Blog Posts 2023

Maggie Scholle is a rising second year student. She was a GCSC Fellow and also was part of the Spring '23 STEM Ambassador Program (STEMAP) at the U of U, learning tools for public engagement in the sciences. Even though Maggie's undergraduate background was in the natural sciences, she brought a unique perspective to the cohort as the only humanities graduate student. For her public engagement project, she created two activities with the Magna Library for children around place attachment. She also led two workshops with the STEM Community Alliance Program (STEMCAP) for youth-in-custody.

Ross Chambless graduated from the Environmental Humanities Program in 2011. He is a writer, creative producer, and communications strategist. He is currently Communications and Community Engagement Manager for the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy at the University of Utah. Previously he was Communications Director for the Democrats in the Utah House of Representatives, and a radio and podcast producer. Before receiving his MA in Environmental Humanities, Ross received his Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001.

Sydney Murray is a rising second year student interested in outdoor education, especially for youth of color. She has worked as a Field Instructor with the Wasatch Mountain Institute (WMI) for the past academic year and is developing an outdoor education program with WMI, Outdoor Afro, and CurlyMe! for Black girls in Utah.

After nine years of leadership, Dr. Jeffrey McCarthy is officially retiring from his position as Director of the Environmental Humanities Program. Jeff assumed directorship of the Program in 2014. Since then, he has successfully graduated nearly 70 students and placed many of them in PhD programs, professional programs, non-profit leadership roles, and Fulbright program; created the Utah Award in the Environmental Humanities to celebrate environmental leadership and expression; organized two leadership symposia for regional Environmental Humanities academic leaders; encouraged vigorous relationships with U of U research organizations like Taft-Nicholson Center and Bonderman Field Station at Rio Mesa; hired new faculty members including Lizzie Callaway, Diana Leong and Angela Robinson; organized the Environmental Humanities Research Interest Group on campus; and most recently is the recipient of a Mellon Foundation grant that created an Environmental Humanities Community Fellows Program to promote environmental justice and all the while, published three books.

Professor Danielle Endres will officially be the new director of the Environmental Humanities Program! After many years as director, Jeffrey McCarthy is retiring from the position and his term will end in June. We are grateful for Jeff's years of commitment to the Program, and we look forward to a new chapter with Danielle as our next leader. Danielle has been an affiliated faculty member with our program since its beginning, so she brings both fresh eyes and a deep understanding of our history and evolution.