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Don DeHayes Leaves Lasting Legacy

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Don DeHayes Leaves Lasting Legacy
The
Rubenstein School
Environment and Natural Resources
News for our alumni and friends
of
Spring/Summer 2008
Don DeHayes Leaves Lasting Legacy
Shari Halik
Rubenstein School and Forest Service Lab sign lease agreement
Rubenstein School Research Assistant Professor Kimberly Wallin (right) and undergraduate
Addison Kasmarek (FOR ’10) conduct an insect study at the U.S. Forest Service Northern
Research Station Lab in South Burlington, Vermont.
When Don DeHayes became provost at the University of Rhode Island
this spring, he left a huge legacy. His 30
years of ground-breaking forest research,
award-winning teaching, interdisciplinary
curriculum development, multicultural endeavors, philanthropic advancement, and
partnership building have brought national
recognition to The Rubenstein School.
Don came to UVM’s School of Natural Resources in 1977 and initially taught
courses in dendrology and forest genetics.
In the 1990s, he was instrumental in creating an interdisciplinary curriculum and
was first to teach NR 1, the introductory
course in the School’s core curriculum.
Don received a UVM Kroepsch-Maurice
Award for Teaching Excellence in 1991.
He served as associate dean and interim dean of the School before becoming
dean in 2000. He took the lead in bringing a multicultural focus to the School. In
2006, he was honored with the endowed
Donald DeHayes Multicultural Scholarship fund, establishing a legacy of support
for multicultural students in The School.
As dean, he oversaw significant
growth in faculty research awards. His
own research program began in genetics
and forest tree improvement in the late
1970s and expanded to include acid rain
research in the 1980s and the role of calcium depletion on forest stress response in
more recent years. Don and his colleagues
are at the forefront in demonstrating acid
rain’s impact on forest trees. Don was
named a University Scholar, honoring sustained excellence in research, in 2001.
He also played a key role in boosting
philanthropic support for the School and
University. In 2003, Don helped secure
the largest single gift in the University’s
history, a $15 million donation from Stephen and Beverly Rubenstein. Don was
also a key player in obtaining a $7.5 million gift from Lulie and Gordon Gund
and family to relocate the renowned Institute for Ecological Economics to UVM.
Among his most important contributions, however, may be the partnerships
Don nurtured with state and federal
agencies, non-profits, and other institutions, in particular, the U.S. Forest Service
Northern Research Station. Don saw his
vision for closer collaboration between
the School and the Research Station become reality in January, when the School
signed a lease agreement with the George
D. Aiken Forest Service Lab in South
Burlington to share laboratory space at the
Forest Service facility.
“Don viewed the Forest Service as a
long-term and stable partner, and he understood the ‘inverse capacity’ of the two
facilities—the Aiken Center was short on
office space and funding to renovate labs,
and the Forest Service Lab was underutilized,” says Paul Schaberg, Forest Service scientist and long-time research and
multicultural program partner with Don.
“Without this agreement with the
Forest Service, we would not have been
able to meet a number of goals that have
developed during the Greening of Aiken process,” says Interim Dean Larry
Forcier. “Meeting these goals will require
good planning, attention, and cooperation,
and the rewards of our efforts will demonstrate our commitment to sustainability.”
Not only does Larry see the integration as a way for the School to walk the
talk of sustainability, he sees in it the
potential to be a national model. In other
federal-university partnerships, federal
scientists are usually housed in a university facility. In this case, it’s reciprocal,
with Forest Service employees housed
in Aiken Center offices and Rubenstein
School researchers working in federal
labs.
“We view the partnership with the
University as a fundamental part of our
federal science mission area,” states
Michael Rains, director of the Northern
Continued on page 2
Greening of Aiken
Proposed Timeline
Fundraising completed – Sept. 2008
Lab transitions completed – Oct. 2008
Design/permitting process ends – Nov. 2008
Move into temporary space – Dec. 2008
Renovations completed – June 2010
Dean’s Message
Our students make a difference
Environmental Studies
Ian Worley (802-656-4055)
Greetings to alumni, parents, and
friends. In the last few months, we lost
two conservation giants from the School’s
family. Board of Advisor members Steve
Rubenstein and Frank Parker were instrumental in advancing The Rubenstein
School. They would be among the first to
want to know that we are following our
mission with effectiveness and distinction,
that our alums make a difference, and that
our students are talented and motivated.
We recently held UVM’s 204th commencement, the 35th since our School was
established. During the Rubenstein ceremony, we listened to thoughtful comments
from Chuck Ross (UVM ’78). Chuck received the Kidder Prize as an outstanding
UVM student when he graduated 30 years
ago, is a member of our School’s Board of
Advisors, and serves as Vermont staff director for Senator Patrick Leahy.
Chuck spoke eloquently about kindness, trying hard, loving and forgiving, investing in hope, and changing
the world. He presumed that good people comprised his audience, and he was
right! The Rubenstein School students
with whom I have interacted over the past
four years are superb people who will
make a difference. They care about each
other and about the world around them.
 We are lucky to attract the students who enroll in the School. However, we do not get these high quality students by happenstance. That good fortune is based on the hard work of thoughtful people who care deeply about the
environment. Our Rubenstein School, formerly known as the School of Natural Resources and nurtured even prior to that by
Forestry
John Shane (802-656-2907)
Lease Agreement continued from page 1
Natural Resources
Clare Ginger (802-656-2698)
Research Station. “Building science capacity through shared positions and other resources will ensure the Forest Service
and the University better serve the people of Vermont by linking environmental
health with community stability. We feel
this partnership is a benchmark of how
organizations of mutual interest should
work together to advance leading-edge academic instruction, discovery, and technology transfer.”
Larry also recognizes the important
work of U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy and
his staff in contributing to the development of this partnership.
As a result of the lease signing, the
Greening of Aiken project has been expanded to the Integration toward
Sustainability project, a name suggest-
Interim Dean Larry Forcier
This newsletter is produced bi-annually
to share news of The Rubenstein School
of Environment and Natural Resources
with alumni and friends.
School web site: www.uvm.edu/envnr/
Interim Dean
Larry Forcier (802-656-4280)
Associate Dean
Undergraduate Programs
Margaret Shannon (802-656-4280)
Acting Associate Dean
Graduate programs (M.S. and Ph.D.)
