Lab Members
Mark Brunson
Lab director and professor of Environment and Society,
Mark is a hybrid social and ecological scientist with a very wide range of research interests. After earning his PhD in Forestry at Oregon State University, he came to Utah State and quickly became fascinated by rangeland ecosystems and how they are managed. He has studied public perceptions of land management practices and conditions, adoption of innovations to improve environmental stewardship, and the effects of human activities on ecological processes. In addition to his research and teaching duties, he has led several outreach programs aimed at natural resource professionals and the public.
Current Graduate Student Researchers
Carmen Calzado, PhD student
came to USU after earning a Bachelor’s in Forest Engineering and Master’s degree in Forest Science and Technology from the University of Córdoba, Spain. Her research focuses on institutional and social barriers to ecological restoration in rangelands, adoption of new restorative practices in public land management agencies, and the use of agent-based modeling (ABM) to assist decision making in restoration planning to aid in the conservation and restoration of sagebrush ecosystems in the Great Basin.
Leanna DeJong, PhD student
a native of Indiana, joined the lab in Fall 2020 after completing a Bachelor’ s degree in Biology from Calvin University and a M.S. in Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State, and working in various outdoor education and fieldwork positions. For her doctoral research, she is exploring the contributions of faith communities to biodiversity conservation through ecological greenspace management.
Sarah Koenigsberg, PhD student
is a filmmaker, photographer, and educator whose work centers on stories of art, environment, and community in the American West. Her films and teaching cross disciplines, illuminating the power of storytelling as a medium through which to explore complex social, science, and policy issues. Since earning her BA in Environmental Studies and Politics at Whitman College in 2002, she has been inspired by the successes of place-based collaboratives, and she strives to facilitate that type of ground up problem solving in public land management, watershed restoration, and climate adaptation. Her award-winning feature documentary The Beaver Believers has screened worldwide, receiving the Green Spark Award from the American Conservation Film Festival and a spot on the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, and her photography has been featured in publications such as Science, High Country News, The Flyfish Journal, and the National Climate Assessment. After producing the groundbreaking Restoring Riverscapes Workshop in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region in spring 2023, she’s embarked upon a mid-career plot twist, joining the USU Environment and Society department as a PhD candidate. Her research explores the intersection of science and storytelling in process based riverscape restoration and beaver rewilding.
Lab Alumni
Sandra Atwood (PhD) – assistant professor of Indigenous Studies, Lethbridge College (Alberta, Canada)
Taya Carothers (PhD) – assistant director, Office of International Student and Scholar Services, Northwestern University
Emily Kalnicky (PhD) – director of monitoring, evaluation and learning, Partnership for Public Service
Gwendwr Meredith (PhD) – assistant professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Natalie Otto (MS) – voluntary stewardship program coordinator, Grays Harbor Conservation District, Washington
Voravee Saengawut (PhD) – associate professor, Khon Kaen University (Thailand)
Meghan Tait (MS) – environmental specialist, Washington Department of Ecology
Ryan Tarver (PhD) – post-doctoral researcher, Boise State University
Hilary Whitcomb (MS, PhD) – biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho
Betsey York (MS) – human dimensions specialist, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation