr. Druschke uses her training in rhetoric to study the human dimensions of natural resources management. She takes a mixed-methods, place-based approach to ongoing research into watershed-based conservation outreach and public engagement with a variety of aquatic restoration projects. Druschke has presented internationally on her work, published in communication and conservation journals, and received fellowships from the US Environmental Protection Agency and AAUW and funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Park Service. Her interdisciplinary work began with a concentration in Gender and Women's Studies and a fellowship in the NSF-IGERT program in Landscape, Ecological and Anthropogenic Processes at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of Wisconsin-Madison
[email protected] -OR- [email protected]
Download papers here.
Dr. Druschke uses her training in rhetoric to study the human dimensions of natural resources management. She takes a mixed-methods, place-based approach to ongoing research into watershed-based conservation outreach and public engagement with a variety of aquatic restoration projects. Druschke has presented internationally on her work, published in communication and conservation journals, and received fellowships from the US Environmental Protection Agency and AAUW and funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Park Service. Her interdisciplinary work began with a concentration in Gender and Women's Studies and a fellowship in the NSF-IGERT program in Landscape, Ecological and Anthropogenic Processes at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Lab members
Jamie Remillard, MFA, PhD
Ph.D. 2017, Rhetoric and Composition specialization, University of Rhode Island
Assistant Professor, Department of English, Worcester State University
Research Assistant, National Park Service
Jamie Remillard completed a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition, with a dissertation that investigates the uses of play in National Park Service interpretive programs and connects those lessons to the writing and composition classroom. Remillard came to University of Rhode Island with a MFA from Emerson College and worked for many years as a journalist. As part of our post-Hurricane Sandy-funded NPS project, she is writing resource briefs and profiles and creating photo stories that highlight NPS programs. You can read a number of Remillard's profiles here.
Ph.D. 2017, Rhetoric and Composition specialization, University of Rhode Island
Assistant Professor, Department of English, Worcester State University
Research Assistant, National Park Service
Jamie Remillard completed a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition, with a dissertation that investigates the uses of play in National Park Service interpretive programs and connects those lessons to the writing and composition classroom. Remillard came to University of Rhode Island with a MFA from Emerson College and worked for many years as a journalist. As part of our post-Hurricane Sandy-funded NPS project, she is writing resource briefs and profiles and creating photo stories that highlight NPS programs. You can read a number of Remillard's profiles here.
Erin Harrington, MA, MS
Graduate Research Assistant, SciWrite@URI, University of Rhode Island
Ph.D. Student, Biological and Environmental Sciences
Erin Harrington is a Ph.D. student studying Biological and Environmental Sciences at URI. She has a master’s degree in English as well as a master’s degree in Wildlife Science, and is using her interdisciplinary background to assist with curriculum development and assessment on the NSF-funded SciWrite@URI project. The ultimate goal of her dissertation is to investigate the symbiotic, mutualistic relationship between rhetoric and ecology in order to create more effective strategies for citizen science engagement, science communication assessment, and adaptive curriculum management.
Graduate Research Assistant, SciWrite@URI, University of Rhode Island
Ph.D. Student, Biological and Environmental Sciences
Erin Harrington is a Ph.D. student studying Biological and Environmental Sciences at URI. She has a master’s degree in English as well as a master’s degree in Wildlife Science, and is using her interdisciplinary background to assist with curriculum development and assessment on the NSF-funded SciWrite@URI project. The ultimate goal of her dissertation is to investigate the symbiotic, mutualistic relationship between rhetoric and ecology in order to create more effective strategies for citizen science engagement, science communication assessment, and adaptive curriculum management.
Emma Lundberg, MA
Graduate Research Assistant, The Future of Dams, University of Rhode Island
Ph.D. Student, Biological and Environmental Sciences
Emma Lundberg is a Ph. D. student in the Biological and Environmental Sciences program at URI. She has a background in environmental science with a master’s degree in social science and uses her interdisciplinary background to approach questions of human dimensions of natural resources. As a research assistant on The Future of Dams Project—a 4-year NSF EPSCoR-funded interdisciplinary research collaboration spanning New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maine—Emma focuses on examining the multifaceted relationships that communities have with dams (and their potential removal), hydropower, and migratory fish. To understand these relationships, Emma employs Q methodology, which is a method and interactive tool used to examine conflict and human subjectivity. She also brings questions of environmental and social justice concerns to the table by utilizing an intersectional feminist epistemology.
