Renee Godard, professor of biology and environmental studies; director of environmental studies
B.S., Guilford College; Ph.D., University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

As a child, a walk in the woods filled my mind with stories and questions about the animals and plants I had seen. Now my walks evoke more sophisticated questions and the angle at which I try to answer them has changed, but my mind is still completely absorbed by the wonders of the natural world. At Hollins, many of the classes that I teach feed my passion and allow me to share it with my students. From the classroom to the field, we explore ecological and behavioral questions, asking questions and finding answers. The woods that I share now with my students have changed since I was a child. Global climate change and other significant environmental problems threaten much of the fabric of the natural and agricultural systems upon which we rely. As such, in my classes we also explore these environmental problems and search for hopeful solutions. The classes I teach at Hollins include Environmental Science, Ecology, Animal Behavior, Evolution and the Human Condition, Senior Seminar and Winter Wanderings. The research questions that my students and I explore are wide ranging from discovering factors that impact breeding success in birds (primarily bluebirds) to determining the degree to which our technological systems for delivering food can result in microbial contamination of what we consume.

Jon Donald Bohland, assistant professor of international and environmental studies
B.A., James Madison University; M.A., Syracus University; Ph.D., Virginia Tech

My training is in geography and international studies. Many of the courses that I teach at Hollins are cross listed in both international and environmental studies. Students who are interested in global environmental issues will find these courses of particular value.

Pablo Hernandez, assistant professor of economics
B.A. Universidad de las Americas; M.A., Ph.D., University of Notre Dame

Pablo Hernandez teaches in the business and economics department. His primary interests concern environmental and natural resource economics and development economics. Before his arrival at Hollins in fall 2007, Pablo served as CWIL fellow and visiting professor in the department of business administration and economics at Saint Mary's College. He earned his doctorate in economics from the University of Notre Dame. In his doctoral research on the interaction between international trade and environmental quality, he assessed the economic aspects of the recent transfers of hazardous waste between Mexico and the United States. Pablo is also interested in financing for development in Latin America and in community-based conservation strategies from a developing-country perspective.

Ryan D. Huish, assistant professor, biology
A.S., Utah Valley University; B.S., Brigham Young University; M.Phil., Ph.D., City University of New York

My earliest memories are of plants. After observing plants for several years, I began to wonder if everything grew like plants. This question lead me to perform my first experiment at age five. I placed a rock in the sunshine on my bedroom windowsill and watered and measured it periodically. After concluding that rocks don’t grow like plants, I gave up on geology and my love for plants has been growing ever since. With a background in botany and cultural anthropology, I am fascinated with how historic and modern peoples around the world use plants for food, medicine, and art, and also the commodification and conservation of these plants. The courses I teach at Hollins include Plant Biology; Plants and People: An Introduction to Ethnobotany; Conservation Biology, with a strong GIS (Geographic Information Systems) component; and Plants in Poetry and Art. My research interests incorporate an interdisciplinary approach to address basic and applied questions in ethnobotany, ecology, and plant conservation by employing techniques in the fields of plant ecology, genetics, anthropology, phytochemistry, biogeography, sustainable management, and GIS. Most recently I have focused on studying the ethnobotany, ecology, and sustainable management of sandalwood (Santalum yasi), a culturally and economically significant but threatened plant endemic to Fiji and Tonga that is harvested for its aromatic and medicinal oil. I am also involved with an ongoing project studying the medicinal plants of Tonga. I welcome opportunities for students to explore some of these questions with me through collaborative research.

Bansi Kalra, professor of chemistry; B.Sc., M.Sc., Panjab University; Ph.D., University of Saskatchewan

Impacts of acid rain, global warming, pesticide pollution and biomagnification all result from the introduction of chemicals from human and natural sources. As such, environmental studies majors should have an understanding of basic chemical processes as it is these processes that are at the root of many of our most pressing environmental problems. I teach a basic course in Environmental Analysis to environmental studies majors who are more interested in environmental advocacy, literature or law. My department also offers elective courses in chemistry that will provide an important foundation for those environmental studies majors interested in environmental science.

Thorpe Moeckel, associate professor of English; B.A., Bowdoin College-Brunswick; M.F.A., University of Virginia

His most recent book is Venison: a poem. His poetry collections include Odd Botany (Silverfish Review Press, 2002), winner of the 2000 Gerald Cable Award, and Making a Map of the River (Iris Press, 2008). Chapbooks include Meltlines and The Guessing Land. He has been a Jacob K. Javits and Henry Hoyns Fellow, and was awarded the New Writing Award from The Fellowship of Southern Writers. His writings appear regularly in journals, and selections are featured in several anthologies. He has recently completed a linked essay collection, a novel for kids, and a new collection of poems.

William P. Nye (Homepage), professor of sociology; B.S., Tufts University; M.A., Ph.D., New School University

As a sociologist I have come to recognize the significant role that environmental change plays in society and culture. As a specialist in race and minority relations, I am particularly aware of the detrimental impacts of environmental change and pollution on minorities and impoverished communities. I teach one of the core courses, Environment and Society, as well as other elective courses in the environmental studies major.