Environmental Science Advising, Faculty, & Staff

Daniel Bedford

Department of Geography, Environment, & Sustainability

I've been studying, researching, and teaching about climate science and particularly human-caused climate change for over 30 years. I see human-caused climate change as an existential threat to civilization, and have been working locally, regionally, nationally and internationally to draw attention to the mainstream science on this issue. I've published on climate impacts on water resources in northern Utah, climate change impacts on Great Salt Lake, approaches to teaching about climate change, and connections between subject knowledge and level of concern about this issue.

In the last few years, I've contributed to workshops for middle- and high-school teachers on addressing climate change in their classrooms. Prior to the pandemic, my Weather and Climate class was routinely investigating the energy budget implications of xeriscaping for temperatures across campus, and we are beginning to look at measuring the urban heat island for Ogden.

As noted above, my Weather and Climate class has been actively researching heat island effects at the scale of the WSU Ogden campus, by measuring the temperatures of grass, paved road, rocks, and dark mulch. Students have presented the results of this work at national conferences, WSU's Intermountain Sustainability Summit, and to staff of WSU Facilities Management. I anticipate continuing this work, and expanding it to include urban heat island measurement for Ogden as a whole. In addition, I continue to be fascinated by the relationship between subject knowledge and level of concern about climate change among students, and engaging students in survey design and implementation is an obvious step.

H. Laine Berghout

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Chemistry plays a central role in our understanding of the physical world and hence, environmental science. I am a physical chemist by training with a particular interest in natural processes. Physical chemistry focuses on understanding the interaction of matter and energy to drive chemical changes in systems ranging from individual atoms and molecules to interstellar dust clouds, and everything that happens in the world around us.

I am particularly interested in using computational methods to investigate molecular interactions that are difficult, impossible, or just too dangerous to replicate and study in the lab, including many that are key to our understanding of basic environmental processes.

I can support appropriately prepared students in computational chemistry research projects related to basic environmental processes. I am particularly interested in being involved in collaborative projects where a computational component would provide a valuable additional facet to our understanding.

Brandon Burnett

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Materials Chemistry has a lot of connections to environmental sciences, including the manufacturing of sensors for fast analysis of environmental samples. My research includes the construction of smart materials used for sensors, photocatalysis, and solar energy conversion. I also have research interests in alternative "green" syntheses that utilize stoichiometric amounts of solvent.

Students in my research group would find many environmental applications to the materials we create. Environmental science students who are interested in synthetic chemistry will find my research group a nice middle ground between the two subject areas.

Larry Collinwood

Facilities Management, Landscape

I seek to understand human interaction with our environment including soil, water, weather, climate and the use and allocation of resources, so that we can not only survive but flourish responsibly. Sustainable use through design and social interaction is a very important goal. I chose Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning to express those values that lead to sustainability for mankind in Rural, Sub-urban, and Urban settings. I am also interested in socioeconomic impacts of sustainability values. Twenty-three years of Government, Residential, and Business Owner experience run behind my approach.

There is a need for reintroducing our society into a sustainable agrarian value-based approach, in tandem with technology and resource allocation. I would involve students in project to promote sustainability locally and individually. Efforts to start an Urban Garden, build greenhouses, and design landscapes that are sustainable are available to highly involve students. Emphasis in understanding the sources of our multilevel resources, resource overconsumption, and dangers of cheap infrastructure are examples of how I would teach, show, and involve students and work to mitigate these problems in their future.

Hal Crimmel

Department of English

I have published books that engage with water and air quality issues and also made three films with my film co-partner(s). My contribution lies in helping to communicate quality science to a general audience. In terms of teaching, I co-teach with faculty from other departments and my humanities background complements work in the sciences and social sciences. I look forward to engaging in other interdisciplinary projects in the future.

I would like to be a point of contact between science faculty and students in the context of telling the stories of science in particularly engaging ways, via film or writing.

Michele Culumber

Department of Microbiology

I conduct research and teach courses on environmental and applied microbiology. I study microorganisms and how they live in unique natural and human-made environments. I've worked with gasoline contaminated groundwater, peat bogs, Hawaiian Soils, Hot Springs, the Great Salt Lake, and Cheddar cheese.

