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Sara Fleming: Students are shaping (and leading) CU’s climate response

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Fri, 30 May 2025 17:39:01 +0000

Sara Fleming: Students are shaping (and leading) CU’s climate response Gabriela Rocha Sales Fri, 05/30/2025 - 11:39

Cody DeBos

As the ��Ƶ continues to advance its Climate Action Plan (CAP), an interdisciplinary group of graduate students has championed a new way to involve students in shaping a more sustainable future.

Initially, the CU steering committee creating the CAP did not involve students. In response to the exclusion of student voices, a group of graduate students began work to give students a seat at the table and engage the undergraduate community in CU’s climate-planning work. First, the group launched a petition calling for student participation in the drafting of the CAP. Then the group helped pass a resolution through student government to grant student seats on the committee implementing the CAP in the future.

“Students have always been key drivers of sustainability and climate action on campuses across the U.S., including at CU Boulder,” the team says. “As young people, our futures are jeopardized by the climate crisis, so we have a collective stake in rapidly reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.”

But the group didn’t stop there. Fueled by a shared passion for climate mitigation and the belief that students should help shape the university’s future, the group of five graduate students from four different departments spent hundreds of hours co-designing and now teaching an undergraduate course on climate-action planning.

The course gives undergrads hands-on experience with CU’s campus emissions data, collaboration opportunities with university stakeholders and a chance to develop sustainability strategies that could be implemented campuswide.

Their efforts recently earned the group CU Boulder’s 2025 Campus Sustainability Award for Student Leadership. The group also won a $5,000 scholarship from the women-led nonprofit Zonta Foothills Foundation, in recognition for their groundbreaking work in climate education and advocacy. The CU School of Engineering, following advocacy from generous faculty members David Paradis and Carol Cogswell, was also gracious enough to provide funding for their work.

A more engaging climate classroom

The group of graduate instructors brings an interdisciplinary approach and myriad perspectives to the classroom.

The teaching team includes Mariah Bowman (law), Sara Fleming (geography), Sean Benjamin (mechanical engineering), Brigid Mark (sociology) and Jonah Shaw (atmospheric and oceanic sciences). Each has worked to tackle climate-related issues through the lens of their expertise, from Indigenous environmental justice to climate-change modeling.

The team’s diverse makeup is reflected in the design of their course and has fueled their success. But the road to this point hasn’t been easy.

“This is a labor of love,” the team says. “We are doing this because we care. Funding and the time required have been challenges.”

Before the course launched, each graduate instructor spent many unpaid hours creating the syllabus, listing the course and building campus partnerships to access emissions data. During the semester, they spend many hours a week on teaching responsibilities that come in addition to their regular duties.

Financial support from the School of Engineering and the Zonta Foothills award has helped, but long term, the team hopes to see the course institutionalized and funded.

The team says, “Institutionalizing the course so that it runs each year and guaranteeing funding for instructors and teaching assistants would ensure the longevity and sustainability of this course. It would ensure continued involvement of students in the Climate Action Plan, and a more robust, actionable plan.”

Hands-on climate action

From the start, the group has viewed student involvement as essential, not symbolic.

At the start of the semester, students gain foundational knowledge on topics like climate justice, global carbon budgets and emissions accounting. From there, they split into teams to tackle different emissions categories on campus: commuting, waste, business travel and student/parent flights.

“Students work in four teams, each focused on a different category of campus emissions. They’re developing strategies to reduce emissions for their category, adding depth and student perspective to the high-level strategy suggestions in the CAP,” the instructors say.

Guest speakers, including administrators and national experts, round out the curriculum. Students have heard from Stanford University’s sustainability team and CU Boulder faculty like Professor Karen Bailey (environmental studies) and Professor Nadav Orian Peer (law). They also meet with stakeholders across campus to refine their proposals.

The team believes this approach is the best way to facilitate opportunities to create actionable, equity-centered climate strategies grounded in real data.