Graduate Research Assistant, The Future of Dams, University of Rhode Island
Ph.D. Student, Biological and Environmental Sciences
Emma Lundberg is a Ph. D. student in the Biological and Environmental Sciences program at URI. She has a background in environmental science with a master’s degree in social science and uses her interdisciplinary background to approach questions of human dimensions of natural resources. As a research assistant on The Future of Dams Project—a 4-year NSF EPSCoR-funded interdisciplinary research collaboration spanning New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maine—Emma focuses on examining the multifaceted relationships that communities have with dams (and their potential removal), hydropower, and migratory fish. To understand these relationships, Emma employs Q methodology, which is a method and interactive tool used to examine conflict and human subjectivity. She also brings questions of environmental and social justice concerns to the table by utilizing an intersectional feminist epistemology.
Jon C. Vander Werff
Graduate Student, Master of Environmental Science Management (MESM), University of Rhode Island
Jon is an avid outdoorsman who received his Bachelor's of Technology in Wildlife Management and a concentration in Fisheries from the State University of New York at Cobleskill. While studying for his undergraduate degree his research included a biodiversity assessment of native fish in the Amazon River and immediate tributaries. He is currently a Master's candidate in the Master of Environmental Science program at the University of Rhode Island. During his time at URI Jon is studying Watershed Management and is interested in stream restoration, dam removal and fish passage. For the past three field seasons Jon has been employed as a Professional Fly Fishing Guide in the greater Yellowstone and Grand Teton area in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. This position furthered a strong passion for native fish conservation and presently influences his studies.
Graduate Student, Master of Environmental Science Management (MESM), University of Rhode Island
Jon is an avid outdoorsman who received his Bachelor's of Technology in Wildlife Management and a concentration in Fisheries from the State University of New York at Cobleskill. While studying for his undergraduate degree his research included a biodiversity assessment of native fish in the Amazon River and immediate tributaries. He is currently a Master's candidate in the Master of Environmental Science program at the University of Rhode Island. During his time at URI Jon is studying Watershed Management and is interested in stream restoration, dam removal and fish passage. For the past three field seasons Jon has been employed as a Professional Fly Fishing Guide in the greater Yellowstone and Grand Teton area in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. This position furthered a strong passion for native fish conservation and presently influences his studies.
Valerie Preler
Graduate student, Master of Environmental Science and Management (MESM), University of Rhode Island
Valerie has a Bachelor's degree in sociology from University of Rhode Island and has worked for over twenty years in social services. Currently, she is a graduate student in URI's Master of Environmental Science and Management program studying wetlands, watersheds, and ecosystem science and pursuing certificates in Hydrology and GIS and Remote Sensing. She is very interested in the human dimension of environmental conservation and, in the future, hopes to combine her past experience in mental health services with her current studies to integrate the community into environmental restoration projects.
Graduate student, Master of Environmental Science and Management (MESM), University of Rhode Island
Valerie has a Bachelor's degree in sociology from University of Rhode Island and has worked for over twenty years in social services. Currently, she is a graduate student in URI's Master of Environmental Science and Management program studying wetlands, watersheds, and ecosystem science and pursuing certificates in Hydrology and GIS and Remote Sensing. She is very interested in the human dimension of environmental conservation and, in the future, hopes to combine her past experience in mental health services with her current studies to integrate the community into environmental restoration projects.
David Weinberg
Undergraduate Research Scholar, University of Wisconsin-Madison
David Weinberg is an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. David has strong interests in both environmental studies and journalism, and uses his interdisciplinary interests to approach the political, social, and natural impacts of environmental projects. Specifically, David has focused on issues surrounding dam removal in Wisconsin - particularly the La Farge and Estabrook Dams. In his future career, David aims to highlight his passion for environmental issues.