I teach Microbial Ecology, where we explore the evolution of life on Earth, diverse microbial habitats, and the ways that microorganisms interact. In Environmental Microbiology, students learn about the harmful and beneficial aspects of microorganisms in the environment as well as many of the laboratory techniques used by microbiologists in environmental microbiology labs. I love introducing students to the diversity microbes and the vast ways that they influence the world.

Students in my research lab explore microbiology of extreme environments, grow microbial biofilms, search for pathogens in environmental samples, or study the microbiome of cheese. We use a wide range of techniques including culture-based methods, microscopy, and molecular biology. We also collaborate with colleagues in other departments.

Ryan Frazier

Department of Geography, Environment, & Sustainability,
Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences

Geospatial is the essential ingredient in understanding the science of where – why are things located there, or where are things clustered or dispersed, or why does location matter? Geospatial data are all around us every day and geographic information science is a way to organize and order, analyze, and display these data with stunning effect. Everywhere and everything on Earth has a location and those locations can reveal patterns and processes that govern environments and uncover some critical information about their functions. Spatial data describing the Earth and its many features and landscapes are critical to understanding and making good decisions.

Join me in learning Geographic Information Science and Remote Sensing and how to manipulate geospatial data and satellite imagery to create maps, analyze data, and present the results so that previously unknown facts become most apparent through effective visualizations and maps. In my courses, students can expect to use data describing the Earth to better understand environments and to create maps and stunning data visualizations.

Courses taught within Environmental Science major:

• Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GEO 3710)
• Cartography and Map Design (GEOG 4400)
• Remote Sensing: Principles and Methods (GEO 3840)

Outside of the classroom I am happy to tell a story or two about my environmental consulting years and interesting sites or projects. I also engage in research based on wild fire and vegetation recovery, cartography and simple web mapping, and also vegetation dynamics as observed from satellite imagery. In addition, I enjoy seeing students push the current boundaries of geospatial science to better understand their surroundings and the Earth.

Jonathan Marshall

Department of Zoology

I teach courses in:

• Herpetology
• Evolution
• Genetics

I help serve with respect to scholarship advising. I also advise the MAS club and could help with advising the Environmental Science club. I could also possibly mentor students in research projects.

Marek Matyjasik

Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences

I teach several courses related to environmental science:

• GEO 1060 Environmental Geosciences
• GEO 3080 Applied Water Resources
• GEO 4080 Groundwater
• Environmental Assessment

My research includes studying water chemistry and water quality.

Taking my classes and conducting independent research projects related to water quality.

Alice Mulder

Department of Geography

I am a human/environmental geographer who has pretty much always focused on the myriad intersections of humans and the environment, looking at student activism and place, private land conservation and its public characteristics, and currently sustainability literacy and culture. I have been engaged with sustainability issues at Weber State since 2006 and am currently the Director of the Sustainability Practices and Research Center on campus. The Center focuses on supporting the expansion of sustainability education across the curriculum and facilitating sustainability-oriented practices both on campus and in the community.

The class I teach that is part of the Environmental Science program is:

• GEOG 3060 – World Environmental Issues

This class considers a range of environmental/sustainability challenges from local to global scales including climate change, food production (land and water based), air pollution, water quality and quantity, and more, looking at underlying issues, interconnections and solutions. I also teach WSU 1560 People and Nature, a SS and HU General Education course with Dr. Hal Crimmel in English. This is a discussion-rich course that explores the people-nature connections across an array of areas.

I am the program coordinator for the Environmental Studies Minor as well, which can make a great complement to the Environmental Science Major. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me – amulder@weber.edu. I am happy to talk about your ideas, research, suggestions for courses across campus or anything else.

Justin Owen

Facilities Management, Energy

I have a master's degree in environmental science and would like to teach and/or mentor upcoming students who are interested in it, particularly in the energy realm.

My first thought would be to teach the energy and environment course, though you likely already have someone lined up. I would also be comfortable teaching a basic environmental chemistry course as I taught that at IU for a few years under Jonathan Raff. I would also be happy to interact with students to give them an understanding of the connection between campus energy systems and environmental problems.

Heather Root

Department of Botany & Plant Ecology

My work focuses on the conservation of plant communities and their recovery after human disturbances such as wildfire and air pollution. In my classes, we discuss the basics of plant ecology with an emphasis on how plants support human needs, are affected by our management decisions, and can help us solve problems within our changing environment. I bring real-world experience with many different situations managing air, water, soil, botanical, and wildlife resources to my classes, where we explore the interconnections of science, economics, and society to develop an understanding of complex issues in environmental management.