Saleem Ali (802-656-4280)
Program Chairs
Environmental Sciences
Alan McIntosh (802-656-4057)
Recreation Management
Patricia Stokowski (802-656-3093)
Wildlife & Fisheries Biology
Allan Strong (802-656-2910)
Newsletter Editor
Shari Halik (802-656-8339)
Please send news or suggestions to:
Shari Halik, Aiken Center, 81 Carrigan
Drive, UVM, Burlington, VT 05405 or
[email protected].
2
people in the UVM College of Agriculture, has been developed with the education of students at its center. It is based on
principles of integrity and integration, caring and stewardship, and active involvement and hands-on learning. Diversity is
seen as a keystone of ecosystem stability;
and creative, holistic thinking, as leading
to solutions for humankind’s problems. 
 The late John Dewey, UVM graduate and educational reformer, urged us
to recognize the effectiveness of handson learning and concluded that “Education is not preparation for life. Education
is life itself.”  Our graduates such as the
late Mollie Beattie (MS-FOR ’80), first
woman to head the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service; Gail Kimball (FOR ’74), first
woman to head the U.S. Forest Service;
and Kesha Ram (NR ’08), first multicultural president of UVM’s Student Government Association, have demonstrated the
importance of dedication and hard work
while shattering glass ceilings. 
And, the glorious aesthetics, proud
history, and special democracy of Vermont communities provide more than ample stimulus for our students to do the
right thing and help change the world. 
 We will welcome the largest first-year
class in the School’s history this fall—students who are creative, talented, and caring will join us in creating a sound and
sustainable Earth. Thank you for all you
do to help the School and UVM attract
and educate people who will meld knowledge, common sense, and goodness, and
as Chuck Ross stated, in “celebrations and
struggles to make the world a better place
for you, your children, and their children”.
ed by Will Raap, member of the School’s
Board of Advisors. The Integration toward
Sustainability Committee will work with
UVM to bring together the Forest Service
Lab and Aiken Center and help with the
challenge of raising an additional $1 million to complete the reconstruction of the
Aiken Center as a shining example for future campus-wide greening efforts.
“For the third year,” says Gary
Hawley, committee chair, “We have had
an excellent group of interns and students
work on the project. This year students
worked with LEED (Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design) expert Linda
Samter (NRP ’93) to find extra points to
help in our goal to achieve the LEED platinum level of sustainable design and construction.”
Congratulations to All Rubenstein School Graduates of 2008!
We welcome our newest alumni! Here are six of our graduates of 2008 and the stories they have to tell.
Kiley Briggs
Hometown: Shoreham,
VT
Major: Wildlife & Fisheries Biology
In fifth grade, Kiley
learned about Vermont’s
reptile and amphibian
program from Jim Andrews, herpetologist at
Middlebury College. In
high school, he surveyed
the state’s reptile and
amphibian populations
with Jim through Audubon Vermont.
“I wanted to go to
college somewhere in
the Northeast other than
Vermont, but UVM kept coming up in my searches and ended up
as my top choice.” Kiley entered in environmental sciences, but
switched majors because every course he wanted to take was in
wildlife. His favorite course? Jim Andrews’ off-campus herpetology course, in which Kiley assisted for two years.
Each year, Kiley interned at ECHO Lake Aquarium and
Science Center in Burlington. With Post Doc Noah Perlut
(PhD-NR ’07), Assistant Professor Allan Strong, Nate Zalik
(MS-WFB ’07), and Heidi Lyon (WFB ’09), Kiley worked on a
grassland breeding bird study to determine nesting success rate of
Savannah Sparrow and Bobolink under agricultural pressures.
“Wildlife habitat loss and fragmentation are contributing to
a loss of biodiversity. We are lining things up for another mass
extinction—this time caused by humans. We need to start at the
local level using conservation biology as a tool to help combat
habitat loss.”
Recipient of the New England Outdoor Writers Association
Scholarship, Kiley is creating his own online field guide to reptiles and amphibians. This summer and next year, he will work
with Associate Professor Donna Parrish and graduate student
Isaac Chellman to determine a reliable sampling method for
mudpuppies (aquatic salamanders) and map their distribution in
Lake Champlain. His ultimate goal? Grad school in herpetology.
sociate Professor Jon Erickson. “I finally got to see upstate New
York through a natural resource lens. I found the faculty in the
School really care about the natural environment of Vermont and
the surrounding area.”
Jon did his rec management internship in event planning
with the Vermont Mozart Festival, which draws 16,000 visitors
during its 22-concert summer event around the state. In NR 206
Environmental Problem Solving and Impact Assessment with
Instructor Matt Kolan (PhD-NR), Jon worked at “Step It Up” in
Burlington’s Battery Park. “It was exciting to be part of an event
that brought key government officials, environmental action
organizations, and citizens together to bring out awareness about
steps we need to take to help stop global climate change.”
Jon would like to pursue an MBA but wants to acquire business experience first. This summer he and his girlfriend, Katelyn
Homeyer (NR ’08), will live in Saratoga, New York where Jon
will work for an environmental consulting firm.
Kesha Ram
Hometown: Santa
Monica, CA
Major: Natural
Resources
In high school, Kesha was student environment affairs coordinator.
She introduced recycling
and environmental ed to
campus. She interned at
California’s Coalition
for Clean Air, and she
led fellow students to
the 2004 World Social
Forum in India.
“I felt like UVM and
The Rubenstein School,
was a place where I
could forge my own path.” Pursuing dual degrees in natural
resources and political science, Kesha became a leader for racial
and environmental justice at UVM and in Vermont. A USDA
Multicultural Scholar and a UVM Honors College student, she
was President of Students for Peace and Global Justice and
served on the President’s Commission on Racial Diversity.
For her senior thesis, with faculty advisor Clare Ginger,
Jon Ellermann
Kesha
researched environmental justice in Vermont, one of eight
Hometown: Greenstates without an environmental justice bill. “There is growing
wich, NY
awareness that Vermont is falling behind in this legal framework,
Major: Recreation
which if implemented could prevent injustice from growing as
Management
Vermont’s demographics and economy change.” Kesha worked
Jon grew up skiing
with state representative Rachel Weston to shape an environin the Adirondacks,
mental justice bill currently sitting on the legislative docket.
became interested in
She was one of 80 students nationwide selected as a Udall
ski area management,
Scholar
by the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in
and applied only
National Environmental Policy Foundation for her demonstrated
to UVM. An Aiken
commitment to environmental issues. President of UVM’s Stuscholar, he shifted into
dent Government Association, Kesha was chosen by the Harry S.
environmental policy
Truman Scholarship Foundation as one of 65 Truman Scholars in
and earned a minor in
the country based on leadership potential, intellectual ability, and
economics.
likelihood for “making a difference.”