“Involving students in climate initiatives enables them to apply knowledge about climate change to their own institution, experience they will carry to become leaders in climate action in their future workplaces and communities,” says Mark.

The results are already visible on campus.

One student team is working with CU’s transportation specialist to revise the campus commuting survey. Another is working on a survey for better tracking of student and parent air travel. Others are collaborating with dining services and facilities to reduce waste and consulting with faculty to provide more accurate emissions calculations of flights taken by faculty and staff.

“Students often learn about the gravity of climate change without learning about solutions, which can be quite depressing,” says Mark.

“Involving students in climate-action planning and implementation can combat feelings of hopelessness and enable participation in creating real change.”

Impact on both sides

This student-led course has already sparked engagement on both sides of the classroom. One undergraduate took the initiative to launch a campus club to raise awareness about the CAP. Others hope to join implementation committees or pursue careers in sustainability.

“To me, this demonstrates that students are hungry for interdisciplinary courses that enable them to apply their skills and creativity to issues on campus and engage with solutions to the climate crisis,” Fleming says.

For Bowman, the most rewarding part of the experience is the students themselves. “They are passionate, knowledgeable, interested, hardworking and fun to be around! It has been deeply meaningful to get to train them on something I care so much about, and have them care about it in return,” she says.

And for Fleming, designing and teaching the course has also given her much. She adds, “Team teaching is so much fun, and I’ve learned so much from each of my teammates on both content and pedagogical skills.”

As for the future, the graduate instructors each plan to continue fighting for climate action in their respective fields, using their knowledge and experience to make a difference on campus, in state government and in the community.

They also hope CU continues what they started so future students can participate in a course that gives them a voice in the climate conversation through data, creativity and real-world collaboration.

“Involving students in climate-action planning and implementation can combat feelings of hopelessness and enable participation in creating real change.”

Impact on both sides

They also hope CU continues what they started so future students can participate in a course that gives them a voice in the climate conversation through data, creativity and real-world collaboration.

“Involving students in climate-action planning and implementation can combat feelings of hopelessness and enable participation in creating real change.”

Impact on both sides

They also hope CU continues what they started so future students can participate in a course that gives them a voice in the climate conversation through data, creativity and real-world collaboration.

As the ��Ƶ continues to advance its Climate Action Plan (CAP), an interdisciplinary group of graduate students has championed a new way to involve students in shaping a more sustainable future.

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Shelby Ross: Geography PhD student receives prestigious dissertation writing fellowship

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Fri, 23 May 2025 19:45:41 +0000

Shelby Ross: Geography PhD student receives prestigious dissertation writing fellowship Gabriela Rocha Sales Fri, 05/23/2025 - 13:45

Shelby Ross is one of this year’s 2025-2026 Elouise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellows

Shelby Ross, a PhD student in geography, has been named as part of the second cohort of the prestigious Elouise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellow, Indigenous Education, Inc. (IEI) announced last week.

The Elouise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellowship provides $30,000 in support over 12 months to up to ten American Indian and Alaska Native scholars who are completing their doctoral dissertations.

These distinguished recipients demonstrate exceptional academic performance, a commitment to advancing their chosen fields, and strong potential for future contributions as scholars and leaders. Each Fellow utilizes Indigenous research methodologies to enrich their academic disciplines, benefit their tribal communities, and engage meaningfully with their institutions of higher education.

“These ten Scholars truly embody the spirit of our namesake, Elouise Cobell, by dedicating their studies to ‘understand how the world works and question everything that comes before them’,” IEI President and CEO Melvin Monette-Barajas reflected in the organization’s press release.

John Garland, director of research and scholar success at IEI, agreed, adding, “Beyond their impressive academic accomplishments, these Fellows reflect the vision Elouise Cobell held for Indian Country. Success is not solely measured by achievement—it is a way of life rooted in lifting others and creating opportunities for Indigenous students and thriving tribal communities. The visibility of this Fellowship empowers future generations of Native scholars to envision their own success.”

