The Academic Minute for 2020.06.08-2020.06.12

The Academic Minute from 06.08 – 06.12

Monday, June 8th
Greg Fulkerson – SUNY Oneonta
Urbanization, Urban Dependency and Urbanormativity
Gregory Fulkerson received his M.A in Sociology from Western Michigan University in 2000, taught 2 years at Lansing Community College, and earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from North Carolina State University in 2006. He is interested in issues related to globalization, rurality, community, agriculture, and the environment. His current research investigates the local and global processes leading to environmental degradation and the social response to these problems, particularly in relation to urban-rural processes. He is the author of several conference presentations, journal articles, book chapters, and book, Critical Rural Theory (co-authored)). He recently co-edited a volume, Studies in Urbanormativity, and served as the program chair for the Rural Sociological Society.

Tuesday, June 9th
Trevor Fuller – SUNY Oneonta
What is Environmental Justice?
Dr. Fuller worked for almost 10 years as an environmental scientist prior to pursuing advanced degrees in geography. Prior to accepting a position at SUNY Oneonta, he was a Ph.D. student in the geography department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Fuller’s interests lie in environmental justice in both urban and rural settings and his research interests focus on how several U.S. cities have begun to embrace the concept of sustainable development. In his book, Environmental Justice and Activism in Indianapolis, Dr. Fuller examines how place attachment, social capital, and perceptions influence citizen responses when their communities are environmentally threatened.

Wednesday, June 10th
Tyra Olstad – SUNY Oneonta
How We Value Landscapes
Tyra Olstad is a writer, geographer, and former park ranger, paleontology technician, cave guide, and summit steward. In addition to one book—Zen of the Plains—she has published research articles, creative nonfiction essays, photo essays, and hand-drawn maps in a variety of scholarly and creative journals, including GeoHumanities, The Trumpeter, Orion, Written River, and Newfound. She currently teaches geography and environmental sustainability at SUNY Oneonta.

Thursday, June 11th
James Mills – SUNY Oneonta
Pilgrimages Could Save the Environment
Dr. Mills completed an undergraduate degree in natural resource planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and MA and PhD degrees in geography from the University of Minnesota. He served as the director of the Environmental Sciences Program for eight years at SUNY Oneonta and helped create a new major in environmental sustainability.  He currently teaches regional courses on Asia, the Geography of Culture and Environment, Environmental Issues, and a course entitled Religion, Spirit, and Environment. His research often focuses on landscape and spirit. He has visited pilgrimage destinations in Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Levant, Europe, and the US. His book Creating Pilgrimage Pathways Across the US: Walking in Community to a More Soulful and Sustainable World, published by North Atlantic Books, will be available early in 2021.

Friday, June 12th
Philip Sirianni – SUNY Oneonta
The Result of Taxing Carbon Emissions
An expert researcher in environmental/sustainability economics, Dr. Sirianni has had six papers published in peer-reviewed journals and authored a chapter in “Building a Green Economy.” He has chaired or discussed papers at 10 academic conferences, including the New York State Economics Association Annual Meeting and the Western Economic Association International Meeting. Dr. Sirianni has refereed for five different publications and has presented his research 26 times at academic conferences and as an invited speaker. A creative classroom game he developed for his Intermediate Microeconomics course was featured in the Journal of Economics and Finance Education. Outside the classroom, Dr. Sirianni serves as a faculty adviser to SUNY Oneonta’s School of Economics and Business Student Advisory Council and helped grow the college’s chapter of international economics honor society Omicron Delta Epsilon. His expertise benefited the entire college when, as chair of the President’s Advisory Council on Sustainability, he promoted sustainability in curricula and campus operations. Dr. Sirianni was recently recognized for excellence in teaching, receiving the State University Chancellor’s Award.