Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series

Erik will describe his research on recent changes to forests in our region, including changes that have resulted from non-native pathogens, climate warming, and fire suppression. Using several long-term studies, the talk will focus on an at-risk, high-elevation pine species and a botanically-rich forested ecosystem in the heart of the Klamath Mountains.

Our climate crisis often feels very new, but is in some ways, as Kyle Powys Whyte has argued, “unprecedentedly old.” It has prompted many calls for a more sustainable society. But what could that mean and how might it be pursued? Does it require more deference to experts? Or more power to “the people?” In this talk, I argue that questions like these are inescapably political and that answers reflect differences in underlying values and visions of a good life. One goal of environmental political theory – my field of study – is to surface these values as a basis for imagining more deeply resonant strategies for social change.

From flipped courses to playful pedagogy, it’s hard to stay on top of the latest innovations and emerging technologies in teaching, especially as faculty tend to be siloed into their classrooms. In this interactive session, we’ll draw back to the curtain and engage in a conversation about effective teaching. Come and share your favorite activities and assignments, or just bring your questions.

Cindy will be joined by musical colleagues as she discusses and demonstrates musical skills that are also relevant for service work.   

This is the story of how I came to Religious Studies, and of what the journey has taught me about learning, teaching, and being in the world. To imagine alternate moral horizons, to practice being wrong about our most committed worldviews, to engage impossible beliefs: these are the keys that I have found to community, purpose, and hope.

Teachers have a unique and powerful ability to create change, not only for our students but for ourselves, our teaching, and our campus culture. As a Freshmen at Humboldt State University, I had no idea I was going to major in mathematics nor would I have believed I could.  A note from a professor at the top of one Calculus test changed the course of my life. It is a great honor to now be able to play this role in the lives of my students. Each semester they help me change my classes to be more applicable, active, and inclusive. In this presentation, I will share some of the teaching philosophy, classroom projects, and interdepartmental collaborations that have transformed my classes.

The removal of fire in oak ecosystems in northwestern California over the past century has resulted in substantial loss of biodiversity and degradation of culturally managed landscapes. Efforts to restore oak ecosystems and reintroduce fire hold promise but often require removal of conifers to promote effectiveness. In this talk, Dr. Kane will share his research over the past decade that explores the impacts of fire exclusion and the ecological responses of restoration approaches within oak ecosystems of northwestern California.