Ross holds a master's degree in environmental science and engineering from Oregon Health & Science University and a bachelor's degree in conservation biology from Oglala Lakota College. She has extensive experience working with the Oglala Sioux Tribe's Natural Resources Regulatory Agency, focusing on forestry and mining, and has held numerous research appointments, including the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center and the CU Boulder’s Natural Hazards Center. Additionally, Ross has been recognized with several awards, including the Native Forward Scholars Fund and the FEMA Region 8 Quick Respond Research.

Committed to environmental science and Indigenous health, Ross’s dissertation is dedicated to improving responses to climate change impacts on Native American health in the North Central region, which includes Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa. Her dissertation employs mixed methods to center Native Americans as experts of their experiences, aiming to understand the effects of Extreme Weather Events (EWE) on health and healthcare access, particularly for those with Type 2 Diabetes. Through literature reviews, surveys, and interviews with Elders from the Pine Ridge Reservation, Ross investigates how Tribes are preparing for climate change, the differential impacts of EWEs, and the cultural connections to the land and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK).

Ross's research highlights the importance of integrating TEK with academic evidence to address climate change and its health impacts on Indigenous communities. Her findings will contribute to the limited body of research on this topic and guide future actions to support tribal sovereignty and resilience. The dissertation is set to be completed by May 2026, with chapters published in peer-reviewed journals for wide accessibility.

Supported by the Cobell Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors of Indigenous Education, Inc., a dedicated network of Native mentors and scholars, and the Research and Scholar Success team, this fellowship cohort will contribute meaningfully to the future of doctoral research shaped by Indigenous perspectives and priorities.

Modeled after the nation’s most respected dissertation fellowships, the Elouise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellowship is distinct in its foundation: it is created, governed and guided by and for enrolled members of U.S. federally recognized tribes. It complements IEI’s already successful Graduate Summer Research Fellowship Program, further expanding opportunities for advanced Indigenous scholarship.

More information about the Eloise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellows is available on the Cobell Scholar Community’s website. Applications for their third cohort of Elouise Cobell Dissertation Writing-Year Fellows open on Sept. 1, 2025.

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Spring 2025 Commencement Photos

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Tue, 13 May 2025 13:06:13 +0000

Spring 2025 Commencement Photos Gabriela Rocha Sales Tue, 05/13/2025 - 07:06

Congratulations Department of Geography 2025 graduates! To view and download your photos, please see Spring 2025 Commencement photos.

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A Place-based History of Yellowstone National Park: New Book from Randall Wilson, MA 1993, Featured in Various News Outlets

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 19:25:41 +0000

A Place-based History of Yellowstone National Park: New Book from Randall Wilson, MA 1993, Featured in Various News Outlets Gabriela Rocha Sales Tue, 04/29/2025 - 13:25

A Place Called Yellowstone: The Epic History of the World's First National Park

I just published a place-based history of Yellowstone National Park (A Place Called Yellowstone) with Counterpoint Press. It has received positive reviews from Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and the LA Times. It has also been featured in articles in USA Today (Sunday Dec. 15), the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, and other outlets. The book is intended for general audiences and uses a historical geographic approach to articulate the profound legacies of Yellowstone on the way nature is valued and perceived in American society.

The program at CU led me to a PhD program at the University of Iowa, and then to a decades-long career as an educator and researcher. I have been a professor of environmental studies at Gettysburg College since 2000. My research has focused on public lands and resource management issues in Colorado and across the western United States (and beyond).