Undergraduate Research Scholar, University of Wisconsin-Madison
David Weinberg is an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. David has strong interests in both environmental studies and journalism, and uses his interdisciplinary interests to approach the political, social, and natural impacts of environmental projects. Specifically, David has focused on issues surrounding dam removal in Wisconsin - particularly the La Farge and Estabrook Dams. In his future career, David aims to highlight his passion for environmental issues.
Lab alums
Paul McDivitt, MA
Research Assistant, National Park Service
Paul McDivitt is a science and environmental writer, with a Master's in journalism and mass communication from the University of Colorado - Boulder. His thesis evaluated new strategies for communicating about the science and risks of, and solutions to, human-caused climate change. Paul has been published in the Denver Post, on Discover Magazine's website, and by several scientific institutes at CU-Boulder. In addition to his work with SEAcomm, he is also working on a report for Watershed Counts, a project led by URI's Coastal Institute and the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program. Find more of his science and environmental writing, photography, and videography at The State of the Science.
Research Assistant, National Park Service
Paul McDivitt is a science and environmental writer, with a Master's in journalism and mass communication from the University of Colorado - Boulder. His thesis evaluated new strategies for communicating about the science and risks of, and solutions to, human-caused climate change. Paul has been published in the Denver Post, on Discover Magazine's website, and by several scientific institutes at CU-Boulder. In addition to his work with SEAcomm, he is also working on a report for Watershed Counts, a project led by URI's Coastal Institute and the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program. Find more of his science and environmental writing, photography, and videography at The State of the Science.
Jenna Morton-Aiken, MA, PhD
Ph.D. 2017, Rhetoric and Composition specialization, University of Rhode Island
Visiting Lecturer, Department of English, Brown University
Research Assistant, SciWrite@URI
Jenna Morton-Aiken completed a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition. She teaches WRT 104: Writing to Inform and Explain, and WRT 227: Business Communication. She is interested in pedagogy, composition in digital archives, and Writing Across the Curriculum programs. She worked in business before returning to academia, and completed a Masters in Creative Writing prior to joining the PhD program at URI. Morton-Aiken is assisting with curriculum and assessment on the NSF-funded SciWrite@URI.
Ph.D. 2017, Rhetoric and Composition specialization, University of Rhode Island
Visiting Lecturer, Department of English, Brown University
Research Assistant, SciWrite@URI
Jenna Morton-Aiken completed a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition. She teaches WRT 104: Writing to Inform and Explain, and WRT 227: Business Communication. She is interested in pedagogy, composition in digital archives, and Writing Across the Curriculum programs. She worked in business before returning to academia, and completed a Masters in Creative Writing prior to joining the PhD program at URI. Morton-Aiken is assisting with curriculum and assessment on the NSF-funded SciWrite@URI.
Kristen Hychka, PhD
Research Associate, National Park Service / 2014-2017
Dr. Hychka comes to SEAcomm from a postdoctoral appointment at the US Environmental Protection Agency's Atlantic Ecology Division. Drawing on her background in human geography, hydrology, and modeling, Hychka is researching the controversy related to management of the Old Inlet Breach at Fire Island National Seashore and developing interactive mapping components and outreach materials for our post-Hurricane Sandy-funded National Park Service work. That ongoing mapping work is featured in the United States Department of the Interior Hurricane Sandy Recovery web site. Hychka worked on an interactive slider map that uses pre- and post-storm imagery to demonstrate the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the Otis Pike High Dune Wilderness at Fire Island National Seashore.
Research Associate, National Park Service / 2014-2017
Dr. Hychka comes to SEAcomm from a postdoctoral appointment at the US Environmental Protection Agency's Atlantic Ecology Division. Drawing on her background in human geography, hydrology, and modeling, Hychka is researching the controversy related to management of the Old Inlet Breach at Fire Island National Seashore and developing interactive mapping components and outreach materials for our post-Hurricane Sandy-funded National Park Service work. That ongoing mapping work is featured in the United States Department of the Interior Hurricane Sandy Recovery web site. Hychka worked on an interactive slider map that uses pre- and post-storm imagery to demonstrate the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the Otis Pike High Dune Wilderness at Fire Island National Seashore.