Courses taught within Environmental Science major:

• Principles of Environmental Science (BTNY 1403)
• Introduction to Natural Resource Management (BTNY 2413)
• Plant Ecology (BTNY 3454)
• Intermountain Flora (BTNY 3643)
• Advanced Field Botany (BTNY 4950)
• Advanced Statistical Methods (MATH 3450)

I hope environmental science students can be involved in my classes, research, and conservation projects. I also take a limited number of students to work in my lab and in the field with my research projects. I can help students connect with local and regional conservation nonprofits, land management agencies, and local sustainability professionals.

Dan Schroeder

Department of Physics & Astronomy

My background is in elementary particle physics and accelerator physics, but nowadays I am better known as a textbook author and for various editorial roles at the American Journal of Physics.

I have worked with undergraduate students on a variety of projects in quantum mechanics, thermal physics, relativity, and other areas of theoretical physics. Most of these projects have included computational work, and some have involved the creation of interactive web applications for public outreach.

I enjoy teaching physics courses at all levels, from Elementary Astronomy through Quantum Mechanics.

Shane Schvaneveldt

Department of Supply Chain & Management Information Systems

I have been involved for 20+ years in research and teaching of environmental sustainability for business organizations. The environmental challenges that our society faces cannot be addressed without understanding the workings of business, government and other organizations, and involving them in positive change initiatives that recognize the value and sustainable limits of the natural world.

Regarding my academic/professional background, as a Fulbright Scholar I researched environmental initiatives in Japanese business and industry. My research on operational aspects of organizations and the environment has been published in journals and presented at conferences, including the International Society for Industrial Ecology. Also, I have served on the Board of Directors of the Utah Pollution Prevention Association and as a reviewer for the Utah Pollution Prevention Awards, under the auspices of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

While I do not teach a course within the Environmental Science major program, I developed and have regularly taught the first university course in Utah on environmental sustainability for business, and this initiative led to being named along with other WSU faculty as co-recipient of the Green Pioneer Award from Utah Business Magazine. Periodically, I mentor undergraduate research projects dealing with organizations and environmental sustainability on such topics as zero waste, net zero and net positive environmental initiatives, environmentally preferable purchasing, and consumer perceptions and attitudes. In many cases, such projects can be open to an interested Environmental Science student without a business background.

Michele Skopec

Department of Zoology

My research focuses on the ecological interactions of mammalian herbivores and plants. I study the behavioral and physiological adaptations that mammalian herbivores use to consume toxic plants. I also study the effects of mammalian herbivory on some of Utah’s endangered plants. I use a combination of field and laboratory research and apply perspectives and techniques from a number of fields, including ecology, physiology, nutrition, biochemistry, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology.

I would be happy to have Environmental Science majors join me in the field or lab, since I heavily utilize undergraduate assistants in my research projects. I have research collaborations with US Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, and the University of Utah.

Caitlin Tems

Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences

My research focuses on reconstructing past oceanographic processes and climate conditions from sediment archives. To date, my research has focused on understanding how the intensity of the eastern tropical north Pacific (ETNP) oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) has fluctuated during the Holocene and how climatic factors have driven those changes. My research at WSU involves reconstructing past climate from lacustrine sediments and biogeochemical cycling in lakes and I am excited to incorporate environmental science majors into my research program.

I teach GEO 3010 Oceanography and Earth Systems and GEO 1110 Dynamic Earth: Physical Geology, which are required courses for Environmental Science majors in addition to the Environmental Science elective GEO 3210 Quaternary Environmental Change.

Katrina Twing

Department of Microbiology

My research focuses on understanding how microbes interact with each other and their environments using next-generation sequencing methods. My research to date has been of exploring microbes living in extreme environments (deep-sea volcanoes, high pH waters) and is equal parts fieldwork, molecular biology, and bioinformatics. Given the interconnectedness of microorganisms and their environments, particularly in the subsurface setting, studying all these components in tandem using statistically rigorous methodologies is imperative to understanding ecosystems. By taking an interdisciplinary approach to environmental science, we can more completely answer broad real-world questions.

Given the interdisciplinary nature of environmental microbiology, I welcome student researchers interested in microbiology, chemistry, geology, and computer/data science into my lab group. The Twing Lab has a variety of projects involving field, lab, and computational work.