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NELSON INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON For Alumni and Friends of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison SPRING/SUMMER 2012 New Leadership Paul Robbins brings unique view of people and environment to role as director MEET MONICA WHITE TRENDSETTERS IN DEFENDING THE REGIONAL LEADER First UW faculty member THE TONGASS ENDANGERED Susan Hedman guides to focus on environmental Alumni lead conservation Novel approaches help Great Lakes restoration, justice efforts in Alaska protect lions and lemurs protection Around the Nelson Institute The art of leadership CONTENTS Goodall to keynote Earth Day conference Food for thought UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS Leadership. It comes in many creative forms. Sometimes it is quiet, aris- Other upcoming Around the institute 3 Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall will be the keynote speaker at As food intern for the ing in efforts to listen for common cause among diverse voices; some- the seventh annual Nelson Institute Earth Day Conference on Monday, Nelson Institute UW-Madison GreenHouse New leadership 8 times it appears boldly, arising out of the passion, ideas and April 15, 2013, at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention environmental learning com- Paul Robbins brings determination of a single inspired individual, beckoning others to follow. events: Center in downtown Madison. The daylong conference will explore munity, Anna Zeide coordinates unique view of people We don’t always know from where leadership comes, but we rec- and environment issues related to biodiversity conservation. the Global Food for Thought ognize it when we see it. This issue of In Common celebrates different Dr. Goodall is widely known for her 50-year, ground-breaking Meal Series – a gathering of Meet Monica White 11 forms of leadership carried out every day, across the world, by Nelson study of the behavior and social interactions of wild chimpanzees Sept. 14 GreenHouse residents and New professor will focus on Institute students, faculty and alumni. in Tanzania’s Gombe National Park. In 1977, she founded the Jane Rendezvous on the Terrace Madison food experts to enjoy environmental justice First, we would like to share some exciting news regarding our own Goodall Institute, which works to protect chimpanzees and their Join alumni, friends, international cuisine and leadership. We’re enormously pleased to introduce Paul Robbins, who Trendsetters in the 12 habitats and establishes community-centered conservation and students and special discussion. will take over as Nelson Institute director in August. Paul, who comes to Tongass development programs in Africa. She also founded Roots & Shoots, guests for refreshments Wisconsin from the University of Arizona, brings a wealth of experience, CAMERON KAT Alumni lead transformative a global environmental and humanitarian youth program. and meet new Nelson efforts in Southeast Alaska energy and ideas, and will, I am certain, lead us down exciting new A number of related activities for Nelson Institute alumni and Institute director Paul paths and into new opportunities yet to be imagined. Guarding the Predators 16 friends, including fi lms, fi eld trips, lectures and social gatherings, Robbins at this informal We’re also excited to tell you about our newest assistant professor, Monica White, who will join Former Maasai warriors will take place during the weekend of April 13-14 as a lead-in to the annual gathering on the us in the fall. Her faculty position, created in partnership between the Nelson Institute and the protect lions in Africa Earth Day conference. Information about events and hotel Memorial Union Terrace, Department of Community and Environmental Sociology in the College of Agricultural and Life accommodations, as well as additional details about the conference 5-7 p.m. CHANGE for lemurs 20 Sciences, is UW-Madison’s fi rst professorship dedicated to research and education on environmental program, will be available soon at nelson.wisc.edu/earthday. Students track critically justice. We’re proud to have led the effort to establish this unique and timely faculty position. endangered primates Elsewhere, countless members of the Nelson Institute community are making their mark as MICHAEL NEUGEBAUER Oct. 17 Zeide, a Ph.D. candidate Waddle for the camera 23 innovative leaders. We tell you about a few of them in the pages that follow. They include: Harold “Bud” Jordahl Public in History of Science and Ph.D. candidate Peter Boger Lands Lecture the Nelson Institute Center documents Antarctica wildlife • Susan Hedman, an alumna of the Nelson Institute’s Land Resources (now Environment and The featured speaker for Culture, History and