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Phurwa Gurung to Join UBC Geography, Advancing Research on Indigenous Territorialities and Biodiversity Conservation

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 19:15:43 +0000

Phurwa Gurung to Join UBC Geography, Advancing Research on Indigenous Territorialities and Biodiversity Conservation Gabriela Rocha Sales Tue, 04/29/2025 - 13:15

Tashi Delek! My name is Phurwa Dondrub Gurung, a fifth-year doctoral student at the department. I also did an MA here. Over the years, I feel so grateful to have received rigorous training from and with outstanding teachers and peers in theories and methods relevant to the key areas of my focus: political ecology, critical development studies, and Indigenous geographies. I have benefited immensely from the dedicated support of my Committee and the unparalleled mentorship from my Advisor, who guided me in all aspects of graduate training: teaching, research, publishing, grant-writing, and the job market. I feel truly fortunate to have been part of the vibrant and supportive CU Boulder Geography community!

Based on nearly two years of ethnographic field research (2023-24) in Dolpo, Nepal, my home and research site, my PhD dissertation research develops a deep and critical understanding of how Himalayan lifeways interweave and fare with global biodiversity conservation efforts and national state-making projects. I focus on two key nonhuman agents, the caterpillar fungus and the snow leopard, to understand the intersections of global and national conservation governance with Indigenous territorialities and place-based governance. I examine how these nonhumans participate in coproducing the state, Dolpopa identity, and multispecies worlds in a context of profound socio-environmental transformations in the high Himalaya.

My research is grounded in participatory, visual, community-engaged, and Indigenous methodologies. To this end, I employed ethnography, documentary filmmaking, participatory mapping and painting, solicited journals, and a collaborative in-situ documentation of oral literature as the primary methods of knowing and being in good relation with my community. The dissertation fieldwork and the multimodal, community-engaged works have been supported by generous grants from the Social Science Research Council (SSRC IDRF), Wenner-Gren Foundation, Firebird Fellowship, National Geographic Society, American Philosophical Society, and the CU Office of Outreach and Engagement. I am currently working on my dissertation, which I plan to defend in August 2025.

I accepted a new position in the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia (UBC). I will join in July 2025 as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Indigenous Environmental Studies and Sciences. UBC is an ideal academic home for the kind of work I do, with its vibrant community of Indigenous scholars engaged in critical work on Indigenous issues, both locally and globally. In addition to teaching, I will continue expanding my community-engaged works I began during my PhD studies here. I am especially looking forward to the postproduction of a documentary film I shot during my field research and publishing a bilingual multimedia book of Dolpo folk songs.

I will also be affiliated with UBC’s Interdisciplinary Biodiversity Solutions Collaboratory, where I am eager to collaborate with scholars across the disciplines to develop policy-relevant solutions to biodiversity conservation that center Indigenous knowledge. I also look forward to joining and getting to know new colleagues in the Department of Geography, the Himalaya Program, and Critical Indigenous Studies at UBC. And of course, my family is excited to explore the beautiful mountains and waters of British Columbia!

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Rebecca Theobald, MA, PhD: Maps for Everyone

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 20:24:18 +0000

Rebecca Theobald, MA, PhD: Maps for Everyone Gabriela Rocha Sales Mon, 04/28/2025 - 14:24

Whenever I prepare a presentation, I always try to provide a map so that participants can explore multiple spatial perspectives or situate themselves in relationship to the discussion. And of course, giant floor maps command the most attention! The comprehensive Department of Geography at CU Boulder provided me with the ability to explore multiple spatial perspectives and to collaborate across a variety of disciplines. Learning that physical and human geography, as well as environment-society relations and geographic tools, were all honored within the department cemented my understanding of the value of a broad education for students at all levels. Following six years of commuting from Colorado Springs, I joined the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at UCCS where for ten years, I coordinated the Colorado Geographic Alliance, which supported professional development for elementary and secondary teachers across the state. I also served as a consultant to National Geographic’s Alliance for Geographic Education, expanding my understanding of policy and professional practices across the country. Drawing on these geography education connections, I edited the National Council for Geographic Education’s journal, “The Geography Teacher”, for nine years. I could not have made it through that process without the willingness of graduate school colleagues and CU faculty to provide service to the discipline as authors and reviewers.