His favorite course
Balancing the rigors of furthering her education with dewas a travel study in the
mands
of politics, Kesha will run for a seat in Vermont’s House
Adirondacks with Asof Representatives in Burlington District 3-4 in November.
Continued on page 4
3
Graduates of 2008 continued
Min Zheng
Hometown: Manhattan,
NY
Major: Environmental
Studies
Through a partnership between New York’s
High School for Environmental Studies and
The Rubenstein School,
Min visited UVM. She
decided to enroll in both
the UVM Honors College and environmental
studies program.
A USDA Multicultural Scholar, Min appreciated support from former
Assistant to the Dean Maria Erb. “She helped me adjust to being an Asian American on campus. I learned there were no limits
to what I could do here.” She was invited to join The Rubenstein
School Board of Advisors. As president of the Asian American
Student Union, Min rejuvenated its program from the ground up.
Min took advantage of off-campus opportunities. She lived
with a family in Costa Rica and studied the ecological niche of
the spider monkey; on an alternative winter break in Mexico, she
helped with forest restoration. Through American University’s
study abroad program, Min interned with the World Wildlife
Fund in Washington, DC and researched hydropower development of the MeKong River in Southeast Asia. She traveled to
South Africa and learned how apartheid affects farmers.
As a McNair Scholar, Min worked on a senior research
project with faculty advisors Stephanie Kaza and Kit Anderson
and looked at Confucianism as an environmental ethic in presentday China. An Undergraduate Research Endeavors Competitive
Award funded Min’s travel to China. She also interned with The
Nature Conservancy and studied the role of non-governmental
organizations in environmental development in China.
Min is considering graduate school in sustainable development or natural ecology and design.
challenges traditional forestry with a progressive curriculum.”
Drew valued service-based learning through the Green Forestry Education Initiative. As an independent study with David
Brynn, director of the Initiative, Drew redesigned a woods road
at the Jericho Research Forest within guidelines of acceptable
management practices and with the lay of the land to provide
greater access with less impact.
Drew continued to immerse himself in his Warrior Writers
projects and handmade paper business with Green Door Studio,
a collective of artists in Burlington, where he is director. In 2007,
Drew and his partners published a second book, Warrior Writers:
Re-making Sense, a continued portrayal of war in Iraq through
the lens of soldiers. Drew would like to work in forestry at some
point, but for now, as New England regional coordinator for
IVAW, he plans to stay in the Burlington area and put his energy
into writing and papermaking to reach out against the war.
“We have to find a way to eradicate war. It is the most destructive, consumptive, and violent form of interaction on Earth.
All my work is a form of testimony and reflection. Some people
call it activism, but it’s a more subtle way of sharing intimate
stories to redefine peoples’ relationships with soldiers and war.”
Satish Serchan
Hometown: Burlington,
VT
Major: Environmental
Sciences
Satish grew up in
urban Nepal where he
experienced impacts of
pollution on the environment. “I liked chemistry
and math so chose environmental science.”
A USDA Multicultural Scholar, Satish credits
Professors Alan McIntosh and Deane Wang
with providing him
resources to succeed.
Satish became active on the School’s Diversity Task Force. “I
appreciated how students, staff, and faculty interacted to promote
Drew Cameron
diversity in the School.” For a Task Force International Dinner,
Hometown: Iowa City,
Satish lined up meals made by local Iraqi and Bhutanese families
IA
he met while volunteering with the Vermont Refugee ResettleMajor: Forestry
ment Program.
Growing up with a
Satish interned with Deane, staff member Carl Waite, and
father in the military,
graduate student Corrie Blodgett (MS-NR) to study how differDrew lived in five states
ent plant communities affect nutrients in leachate. He received a
before attending high
National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Underschool in Iowa City. He
joined the U.S. Army and graduates award and studied effects of global warming on estuary
dynamics and feeding behavior of zooplankton at the Smithsonspent four years in active
ian Environmental Research Center on the Chesapeake Bay.
duty, serving in Iraq in
With a McNair Scholarship, Satish studied stream dynamics
2003 as a field artillery
and nutrient transport in Potash Brook of South Burlington with
soldier. He then came to
Professor Breck Bowden. He will head to Baltimore to work
Vermont and with writwith inner city youth and the Parks and People Foundation. “I’d
ing partners, compiled
stories and artwork about like to tie the sciences into helping underrepresented groups. We
face an increase in human refugees caused by global warming.
the war and published
It’s ultimately about people—the cause of the warming and the
Warrior Writers by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW).
effects on our populations.”
He also visited UVM. “I’d always been fascinated with the
In the not too distant future, Satish envisions pursuing gradunatural world, and when I learned about the philosophy of The
ate work in environmental sciences with a water focus.
Rubenstein School’s forestry program, I was sold. The program
—Shari Halik
4
Clare Ginger Receives Outstanding Faculty Woman Award
to students: “When I first came to [Clare],
I had decided that I wanted to take on two
degrees—not two majors but two degrees
in two colleges with two sets of requirements. She could have talked me out of it
and saved us both a lot of headaches, but
instead, she has helped me pursue those
two degrees, carve out a minor, and graduate in the Honors College.”
Clare observes that women students in
the School can now see themselves in future professional positions through female
faculty mentors. The School has changed
dramatically since the 1980s from all male
faculty and mostly male students to 40%
female faculty and over 50% female students. Clare says, “It’s important for both
male and female students to have women
faculty as role models.”
In her courses, Clare integrates gender
diversity and environmental justice issues.
“We recognize that women tend to be
leaders in grassroots environmental justice
movements,” she explains.
Through real life accounts and feminist readings, Clare shows her students
how women have played strong roles in
community organizing. She recounts the
Love Canal story of Lois Gibbs who led
the fight against a toxic waste dump in her
Niagara Falls community.
Women’s issues also figure in Clare’s
research. “I’m currently interested in the
link between human population health and
the environment in developing countries
and the role of women in determining
family size,” she explains.
