Brian Deyo

Associate Professor of English at GVSU

Areas of Interest: global literature, indigenous cultures, human adaptation

Professor Deyo started teaching at Grand Valley in the Department of English in Fall 2009, shortly after receiving his PhD in Literature from Vanderbilt University. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in world literatures, environmental literature, and literary theory. His research and scholarship focus on postcolonial literatures from diverse regions and nations, including South Africa, Australia, and, more recently, Latin America—with a special emphasis on the socio-environmental legacies and impacts of European colonialism and imperialism, as well as American imperialism. Lately, Professor Deyo has taken up a serious interest in questions related to how and why the planet’s remaining indigenous peoples, societies, and cultures might help us to reimagine our relations with the natural world and each other, specifically in the context of climate breakdown.

Robert Hollister

Professor of Biology at GVSU

Areas of Interest: Plant Biology, Ecology, Zoology, Arctic Ecosystems 

Dr. Hollister is an ecologist interested in the interactions between humans and natural ecosystems. Most of his research is in northern Alaska examining the influence of climate change and land use change on tundra ecosystems. He also has experience working with Tropical Dry Forests of Puerto Rico and Water Quality Monitoring in Indiana and wetland ecosystems.  His research in Michigan Wetlands involves collaborations and student-led activities sampling vegetation. 

Dr. Hollister's research in Alaska is funded by the National Science Foundation. This long-term project uses small chambers to experimentally warm plots of vegetation in an attempt to simulate future climate change. The research takes place in Barrow and Atqasuk, Alaska. He is a Co-chair of the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX). The results from this work are being used to better forecast vegetation change in the Arctic.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (616) 331-8582

Elena Lioubimtseva

Professor of Geography at GVSU

Dr. Lioubimtseva's research interests include human vulnerability and adaptations to climate change, food security, climate change scenarios, and applications of geospatial technologies for understanding climate change impacts. Elena has extensive field research experience in Russia, France, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. She is currently conducting research on the climate change adaptation planning by the local governments in the United States and in France and is actively involved in collaboration with the University of Versailles in France. Locally, she is active in her research on adaptation and resiliency planning in West Michigan. She was a special contributor to Grand Rapids Climate Resiliency Report and is a member on West Michigan Climate Adaptation Council.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (616) 331-2874

Melissa Morison

Associate Professor  of Classics at GVSU

Areas of Interest: 

I'm an archaeologist and have conducted fieldwork in various parts of the Mediterranean (and elsewhere) for about 30 years.  We are interested in the totality of the human experience in the past, including interaction with the physical environment: how did ancient peoples manage their water supply and their food supply, especially in times of drought and famine;  how did they respond to crisis;  what were the social consequences of such responses?   

Within this larger framework, my current work in Greece explores the ways that artifacts (such as those found in cemeteries, trash dumps, and workshops), and the organization and use of civic spaces, demonstrate the creativity and resilience of ancient peoples in times of crisis. Currently, I am working on a book on this subject, based on material from such a time of crisis in Greece:  the 4th through 6th centuries CE.  I enjoy working with other archaeologists who specialize in related issues such as the interactions of humans with plants and animals -- together, we develop an integrated vision of past human actions in response to environmental challenges, and consider their modern implications. 

Email: [email protected]

Erik Nordman

Associate Professor of Natural Resources Management at GVSU

Areas of Study: 

Dr. Nordman is an associate professor of natural resources management at Grand Valley State University. His teaching and research interests focus on the social dimensions of resource management, including renewable energy, urban stormwater management, the restoration of lake and river systems, and invasive species.

In 2016, he served as a Virtual Fellow for the US State Department researching options for Cape Verde to reach its 100% renewable electricity goal. The resulting article, published in The Conversation, was featured on the National Geographic Education Blog. He served as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya in 2012-2013 where he taught several classes and conducted research on wind energy applications in Kenya’ tea industry. He also created a climate change resilience curriculum for St. Vincent and the Grenadines through the Pan American Development Foundation. In 2019-20, he will be a visiting scholar at the Ostrom Workshop for Political Theory and Policy Analysis at Indiana University. While there, Nordman will study how cities that have joined the 2030 District energy program (including Grand Rapids) encourage voluntary commitments to reduce energy use, water use, and transportation-related greenhouse gases. He is also writing a book about Dr. Elinor Ostrom, the first (and to date, only) woman to win the Nobel Prize in economics for her work on environmental management.

His publications are available at his website: https://works.bepress.com/erik_nordman/.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (616) 843-1104

Beth Peterson

Assistant Professor of Writing at GVSU

Areas of Study:

Beth Peterson is a nonfiction writer and assistant professor of writing. A wilderness guide before she began writing, Beth's research interests include: the lyric essay, environmental writing, literary journalism, nonfiction history and theory, place writing, and European glaciers. Beth's first book, an essay collection about glaciers, volcanoes, and disappearing people, is forthcoming from Trinity University Press (September, 2019.)

Email: [email protected]

Laura Schneider

Associate Professor of Political Science at GVSU

Areas of study:

Laura Schneider has a Ph.D. in Political Science from Purdue University. She teaches Environmental Policy in addition to other policy and American government related courses at GVSU.

Her research interests include understanding public perception and awareness of climate change in West Michigan, the role of politics in climate policy, forest management policy specifically as it relates to fire, and the role of norms in endangered species protection in the United States. 

Email: [email protected]

Kevin Strychar

Professor at Annis Water Resources Institute - Grand Valley State University

Areas of Study: 

Dr. Kevin Strychar is trained as a cell biologist who specializes in integrative ecology, bridging disciplines of climate change, cellular interactions, and comparative immunology. Additionally, his research branches out into flow cytometry, immunochemistry, cell biology, and “-omic” techniques associated with marine and freshwater habitats. 

Kevin Strychar's research focuses on the biological implications of climate change, such as the effects of warming temperatures on the spread of both invasive species and aquatic-born diseases and pathogens in aquatic and freshwater habitats.  Prior to my arrival in the Great Lakes, my studies focused on reef corals (shallow and deep-water), sponges, dinoflagellates, and other “microbes”.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (616) 331-8796

Janet Vail

Research Scientist at Annis Water Resources Institute, GVSU

Areas of Study: 

Citizen monitoring programs for E. coli bacteria and ozone, Science education with a specialization in environmental education, Teacher professional development facilitator, Curriculum development

Dr. Janet Vail’s interests are science education with a specialization in environmental education and citizen monitoring.  She oversees the outreach/education program at the GVSU Annis Water Resources Institute and facilitates a variety of professional development workshops.  Janet is the state of Michigan coordinator for Michigan Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) and the GVSU Global Learning to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) partnership coordinator.  She is an author for the Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum Support (MEECS) Climate Change Unit and the author of the MEECS Air Quality Unit. She currently serves as vice chair of the West Michigan Clean Air Coalition. 

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (616) 331-3048