Resources) program. Susan heads the Region 5 offi ce of the U.S. Environmental Protection Regional leader 24 will be Dayton Duncan, Environment, says the dinners Agency overseeing six states, 35 tribal entities and the Great Lakes Program Offi ce. Alumni profi le: EPA Region 5 writer and producer of The expose students to the cuisine Administrator Susan Hedman • Leela Hazzah, a Ph.D. alumna, and Stephanie Dolrenry, a Ph.D. candidate, leaders in the Lion National Parks: America’s and culture of other places, Guardians, an award-winning conservation organization in Kenya. Best Idea; Lewis & Clark: using food as a lens into larger Investing in Nelson 26 • Nelson Institute graduate students Brittany Bovard, Ryan Marsh and Erik Olson, who are working Gifts provide crucial The Journey of the Corps issues (see summaries on her with local communities in Madagascar to help protect a rare primate species. student, program support of Discovery; Horatio’s blog, , at • And Nelson alumni Andrew Thoms and Nicolaas Mink, who have forged collaborations between Dining and Opining Drive and other PBS Insights 29 diningandopining.blogspot.com). environmentalists and business people through innovative projects in Alaska. documentaries by Nadine Lymn refl ects on life The series is one of many edu- in suburban D.C. Finally, as my four years as interim director come to a close and I prepare to engage more fully fi lmmaker Ken Burns; cational activities offered at the in teaching and research once again, I look back with a sense of gratitude and pride in what the 7 p.m., Mills Hall, GreenHouse, which is directed Alumni notes 30 institute’s faculty, staff and students have recently accomplished. UW-Madison. by Jack Kloppenburg, a professor We successfully established an undergraduate major in environmental studies, capping a nearly See Jane Goodall April 15. (Goodall does not handle wild chimpanzees; of community and environmental In Common is published by the 40-year effort to provide this option for UW-Madison students. We strengthened the Nelson Institute’s this orphan chimpanzee lives at a Jane Goodall Institute sanctuary.) sociology and environmental Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of role as a catalyst in fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and leadership in addressing environ- studies. Wisconsin–Madison. Funding for mental challenges, from the campus-wide sustainability initiative to programs and partnerships production and distribution is in communities beyond campus. Through the launch of the Community Environmental Scholars provided through the generosity of Program, we have also helped to create an inclusive environment in which the varied backgrounds our alumni and friends. Contact us and perspectives of students can fl ourish, and where a passion for environmental studies connects at [email protected]. UW-Madison fi rst: Nelson Institute awarded NSF grant for STEM scholarships with a dedication to community action and to problems of economic and social injustice. Steve Pomplun, Executive Editor I look forward to continuing to be a part of the Nelson Institute community. And I know that with The Nelson Institute has been awarded UW-Madison’s fi rst-ever National Science Foundation S-STEM grant for undergraduate scholarships Meghan Lepisto, Managing Editor in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The fi ve-year, $600,000 grant will provide scholarships for students in the Danielle Lamberson Philipp, the inspirational help, commitment and devotion shown by so many faculty, staff, students and Nelson Institute Community Environmental Scholars Program (CESP). The scholarships are need-based and include funding for students Designer alumni, the Nelson Institute will prosper under Paul Robbins’ leadership. On Wisconsin! Jenny Peek, Writer and from underrepresented communities as well as fi rst-generation, veteran, disabled or returning adult students. Photographer The grant builds on the previous success of CESP, explains project leader Cathy Middlecamp, an associate professor of environmental studies and integrated liberal studies. CESP trains undergraduates to work with environmental and community organizations, government Gregg Mitman agencies and businesses; provides them with professional training; and offers opportunities to link their studies with community service. Interim Director Over the grant period, CESP will award at least 35 additional scholarships averaging $8,000, supporting students in STEM fi elds. -JENNY PEEK COVER PHOTO: New Nelson Institute Director Paul Robbins, who will take the helm in August, stands in the UW-Madison Arboretum. Credit: Jenny Peek/Nelson Institute 2 In Common Spring/Summer 2012 3 Around the Nelson Institute Help wanted: NELSON INSTITUTE Environmental A week of Tales Envisioning