She works with organizations in the
Philippines where there is concern about
family size and migration patterns in
coastal areas. Pressures on natural re-
Shari Halik
Associate Professor Clare Ginger
was honored with the Outstanding Faculty
Woman Award for 2008 from the UVM
Women’s Center, Women & Gender Studies, and the President’s Commission on
the Status of Women for her significant
contributions to the lives of women on
campus through service, teaching, and
feminist scholarship.
“Clare invests huge amounts of energy
and time in developing a curriculum that
advances our community’s understanding
of the challenges in confronting women’s
issues and racism in environmental and
natural resources management,” says
Interim Dean Larry Forcier. “We are
delighted by this recognition of her outstanding service well beyond the School.”
As chair of the natural resources curriculum, Clare works above and beyond
with students who want to create a unique
academic program that does not exist on
campus, who are struggling to find their
way, or who are in crisis. She has helped
students balance dual degrees in French,
music, or political science, supported a
student involved in a residence hall tragedy, and encouraged a student to fulfill a
dream of traveling to Africa to work with
the Jane Goodall Institute.
“Students often are trying to connect
their ideas and hopes for the future to
their academics,” says Clare, “and I guide
them to find the supporting coursework
and resources and to see why they are
here—to develop as individuals and leaders in the environmental field.”
Advisee Kesha Ram (NR ’08), who
nominated Clare for the award, recognized that her advisor had very little free
time because Clare devotes so much time
Associate Professor Clare Ginger
sources and fish populations are affecting
family nutrition. This is where women’s
literacy and health comes to the forefront
according to Clare.
“Women should have the capacity to
make decisions about family size,” she
states. “Increased literacy rates among
women, greater access to education, and
ability to participate in the economic
sector are linked to the power to make
choices and determine family size.”
Clare is also chair of the UVM
President’s Commission on Racial Diversity and received the 2008 Outstanding
Faculty Award from the ALANA (African,
Latino(a), Asian and Native American)
Student Center for continual commitment
to leadership, advocacy, and social justice.
Shari Halik
Assistant to the Dean Maria Erb Expands Her Role in Student Diversity
Former Assistant to the Dean Maria Erb
After seven years in The Rubenstein
School, Assistant to the Dean Maria
Dykema Erb has moved to UVM’s
ALANA (African, Latino(a), Asian, and
Native American) Student Center as student retention and assessment coordinator.
A long-time proponent for diversity, Maria
says, “I’m excited about being able to
make an impact University-wide in retaining students of color.”
She made a tremendous impact on the
School in her diversity efforts. Each of the
years that she and former Dean Don DeHayes applied to the USDA Multicultural
Scholars Program, the School was awarded scholarships for ALANA students.
Maria chaired the School’s Diversity
Task Force and worked with Don to develop a partnership with the High School for
Environmental Studies in New York City.
5
Several graduates of the High School have
since enrolled in and graduated from The
Rubenstein School.
Maria handled undergraduate recruitment from the first stage of inquiry to the
first day of classes—prospective student
visits, appointments with faculty, tours,
Admitted Student Days, open houses, and
June Orientation. Maria touched the lives
of each of the School’s undergraduates
over the past seven years.
“Maria’s remarkable organizational
skills have been essential in successfully
recruiting increasingly competitive classes
of first year students and in bringing a
number of talented transfer students to
the School,” said Don. “She has been
instrumental in nearly every phase of our
efforts to build a supportive environment
for students and colleagues of color.”
University and Rubenstein School Lose Friend, Advisor, and
Benefactor, Stephen Rubenstein
Stephen Rubenstein, an entrepreneur, real estate developer, and philanthropist, died June 23, 2008 at New
York-Presbyterian Hospital. Rubenstein
had been diagnosed with acute myeloid
leukemia in April 2008. He was 69.
Steve was president of Rubenstein
Properties of Little Falls, New Jersey, a
firm he founded in 1961 after studying
horticulture at the University of Vermont.
In the ensuing decades, he built his business into a multi-million dollar conglomerate of real-estate development, construction, and defense-contracting companies.
In 2003, Steve and his wife Beverly
became the largest individual donors in
University of Vermont history with a $15
million commitment to support environmental education and research. The gift
resulted in the renaming of UVM’s School
of Natural Resources to The Rubenstein
School of Environment and Natural
Resources, the University’s first named
school and one of only a few named environment and natural resources program in
the world.
The couple had previously made a
$1 million gift naming the University’s
Stephen and Beverly Rubenstein
Ecosystem Science
Laboratory on the
shores of Lake
Champlain in
Burlington. Over the
years, the Rubensteins
also made significant
annual gifts to UVM
supporting scholarships to fund student
environmental research
projects at various
locations around the
country and the world.
In addition to
their support of the
University of Vermont,
the Rubensteins’
philanthropy extended
to conservation groups
including American
Forests and the Jewish
National Fund and
to the state of Israel.
Steve was a member
of numerous business,
professional, and nonprofit boards, including
The Willow School in
Gladstone, New Jersey
and several at the
University of Vermont,
including The Rubenstein School Board
of Advisors.
Steve took pride that his company,
which bought degraded factories and
warehouses and made significant improvements that added value, also employed
practices to reduce the impact of construction on surrounding properties and used
environmentally sensitive design. He
brought those values of environmental
stewardship to the University of Vermont
in 1993, when he became a founding
member of the Board of Advisors of what
was then called the School of Natural
Resources. There, he championed the idea
that Vermont’s own extraordinary environment is a natural home to America’s
top environmental school.
“The Rubensteins have been part of
the School family for two decades, or for
half of our entire existence,” says Interim
Dean Larry Forcier. “We are deeply saddened by Steve’s passing and will miss
greatly his wisdom, drive, and kindness.
Very shortly after first meeting, it was
obvious to me that Steve Rubenstein understood and fully supported the School’s
mission. His creative and sound advice
and the Rubenstein family’s incredible
6
generosity have been essential to former
Dean Don DeHayes and myself and a
generation of students, faculty, and staff.
Our sincere sympathy and love go to the
Rubensteins; we learned a lot from Steve
and we very proudly accept the responsibility of continuing his and the family’s
environmental legacy.”
Steve was awarded an honorary doctor
of laws degree from the University at its
200th commencement in 2004.
