Student Work
Katie Morrison transferred from Washington State University thinking about psychology, but after browsing through the various programs at the UO, the breadth of coursework in the environmental studies program caught her eye. “The interdisciplinary part is really key,” she says. Morrison participated in the ELP’s Environmental Histories Project, which compiled oral histories about the Willamette River. Participants on a self-guided tour can call phone numbers listed on signs to hear community members’ stories about the Willamette.
Richard Burton discovered the environmental studies program while scouring the course catalogue. “The idea that there existed a whole department focused on environmental issues from both natural and social science perspectives clicked with me immediately,” he says. “While scientists were discovering environmental problems, I knew I was more intrigued with the social ramifications and how we dealt with them as a society.” Burton is now working on the Wells Fargo Project through the ELP surveying their corporate offices to assess environmental policies and to make suggestions for future improvements.
Selected Faculty Work
Associate Professor Alan Dickman took over as the environmental studies program director in July 2006 after teaching biology for twenty years and serving as curriculum director of the biology department. “I have a strange and wonderful job that lets me focus on teaching and administration,” he says. Dickman was also lead scholar for the Rediscovering Biology series produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting in 2003.
Trudy Ann Cameron is the Raymond F. Mikesell Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics. Her research focuses on empirically measuring the social benefits of environmental regulations and policies and how much people are willing to pay to reduce health and mortality risks.
Geography Professor Patricia F. McDowell focuses her research on river channel morphology and human impact on river systems. A UO faculty member since 1982, McDowell is a former head of the geography department and teaches courses in fluvial geomorphology, watershed science and policy, and biohydrogeomorphology.
History Professor Matthew Dennis has been with the UO since 1988 and joins the environmental studies executive committee this year. He specializes in Colonial American nationalism, memory, and commemoration; American Indian history; and environmental history. Dennis took part in Talking History’s “Holiday Series” of podcasts and radio broadcasts and was co-editor for Riot and Revelry in Early America.
Career Prospects
As a graduate of the environmental studies program, you’ll be able to apply your knowledge to any number of careers. There are opportunities in journalism, local and federal government, and academia. Consulting will be an option, as corporations seek to cooperate with environmental regulations.
You might become a lobbyist or a lawyer, pushing for ecologically responsible legislation. The increasing gravity of pollution, overpopulation, resource depletion and environmental racism makes environmental studies a critical field for future leaders.