Giant Map of Colorado

My time in elementary and secondary classrooms reinforced the knowledge that geospatial technology tools continue to be unfamiliar to the majority of K-12 teachers. While geography is often not taught as a separate course in middle or high school, government or civics classes are usually required, so I developed GeoCivics (geocivics.uccs.edu) in 2017 to introduce online mapping tools as part of an instructional unit on electoral redistricting. I am working to keep these tools in place as we approach the 2030 Census. More recently, I have turned to the connection between civic action and environmental issues. Last November, I attended the United Nations Climate Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan as an observer for the United States League of Women Voters (USLWV). You can read my impressions (and see some maps) at https://ges.uccs.edu/news-events, and view a presentation from several of the national League’s participants at https://youtu.be/HsPtH8TboiI. When I share my experience, I always try to offer information about the location, which has been well received. I continue to appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with Boulder geographers throughout the last several decades. As geographers, no matter the setting, we are all educators, so don’t hesitate to locate a map to illustrate your story.

Rebecca is currently an Associate Research Professor with the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

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Lionel D Lyles (PhD 1977)

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 20:14:38 +0000

Lionel D Lyles (PhD 1977) Gabriela Rocha Sales Mon, 04/28/2025 - 14:14

My name is Dr. Lionel D. Lyles. I graduated in August 1977 with my Doctoral Degree in Urban-Historical Geography with an emphasis on the evolutionary development of contemporary urban problems. My major Professors at the time were, namely, Theodore Myers, Melvin Albaum, Yuk Lee, and Nicholas Helburn.

These Professors prepared me for the social, economic, political, judicial, and environmental (e.g., climate change) problems that the American Working Class People are facing today. From the moment I graduated, and my training taught me that the cause of all the mentioned categories in which problems exist cannot be understood without first conducting an exhaustive, scientific analysis of the American Capitalist System.

Thus, for the past 40 years, I researched and objectively examined this system using the dialectical method, from pre-colonial times to 1980 and the present. The central theme is if an American is a wage earner, then he or she belongs to the American Working Class; if an American is a wealthy, non-producer, who owns multiple million and billions of dollars, he or she belongs to the American Ruling Class. My work shows American Society is the product of an historical class struggle between these mentioned classes.

At this time-2025-the American Working Class is only aware of itself via trade unionism. This level of political awareness can only win the working class people a disproportionate increase in wages relative to the millions of dollars of surplus value they lose during the process of production.

To help American Working Class People realize their historical mission of change, it took me five years to research and write the following books:

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Joseph Kerski contributed a chapter to the new book Thriving in An Academic Career

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 20:12:27 +0000

Joseph Kerski contributed a chapter to the new book Thriving in An Academic Career Gabriela Rocha Sales Mon, 04/28/2025 - 14:12

Thriving in an Academic Career: An International and Interdisciplinary Guide for Early Career Faculty

Joseph Kerski wrote Chapter 13 - Integrating web mapping and geospatial technologies – in a new book that should be very helpful for all students considering a faculty career – and all faculty as well – Thriving In An Academic Career, recently published by AAG and Routledge. Kerski’s chapter will help faculty teach with web mapping tools in and out of GIS courses, in physical geography, cultural geography, mathematics, business, economics, and in other disciplines.

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Don Friend (M.A. 1988) is continuing work on water in mountains begun as a graduate student at CU

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 20:01:49 +0000

Don Friend (M.A. 1988) is continuing work on water in mountains begun as a graduate student at CU Gabriela Rocha Sales Mon, 04/28/2025 - 14:01

With climate change causing a water supply crisis in high mountain Asia, a panel of experts, including Don, gathered in summer 2024 to discuss the biophysical and human impacts of this crisis in an “International Expert Dialogue on Mountains, People, and Climate.” The event, was opened by the Prime Minister of Nepal, featured remarks from Ministers of Environment from across Asia and from United Nations dignitaries. During the opening scientific session, Don delivered the keynote presentation titled, “From Vulnerability to Building Resilience: The Mountain Water Security Crisis Requires Expanding Water Supply and Water Demand Management.”