“Steve’s extraordinary vision for, and
support of, UVM as the environmental
university was enormously powerful, productive, and hugely influential in shaping
UVM’s institutional identity and destiny,”
states UVM President Daniel Mark
Fogel. “Our thoughts and prayers go out
at this sad moment to his family and especially to his wife Beverly, his son Andrew,
daughter-in-law Vicki, and grandchildren
Olivia and Cameron.”
Memorial contributions may be
made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society, American Forests, the Jewish
National Fund, The Willow School, or the
University of Vermont.
—Jay Goyette, UVM Communications
The Rubenstein School
Board of Advisors
Chair
Ann Pesiri Swanson (WFB ’79)
Ned Austin (UVM ’57)
Mark Biedron (UVM ’74)
David Blittersdorf (UVM ’81)
Sally Bogdanovitch (FOR ’77)
Herb Bormann
John Douglas
Kay Henry
Matthew Kolan (UVM ’05)
Crea Lintilhac (UVM ’78)
Will Raap
Peter Rose (UVM ’54)
Chuck Ross (UVM ’78)
Steve Rubenstein (UVM ’61)
Ross Whaley
John Wilson (FOR ’75)
Honorary Members
Lola Aiken
Eugene Kalkin (UVM ’50)
New Faculty Member Uses Remote Sensing to Detect Forest Decline
Jennifer Pontius, new research assistant professor in The Rubenstein School,
describes herself as a forest ecologist who
applies the tools of remote sensing to the
study of ecological processes. You could
also call her a detective of sorts. Her work
uses what is called “hyperspectral remote
sensing” to detect subtle color changes in
stressed foliage—changes invisible to the
naked eye.
“We fly over forests with a highly
sophisticated camera that provides images
in 225 bands across the visible and nearinfrared spectrum,” she explains. “A normal color camera uses only three bands.”
Formerly a research scientist with the
U.S. Forest Service Northern Research
Station in Durham, New Hampshire, Jen
admits she prefers her work and her feet
on the ground. In the field, she measures
the health of trees to calibrate instruments
used by the flight crew, and post-flight,
she ground checks the findings. In the lab,
she pulls the remotely sensed images into
GIS (geographic information systems) to
map and model the pre-visual tree decline
symptoms.
For her doctoral work at the University of New Hampshire, in collaboration
with the Forest Service, Jen began testing
the hyperspectral technique for early
detection of symptoms caused by hemlock
woolly adelgid, an introduced exotic pest.
“In conjunction with early detection
mapping, we use tree dendrochronology
data from across the Northeast to examine
how soil, site, foliar, and climate variables
affect tree decline rates following adelgid
infestation,” Jen explains. “GIS models
can then predict
hemlock susceptibility to the
adelgid across
the Northeast.”
Jen and her
colleagues use
the remote sensing technique
to detect and
map effects of
acid deposition
and soil nutrient depletion in
Catskill Mountain watersheds,
which supply
much of New
York City’s
drinking water.
Remote sensing
coverages of tree
species distribu- New Assoicate Research Professor Jennifer Pontius and her daughter Grace
tion and foliar
adelgid and emerald ash borer, another
chemistry are linked to soil chemistry and
exotic pest, as well as oak wilt and beech
nitrogen deposition maps to identify surbark disease.” She plans to continue this
face waters most sensitive to acid deposiwork from her Rubenstein School office.
tion and declining forest health.
Jen may bring her “detective work”
“The ability to detect trees in the very
into the classroom, too. As instructor for
early stages of decline and predict anticiNR 146 Remote Sensing of Natural Repated rates of decline across entire landsources, she envisions her students using
scapes is crucially important to managing
local imagery in a service learning project
our forests into the future,” she says.
in Chittenden County. “I’d like to see
But, there is a downside to working
what we can find—how forest health and
with such sophisticated equipment. “It’s
land cover types have changed over time,
an expensive tool and you have to take it
for instance,” she says.
where people are able to fund it,” admits
In spring 2009, she will teach NR
Jen. “States in the Midwest joined forces
140 Applied Biostatistics, inherited from
to fund work in early detection of the
retired Professor Carl Newton. “I’d like
to use data my students can apply to real
world problems,” she says. “That’s how I
learned to see and understand data.”
Leaving a permanent job with the
Forest Service was difficult, but Jen was
excited by the collaborative nature she
saw in The Rubenstein School. “Nowhere
else have I come across this level of commitment to a common cause as I see in the
School,” she admits. She would like to
continue working on forest health issues
and is eager to collaborate with faculty
in the School, in the College of Agriculture, and at the Forest Service Northern
Research Station in South Burlington.
Jen and her husband, John, a middle
school teacher, bought a house and several
acres in Underhill, where Jen is looking
forward to gardening in Vermont’s fertile
soils. Jen, John, and their daughter Grace
enjoy hiking and camping.
—Shari Halik
Rubenstein School Loses a Friend, Advisor,
and Supporter
Frank Parker, founder and honorary member of The Rubenstein School’s
Board of Advisors, passed away February
1, 2008. Frank began earning his reputation as a conservation pioneer in the early
1960s.  He practiced law for 40 years, but
was best known for the role he played to
protect fragile and environmentally sensitive areas in the state of New Jersey. He
was a generous supporter of the School,
especially its Greening of Aiken effort.
Anyone who met Frank knew him as
a man of honor, integrity, gentleness, and
passion who dedicated his entire life to
environmental causes. The School lost a
friend and the earth lost a champion the
day Frank passed away.
7
Vermont Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: A big
contributor to graduate education
Tucked away in the Aiken Center, the
Vermont Cooperative Fish and Wildlife
Research Unit has a big mission. The
small unit of two faculty, one staff assistant (Theresa DeBarge), and a handful of graduate students and post doctoral
associates work diligently on Vermont’s
aquatic and terrestrial resources to collect
and analyze data Vermont needs to manage its fish and wildlife populations.
“Our goal is to provide the best possible science to natural resource management agencies for the restoration of
habitats and recovery and sustainability
of Vermont’s fish and wildlife species,”
explains Unit Leader Donna Parrish.
The Unit is a cooperative of the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS), Vermont
Department of Fish and Wildlife,
University of Vermont, and Wildlife
Management Institute. There are 39 units
in 37 states located at land grant universities. Original Unit Leader Ken Williams
and Mary Watzin brought the Unit to
Aiken in 1990. Mary stepped down to
become a full-time faculty member and
director of the Rubenstein Ecosystem
Science Laboratory in 1994. Associate
Professor Donna Parrish arrived in 1991
and became unit leader with Ken’s departure in 1995. Associate Professor Terri
Donovan, assistant unit leader, arrived in
2000.