Francesca Soluri
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, NSF-EPSCoR / 2016
Undergraduate Student, Department of Philosophy, University of Rhode Island
Initially from Texas, Francesca is now a junior philosophy major at the University of Rhode Island, researching public opinions on dams and dam removal in New England as part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (SURF) program. A self-identified learner and activist, Francesca hopes to peruse graduate degrees in both Philosophy and Law.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, NSF-EPSCoR / 2016
Undergraduate Student, Department of Philosophy, University of Rhode Island
Initially from Texas, Francesca is now a junior philosophy major at the University of Rhode Island, researching public opinions on dams and dam removal in New England as part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (SURF) program. A self-identified learner and activist, Francesca hopes to peruse graduate degrees in both Philosophy and Law.
Hannah Dallas
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, NSF-EPSCoR / 2016
Undergraduate Student, Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island
Hannah Dallas is a sophomore double majoring in Environmental and Life Sciences and Wildlife Conservation at the University of Rhode Island. She is working with Dr. Druschke through the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow SURF program on a project that focuses on decision making about dams in New England.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, NSF-EPSCoR / 2016
Undergraduate Student, Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island
Hannah Dallas is a sophomore double majoring in Environmental and Life Sciences and Wildlife Conservation at the University of Rhode Island. She is working with Dr. Druschke through the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow SURF program on a project that focuses on decision making about dams in New England.
Sara Randall
Research Assistant, The Future of Dams / 2016
Sara Randall is a Research Assistant for the interdisciplinary Future of Dams project where she is performing a Media Discourse Analysis to identify how local, regional, and national newspapers frame and characterize perceptions about dams and document past decisions, such as removal and relicensing. As a practitioner and scholar of sustainability science, much of Sara’s work has centered on efforts to restore fish populations, protect aquatic habitats, sustain fishing communities, and integrate seafood into local and regional food systems. In addition to her work with Dr. Druschke, Sara is also the Local Scientific Coordinator for a large-scale field study that examines the effectiveness of different methods to protect soft-shell clams from green crabs and other predators, and was elected to the Freeport Sewer District Board of Trustees in 2015.
Research Assistant, The Future of Dams / 2016
Sara Randall is a Research Assistant for the interdisciplinary Future of Dams project where she is performing a Media Discourse Analysis to identify how local, regional, and national newspapers frame and characterize perceptions about dams and document past decisions, such as removal and relicensing. As a practitioner and scholar of sustainability science, much of Sara’s work has centered on efforts to restore fish populations, protect aquatic habitats, sustain fishing communities, and integrate seafood into local and regional food systems. In addition to her work with Dr. Druschke, Sara is also the Local Scientific Coordinator for a large-scale field study that examines the effectiveness of different methods to protect soft-shell clams from green crabs and other predators, and was elected to the Freeport Sewer District Board of Trustees in 2015.
Megan Skrip, MS, PhD
Graduate Research Assistant, National Park Service / 2015-2016
PhD 2016, Ecology and Ecosystem Sciences specialization
Science Communicator, Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University
Megan Skrip received her doctorate in Ecology & Ecosystem Sciences in spring 2016 with a background in ecological research and science writing. Her dissertation focuses on both the physiology of songbirds during migration and best practices in the design and assessment of outreach activities. Skrip created resource briefs that document the results of ongoing NPS research projects post-Hurricane Sandy. She has also translated research related to songbirds on Block Island, climate change impacts on migrating birds, and ruffed grouse population change.
Graduate Research Assistant, National Park Service / 2015-2016
PhD 2016, Ecology and Ecosystem Sciences specialization
Science Communicator, Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University
Megan Skrip received her doctorate in Ecology & Ecosystem Sciences in spring 2016 with a background in ecological research and science writing. Her dissertation focuses on both the physiology of songbirds during migration and best practices in the design and assessment of outreach activities. Skrip created resource briefs that document the results of ongoing NPS research projects post-Hurricane Sandy. She has also translated research related to songbirds on Block Island, climate change impacts on migrating birds, and ruffed grouse population change.
