Sustainability

Community Profiles

Dana Dudle—Associate Professor of Biology
Olin 114, ddudle@depauw.edu
I teach evolution, ecology, conservation biology and plant biology at DePauw.  In my research, I focus on how plants survive and reproduce in harsh environments. My students and I also study the biological recovery of landscapes and ecosystems that have been scarred by human uses, such as the abandoned limestone quarry at the DePauw Nature Park.  Abstracts of many of my students’ recent projects are visible on the DePauw University Nature Park website. Recently I’ve been inspired by an article entitled “Leave No Child Inside”, by Richard Louv, which calls on educators to reconnect students with the natural world early and often.  I hope that a growing focus on sustainability at DePauw will include more opportunities for all students, faculty, and staff to reconnect with the subtle beauty of our campus ecosystem.  Please contact me to ask questions and tell stories about the Nature Park or other local quarries, or if you are interested in engaging in biological research at DePauw.

Jen Everett—Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Asbury 216, jeverett@depauw.edu
As a philosopher I care about thinking hard about our world; as an ethicist I care about understanding and seeking the greater good; and as a faculty member I care about my university being a good institutional citizen. I co-lead the DePauw Environmental Policy Project in the 2008-2009 school year, working with the student policy and sustainability interns.

Jeanette Pope—Assistant Professor of Geosciences and Coordinator of the Women in Science Program
Julian 213, jpope@depauw.edu
Hi!  I am a faculty member in the Department of Geosciences who studies water quality and mineral-water interactions.  I teach a number of classes that focus on the scientific understanding of the world around us, including Earth and the Environment, Geochemistry, and Applied Hydrogeology.  Additionally, some of my classes focus specifically on how human beings interact with environmental systems (for example Introduction to Environmental Science Seminar, Environmental Geology, and Modern Environmental Problems).  I am also the faculty advisor for DePauw Environmental Club. I have been a passionate environmentalist since high school, based, in part, on the land ethic instilled in me by my grandparents.  I became a geologist because I love this science that explains how this world around us came to be and how it continues to slowly change.  My greatest concern, in fact, is that the changes we see in environmental quality (pollution, resource exploitation, population, climate change) are happening WAY too fast for natural systems to keep up.  While as a geologist I don’t think we can actually “destroy the world,” I can certainly see that our collective actions can make it a very undesirable place to be.  I hope that my teaching can provide a pathway to a more sophisticated understanding of the powerful and interacting systems governing our planet.  Armed with this knowledge, we can make better choices and become better global citizens.

Michele Villinski—Associate Professor of Economics and Interim Director of Management Fellows
UB, Suite 150 A, mvillinski@depauw.edu