“A big mission of the Unit besides
research and technical assistance to the
state is to provide education and training
of graduate students,” explains Donna.
Terri brings wildlife population modeling, parameter estimation in ecology,
and conservation biology to the classroom. She also shares her expertise in
population modeling with state personnel in training workshops. Donna teaches
Ecology of Fishes and, with Professor
Ellen Marsden, a field course at the Lake
Mansfield Trout Club.
Since the Unit’s inception, about 25
graduate students have earned degrees
by conducting hands-on field and lab research on fish and wildlife in Vermont.
Currently, there are six graduate students working on Unit projects.
Donna’s students focus on Lake
Champlain fisheries issues and on
stream fishes in surrounding watersheds. Recent graduate Mike
Harrington (MS-NR ’08) conducted
sea lamprey pheromone studies on
Lake Champlain. Master’s student Paul
Simonin is using acoustics to map the
distribution of native rainbow smelt and
invasive alewife to understand changes in the Lake’s food web. Master’s
student Isaac Chellman is developing sampling strategies for mudpuppies in tributaries of Lake Champlain.
And master’s student Ryan Butryn is
Unit Leader Donna Parrish holds a brown trout.
studying thermal limits of brook trout
in Vermont streams to help predict how
tion dogs, hair snares, and video cameras
global warming may effect populations.
to collect data on presence in certain
Terri’s students work on terrestrial
habitat types. This project also spurred
wildlife and habitat issues, especially redevelopment of a Unit website, containlated to land use change. “Fragmentation
ing tutorials and how-tos developed for
of Vermont’s forest land is causing loss
wildlife population estimating (www.uvm.
of potential habitat and loss of habitat
edu/envnr/vtcfwru/). “It’s important to get
connectivity for many of our wildlife speour methods out there for practitioners,”
cies,” explains Terri.
states Terri.
Kerri Cornell (PhD-NR ’07) studAgricultural land use change also imied habitat fragmentation effects on the
pacts wildlife populations. Noah Perlut
Black-throated Blue Warbler. Master’s
(PhD-NR ’07) co-advised by Assistant
student Mark Freeman is radio collarProfessor Allan Strong, studied effects
ing Vermont’s elusive bobcats. He tracks
of hayfield management on ecology
them to learn more about their habitat use
and evolution of the grassland songand movement to aid in habitat protection. birds, Savannah Sparrow and Bobolink.
Master’s student Hanem Abouelezz also
Intensified haying practices are contributworks on the bobcat project.
ing to population declines.
“We’re in the middle of a big project
Drastic increases in wildlife popuon how forest land use change affects
lations can also bring about habitat
biodiversity,” explains Terri. In 2003
changes. An explosion in Doubleand 2004, a group of graduate students
crested Cormorant populations on Lake
surveyed plants
Champlain has caused island habitat deand animals at
struction and displacement of native bird
over 200 sites in
species. In collaboration with Professor
Vermont. They cre- David Capen, Unit student Adam Duerr
ated probability of
(PhD-NR ’07) explored cormorant reoccurrence maps
sponse to population control by treatment
for several species
of eggs with corn oil. Donna’s master’s
across the entire
student Marc Eisenhower continues to
state. Robert Long study effects of fish availability on cormo(PhD-NR ’06)
rant feeding.
contributed by pre“We couldn’t get the work done
dicting occurrence
without graduate student support,” says
of black bears and
Donna. “And our students continue to
other carnivores in
make lasting contributions in fisheries and
the state using non- wildlife biology at academic institutions
Noah Perlut (PhD-NR ’07) releases a Savannah Sparrow during his study invasive methods
and state and federal agencies.”
of hayfield management effects on ecology of grassland songbirds.
such as scat detec
—Shari Halik
8
Hannaford Charitable Foundation Gives $150,000 for Greening of Aiken
Sally McCay, UVM Photo Services
a large impact on UVM’s educational
program, as well as its environmental
footprint,” said Andy Willette, Hannaford’s Vermont district manager, “and
that was one of the reasons we supported
it. We’re very excited to be able to help
make this innovative project a reality and
would strongly encourage other corporate partners to join us in supporting this
extremely worthwhile endeavor.” Hannaford Brothers Company, based
in Scarborough, Maine, operates 165
stores under the Hannaford Supermarket
and Pharmacy names. —Chrysanne Chotas, UVM Director of
Corporate and Foundation Relations
Flanked by Rubenstein School students, faculty, and staff, Andy Willette (left), Vermont district
manager for Hannaford Brothers Company, presents a $150,000 check to UVM President Daniel
Mark Fogel (right) for environmentally sustainable renovation of the Aiken Center.
The Hannaford Charitable Foundation
has made a $150,000 gift to the University
of Vermont to support the environmentally
sustainable renovation of the George D.
Aiken Center. The $13 million Greening of Aiken project, scheduled to begin
construction in the 2008-09 academic
year, could make the Aiken Center, built
in 1982, one of the most sustainably de-
signed buildings in the country. The Hannaford gift is the largest corporate contribution to the Greening of Aiken project.
In addition to being a model green
building, the renovated Aiken Center will
also be a teaching tool for both UVM
students and the surrounding community
to study its sustainable features.
“This project has the potential to have
Cape Branch Foundation
Gives $100,000 to Greening
of Aiken
The Cape Branch Foundation of Princeton, New Jersey, has supported the
School and its Greening project with
a $100,000 gift. Gretchen Biedron,
former advisor, and Mark Biedron, current advisor for the School, made the gift
possible. This significant contribution
brings us closer to reaching our $1 million goal to break ground for the project.
Sally McCay, UVM Photo Services
Ross Family Gift Offers Students Public Service Experience
most influential and
respected Vermont
public servants
of his generation,
having been appointed to positions
of public trust under
Presidents Kennedy,
Johnson, Nixon,
Ford, and Carter.
Charlie earned
a reputation as a
strong advocate for
consumers, environmental protection, and the public
interest. Charlie
UVM students met with Charlotte Ross and son Peter Ross (seated) whose taught public policy
family gift enhanced an experiential learning course in public service.
at UVM in the early
1970s. Since his
Strong UVM alumni and student supdeath in 2003, public events at UVM to
port and a generous gift from the Charles
celebrate his life have been made posRoss family, inspired Larry Forcier
sible by two of his former students, Bill
to offer a new course this past spring.