Alison Fisher
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, NSF-EPSCoR / 2015-2016
BA, BS 2016, Departments of Biological Sciences and Writing & Rhetoric
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
Alison Fisher double majored in Biological Science and Writing & Rhetoric. She recently finished up a project on brownfield redevelopment and climate change for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and worked with the lab developing NPS social media content and outreach materials, as well as analyses of dam decision making. In summer 2015, Fisher's work was funded through the NSF EPSCoR SURF program and the National Park Service. Her work was profiled by the Rhode Island NSF-EPSCoR office here.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, NSF-EPSCoR / 2015-2016
BA, BS 2016, Departments of Biological Sciences and Writing & Rhetoric
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
Alison Fisher double majored in Biological Science and Writing & Rhetoric. She recently finished up a project on brownfield redevelopment and climate change for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and worked with the lab developing NPS social media content and outreach materials, as well as analyses of dam decision making. In summer 2015, Fisher's work was funded through the NSF EPSCoR SURF program and the National Park Service. Her work was profiled by the Rhode Island NSF-EPSCoR office here.
Jay Peters, MFA, PhD
PhD 2015, Rhetoric and Composition specialization, University of Rhode Island
Assistant Professor, Department of English, California Polytechnic State University
Jay Peters studies the interactions between grassroots literacies, grassroots community organizing, and the institutional economies of writing that shape environmental policy. While at URI, he worked with the Urban Pond Procession, an urban community arts program that seeks to build environmental awareness and engagement around a contaminated, urban freshwater pond system in the Reservoir Triangle neighborhood of Providence.
PhD 2015, Rhetoric and Composition specialization, University of Rhode Island
Assistant Professor, Department of English, California Polytechnic State University
Jay Peters studies the interactions between grassroots literacies, grassroots community organizing, and the institutional economies of writing that shape environmental policy. While at URI, he worked with the Urban Pond Procession, an urban community arts program that seeks to build environmental awareness and engagement around a contaminated, urban freshwater pond system in the Reservoir Triangle neighborhood of Providence.
John Lee
Research Associate, National Park Service / 2014-2015
http://www.thedentedbucket.com/
JP Lee uses his experience in coastal systems, garnered from years spent as a commercial fisherman, for his work as both a journalist and science writer. Lee's writing regularly appears in the Providence Business News, among other venues, as well as on his blog The Dented Bucket. He worked on public outreach materials related to the National Park Service's Inventory and Monitoring Program in Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network parks.
Research Associate, National Park Service / 2014-2015
http://www.thedentedbucket.com/
JP Lee uses his experience in coastal systems, garnered from years spent as a commercial fisherman, for his work as both a journalist and science writer. Lee's writing regularly appears in the Providence Business News, among other venues, as well as on his blog The Dented Bucket. He worked on public outreach materials related to the National Park Service's Inventory and Monitoring Program in Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network parks.
Lena Weiss, MAMA
Research Associate / 2015
Marine Regulatory Ecologist, US Environmental Protection Agency
Lena Weiss completed a MAMA from the Department of Marine Affairs at University of Rhode Island in spring 2015. Her thesis, "Modeling Participation in Citizen Science: Recreational Fishermen in Massachusetts," investigates the factors that influence a recreational fisherman’s choice to participate in citizen fish tagging programs and explores three alternative causal models for explaining participation. Lena now works with the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Research Associate / 2015
Marine Regulatory Ecologist, US Environmental Protection Agency
Lena Weiss completed a MAMA from the Department of Marine Affairs at University of Rhode Island in spring 2015. Her thesis, "Modeling Participation in Citizen Science: Recreational Fishermen in Massachusetts," investigates the factors that influence a recreational fisherman’s choice to participate in citizen fish tagging programs and explores three alternative causal models for explaining participation. Lena now works with the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Dylan Hogan
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, NSF-EPSCoR / 2015
Undergraduate Student, Department of Economics, Brown University
Dylan Hogan graduated from the Department of Economics at Brown University with an interest in environmental and development economics. In summer 2015, Hogan was funded through the NSF EPSCoR SURF program to create a series of case studies about coastal restoration in Rhode Island.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, NSF-EPSCoR / 2015
Undergraduate Student, Department of Economics, Brown University
Dylan Hogan graduated from the Department of Economics at Brown University with an interest in environmental and development economics. In summer 2015, Hogan was funded through the NSF EPSCoR SURF program to create a series of case studies about coastal restoration in Rhode Island.