Don is now Distinguished Professor of Geography at Minnesota State University. Some highlights of his faculty career include serving as a US National Academy of Sciences Jefferson Science Fellow (2019-2020), and as a Fulbright Senior Scholar (2004-2005). He was the US Representative to the International Geographical Union Commission on Mountain Response to Global Change (2000-2016) and is past Chair and Founder of the Mountain Geography Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers. After completing his M.A. at CU, he earned the Ph.D. at Arizona State University.

Don being thanked for his presentation at the International Expert Dialogue, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2024.

Don delivering remarks at the International Expert Dialogue, Kathmandu, Nepal, 2024.

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Local Institutions and Resource Conflict in Northern Kenya: Fieldwork Insights from PhD Candidate Sarah Posner

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 19:53:10 +0000

Local Institutions and Resource Conflict in Northern Kenya: Fieldwork Insights from PhD Candidate Sarah Posner Gabriela Rocha Sales Mon, 04/28/2025 - 13:53

Posner and her Research Assistant, Noor Hussein Noor, piloting the questionnaire with a Samburu pastoralist at his manyatta (homestead) March 2025.

Sarah Posner is a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography advised by Professor John O’Loughlin. Her current work focuses on the role of local institutions used by four pastoralist societies to manage resources and associated conflict and thus sustain their livelihoods in an arid region of Northern Kenya.

The arid rangelands of Northern Kenya support the livelihoods of diverse pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities, which depend on natural resources including grazing areas and water sources that are seasonally available and thus prone to environmental pressures. When conflicts arise over resource use, traditional reconciliation forums exist which have evolved alongside mechanisms implemented by formal county and national governments as well as NGOs and other non-state actors, creating increasingly hybridized local institutions.

In March 2025, with CU support from the CARTSS grant, Posner conducted pilot dissertation fieldwork in Isiolo County, Northern Kenya. At the time, US federal funding remained uncertain, and her recently awarded NSF-DDRI (Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement) grant had not yet been disbursed. Posner piloted her questionnaire through focus group discussions (FGDs) to refine the design of a large survey (N=1000) and ensure contextual relevance. These FGDs were conducted in three of her four field sites in ethnically distinctive wards. Posner sought to identify the roles and practices of local committees, specifically those responsible for grazing, water, and conflict management. These FGDs built upon earlier participatory mapping exercises Posner conducted in summer 2024 and had two primary aims: first, to validate the participatory maps with a new set of respondents in each site; and second, to understand the institutional architecture governing the management of water and pasture resources, as well as mechanisms for resolving associated conflicts.

Posner and her RA taking notes during a focus group discussion with the local grazing committee in Ngaremara, Isiolo county March 2025.

Posner found that each community manages peace, water, and grazing through committees that range from customary to formalized structures. In two wards, the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), which oversees 43 conservancies in Northern Kenya, manages these committees. Respondents generally viewed NRT positively due to its provision of essential services often lacking from the state. However, in one ward, Borana respondents criticized NRT over transparency, accountability, and alleged land appropriation. The Borana rely on a customary system, dedha, governed by elders to manage grazing and water, but its lack of formal recognition hinders negotiations with other groups, including Somali communities in neighboring Wajir and Garissa County. Posner will conclude this phase of fieldwork in eastern Isiolo county to gather Somali perspectives on rangeland management and conflict, particularly over frequent cattle raids with the Borana.

Data from the FGDs was instrumental to Posner’s dissertation work as she used the local knowledge to inform a questionnaire that is more locally appropriate and context specific. The large N survey will be implemented in Summer 2025 to investigate whether the efficacy of these local institutional arrangements is associated with attitudes towards armed conflict and cooperation arrangements.

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