Wachtel (UVM ’76) and Scott Baldwin
The Charlie Ross Environmental Public
(UVM ’76), who were inspired by his
Service Practicum, a 5-6 credit experiendevotion to public service.
tial learning course, offered nine UVM
“The ‘Charlie Ross’ course was destudents the experience of a lifetime at the
signed for students who have the potential
Vermont State House.
and the desire to become involved in
The late Charlie Ross was one of the
public service,” explains Larry. “They are
9
required to write reflective papers on their
experiences and present and debate their
insights on what it takes to effectively
promote change for the public good.”
Students were mentored by state
legislators and became immersed in the
workings of the legislature where their
role was to provide science on alternative
energy, a key issue in Vermont.
“My intern, Alex Robbins (ENVS
’10), produced supporting materials for
my presentation to the Senate on the Energy Independence and Economic Prosperity bill S.350,” explains State Senator
Ginny Lyons (UVM ’88). “This was no
small task for a bill with content ranging
from renewable energy goals, greenhouse gas registry, and energy investment
oversight. What greater way to learn than
by writing and interpreting policy, while
experiencing power and politics under
‘the golden dome.’”
“Through my weekly internship at
the legislature under the guidance of my
supervisor, State Representative Mitzi
Johnson (UVM ’93), I gained a clearer
understanding of the political system,”
says Min Zheng (ENVS ’08). “This
experience will help me in a future public
service or political role.”
Shari Halik
Alum Debra Sachs Directs Program to Reduce Carbon Emissions
non-profits. She is past president
of the Vermont Planners Association and actively inspires the
planning community to advance
integrated approaches to land
use, energy, climate change, and
public engagement. The tools
and programs she has helped develop offer key support to both
the public and private sectors.
She also coordinates workshops
and trainings.
In 1998, Deb joined the Burlington Climate Protection Task
Force, a group of professionals
from government and non-profit
organizations helping the City to
inventory and develop strategies to help reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. In 2000, the
Task Force renamed itself the
Alliance for Climate Action in
preparation for implementing
the Burlington Climate Action
Plan strategies including civic
engagement, energy efficiency,
Alum Debra Sachs, director of Vermont’s 10% Challenge
waste reduction, and promoting
for climate action, rides the bus to work in Burlington.
transportation alternatives. Initial
When it comes to action against
work focused on development of the 10%
climate change, Debra Sachs (FOR ’84,
Challenge which has inspired thousands of
NRP ’93), is at the forefront in Vermont.
households and hundreds of businesses to
Deb manages the 10% Challenge, a
take action.
public education and outreach program to
In conjunction with the 10% Chalreduce carbon emissions. She has helped
lenge, Deb coordinates business outreach
plan, design, and implement tools and
for the annual Way To Go! Commuter
strategies to assist communities and other
Challenge, an alternative commute comgroups interested in environmental planpetition. She is also a cofounder of the
ning and action.
Vermont Energy and Climate Action NetFor more than 15 years, Deb has been
work where she collaborates with several
staff and contract consultant, working
partners to help form and support energy
for state, regional, and local entities and
committees statewide.
As the former Chittenden County staff
representative to the International Council
for Local Environmental Initiatives, Deb
has shared her experiences beyond Vermont with other states and as a panelist at
global conferences. She also participated
in development of Vermont’s Climate Action Plan as a Plenary Group member for
the Governor’s Commission on Climate
Change. Deb’s work has received several
public service and achievements awards
toward environmental excellence.
As a member of the UVM Environmental Forum, Deb has maintained a
tie with the University. “UVM staff and
students provide wonderful assistance,”
she admits. Beyond Vermont, the 10%
Challenge has inspired others outside the
state to reduce carbon emissions, like the
New Hampshire Carbon Challenge.
Deb enjoys making connections with
others including the Vermont Interfaith
Power and Light. Here, she and five other
households in her community put their
homes and families on a low carbon diet,
and vowed to lose 5,000 pounds of carbon
annually.
“I was thrilled when my own household exceeded the goal and lost 11,800
pounds of carbon for the year simply by
switching to compact fluorescent light
bulbs, insulating the house with cellulose,
and taking the bus three to four days a
week,” Deb proclaims.
Deb lives with her husband Zoltan and
their college-bound son, Justin, in their
newly insulated home in South Burlington.
To learn more about the 10% Challenge, go to www.10percentchallenge.org.
Alum Andrew Linnemann Ensures Starbucks Green Coffee Quality
Andrew Linnemann (RM ’91) began
his career by drinking a lot of coffee. A
self-proclaimed “ski bum” in the West after graduation, Andrew became enamored
with Starbucks coffee. While in Wyoming, he met Howard Schultz, founder
of Starbucks Coffee Company. “He told
me if I needed a job to look him up in Seattle,” recounted Andrew. “It sounded like
a fun, exciting work environment with
growth opportunities, so I took him up on
his offer and headed to Seattle.”
Andrew started out as a store partner,
or employee, selling coffee in a retail
shop and quickly progressed to managing several retail locations in the Seattle
area. He then moved into a supply chain
position responsible for getting fresh
roasted coffee into the stores. When the
company opened a new roasting plant in
York, Pennsylvania, Andrew moved east
to manage coffee quality in the facility.
He returned to Seattle in 2001 and a year
later, was promoted to director of green
coffee quality and operations.
He points out that the term “green coffee” refers strictly to the unroasted beans,
not the strict environmental and social
standards of the company. Yet, Andrew’s
job is to uphold those standards. His team
works to ensure the supply of coffee
sourced under their economically, socially,
and environmentally responsible program
meets the highest quality standards.
“I co-manage a team of 17 employees
located all over the world, and we are accountable for managing the quality from
the farmers to our customers. Through
10
our sourcing program, we understand
where the coffee comes from and how it
is grown and make sure that the high price
Starbucks pays goes to the farmers and
their community,” states Andrew.
According to Andrew, coffee is grown
by over 25 million farmers between the
Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn in 60
different countries from Central and South
America to Africa and the Asian Pacific.
Starbucks buys from growers in 25 of
those countries. Andrew and his team
travel to where the coffee is grown and
produced and work on the ground with
agronomists and growers.
