Faculty Profiles

Environmental Studies Faculty

The Environmental Studies faculty at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is comprised of experienced scholars and research professionals dedicated to interdisciplinary education, focusing on the complex relationships between ecological systems, human activity, and environmental policy. Faculty members actively engage in research and community projects, providing students with hands-on learning opportunities in areas such as sustainability, conservation, and environmental justice, while fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Image of Elena Traister
Professor

Environmental Systems, Green Living Seminar, Environmental Policy, Sustainable Food Systems, Ecology and Management of the Adirondacks

  • Ph.D., University of New Hampshire
  • M.E.Sc., Yale School of the Environment
  • B.A., Williams College
Image of Daniel Shustack
Professor

Nature of New England, Ornithology, Environmental Sustainability, Everglades and South Florida

  • Ph.D., The Ohio State University

  • M.S., The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
  • B.S., The Pennsylvania State University
Image of John Hite
Adjunct Instructor

Environmental Policy of Waste Management

  • B.A., Clark University
  • M. E. M., in Yale School of the Environment

Image of Daniel Harris
Adjunct Instructor

Soil Science, Environmental Sustainability 

  • M.S. University of Massachusetts-
    Amherst
  • B.A. MCLA
Image of Philip McKnight
Adjunct Instructor

Environmental Law, Honors Environmental Law

  • J.D., University of Chicago Law School
  • B.A., Williams College
Image of Julie Richburg
Adjunct Instructor

Restoration Ecology, Ecology of Invasive Species 

  • Ph.D., University of Massachusetts-
    Amherst
  • M.S., University of Massachusetts-
    Amherst
  • B.S., Tufts University

Affiliated Faculty

(As of Sept. 2024)

Department: Biology
Courses Taught: Microbiology, Parasitology

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Department: Biology
Courses Taught: Mammalogy and Herpetology, Intro to Biology (I & 2)

Department: Biology
Courses Taught: Animal Behavior, Biostatistics

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Department: Biology
Courses Taught: Marine Biology, Tropical Ecology, Intro to Biology (I & 2)

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Department: Biology
Courses Taught: Environmental Microbiology, Genetics

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Department: Biology
Courses Taught: Field Botany, Plants and Society, Ecology

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Department: Anthropology
Courses Taught: Environmental Anthropology, Ecodisaster

Department: Business
Courses Taught: Environmental Economics

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Department: Computer Science
Courses Taught: Introduction to Outdoor Leadership

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Department: English
Courses Taught: Ecopoetics

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Department: Interdisciplinary Studies
Courses Taught: Environmental Justice

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Department: Public Health
Courses Taught: Environmental Health, Epidemiology

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