“I’ve traveled for over eight years,” he
adds, “and found that my foundation from
Don DeHayes’ NR 1 course has helped
me understand the work our agronomists
Continued on page 11
Andrew Linnemann continued
do in the field and the impacts on quality. The same basic principles in natural
resources apply to agronomy.”
In 2004, Starbucks introduced
C.A.F.E. (Coffee and Farmer Equity)
practices, a set of environmental, social,
and economic criteria for producing, processing, and buying coffee. This incentive-based sourcing program encourages
sound environmental growing practices
and socially responsible working conditions that help establish sustainable coffee
production methods and quality harvests.
Over half of Starbucks’ total coffee
purchases (over 228 million pounds) are
from growers who have been approved
under C.A.F.E. guidelines by a third party
certifier. Starbucks is also the largest
purchaser, roaster, and distributer of Fair
Trade Certified coffee in North America.
Andrew has seen firsthand the positive difference in coffee communities that
Starbucks works with. “We include an
additional social premium in some of our
coffee contracts above the negotiated purchase price,” explains Andrew. “These
premiums are used to make infrastructure
improvements that benefit local farmers,
families, and
communities,
and because of
that, the quality of life in
many of these
communities
has improved.”
“I love my
job, which
came out of a
beverage I’ve
always enjoyed,” admits
Andrew. “I like
working for a
big company
that chooses
to do good
things with its
size. We make
an impact on
customers
Alum Andrew Linnemann, director of green coffee quality and operations for
and farmers
Starbucks, visits coffee farms in Rwanda, Africa.
all over the
world.”
daughter, Sylas and Amelia. He keeps in
Andrew lives in the Seattle area with
touch with classmates Brett Walker (RM
his wife Lee Anne and their young son and ’91), Chris Reynen (RM ’91), and others.
Alum Megha Budruk Brings her Rubenstein School Doctoral Experience to Arizona State University
growing cities in the nation. She is an assistant
professor of parks and
recreation management in
the School of Community
Resources & Development
at the Downtown Phoenix
Campus of Arizona State
University. Remembering
Vermont winters, Megha
says, “I love not having
to dig myself out of the
snow!”
She brought much
more from UVM than
memories of snow. “My
experiences at The Rubenstein School and with
my advisor Bob Manning
have certainly helped in
my career,” she admits.
“During my first year at
Arizona State, I taught
Alum Megha Budruk, assistant professor in parks and recreation an undergraduate class
of over 310 students. My
management at Arizona State University, tours Canyonlands
National Park in Utah.
teaching experience at
UVM, although in smaller
Megha Budruk (PhD-NR ’05) enclasses, still prepared me to handle a class
joys the excitement of a large university
of that size.”
of 65,000 students in one of the fastest
Recipient of a school-wide teaching
11
award this year, Megha instructs classes in
leisure and quality of life, environmental
interpretation and education, sustainable
communities, and social science perspectives in recreation and tourism. She enjoys
connecting with students and helping
them discover career paths that excite
them. In her Sustainable Communities
core course, she says, “I have had several
students focus on sustainability in their
careers and have a former student working at a sustainable tourism company in
Colorado.”
Megha finds it rewarding to see
students set career goals beyond their
original expectations. She says, “Several
of my undergraduate students decided
to continue onto graduate school after
talking to me. I’ve been able to personally
involve both undergraduate and graduate
students in research opportunities, making
my research all the more fulfilling.”
Two graduate student advisees have
completed their master’s degrees with
Megha. One student studied leisure
constraints and physical activity participation among athletic trainers, and the
other looked at valuing green space in an
urban forest setting. Megha has also sat on
committees for graduate student projects
Continued on page 12
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Megha Budruk continued
involving carrying capacity and visitor
attitudes in Yosemite National Park, water
conservation, and perceptions of ecological and social impacts on the Mormon
Pioneer Historic Trail which runs from
Illinois to Utah.
Megha’s own research involves a U.S.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
study to address the recreation preferences of visitors to five BLM recreation areas
in Colorado. Megha will provide data
from focus groups, on-site interviews, and
in-depth investigations to support planning, management, and marketing by the
BLM and its community-based partners.
She is also teaming up with the
Maricopa County Parks and Recreation
Department in Arizona to gather information on visitor perceptions and attitudes in
eight parks. “Results from visitor questionnaires will be used in a county-wide
Managing for Results program, which
integrates planning, reporting, evaluating, and decision-making in the county,”
Megha explains.
When she looks back at her doctoral
program in which she studied visitor carrying capacity at urban-proximate national
park units, Megha says, “Working with
Bob ensured I had a lot of experience in
project management, volunteer management, and research skill development.”
Megha Budruk is one of five of Professor
Robert Manning’s doctoral students who have
attained faculty status at universities throughout the United States.
Alumni notes
We’d like to hear from more of you! Please send your updates to [email protected].
’80
Brad Bortner (WFB, FOR ’81) has
been chief of Migratory Birds and Habitat
Programs for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service in Portland, Oregon for 15 years.
He covers migratory bird issues from
Idaho to California to American Samoa. 
Brad has been married to his wife Sandra
for 26 years and their 2 sons are now
college students. He sends his greetings
to classmates and especially the ’81 BAF
Foresters.
Museum & Planetarium in St. Johnsbury,
Vermont for “outstanding contributions
in the arts, humanities, and sciences that
enrich our awareness and understanding
of the natural world.” Ginny’s day job as
a consulting forester for her firm Redstart
Forestry takes her into the woods where
her keen powers of observation and her
endless curiosity help her produce some of
the finest natural history writing.  Together, Ginny and Steve operate the magazine
with a new way of looking at the forest.
’90
’93
Editor of Northern Woodlands magazine,
Virginia Barlow (FOR), and co-editor
Stephen Long shared the 2008 Franklin
Fairbanks Award from the Fairbanks
John Clark (FOR) recently finished
his first year as assistant professor in the
department of biological sciences at the
University of Alabama. He writes, “I feel
12
very fortunate for the opportunity and
the resources to develop a graduate and
undergraduate lab in plant systematics. I
continue to work in the Andes, and more
recently I started a research program in
Cuba.” He and his wife Silvana live with
their 2 young sons in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
’07
Victoria Jones (ENVS) was hired in
December 2007 as a staff assistant in the
Vermont office of U.S. Representative
Peter Welch. Prior to that, Tori was an
educator at the Green Mountain Audubon
Center in Huntington, Vermont.
Fly UP