September 2021
“I bring a rather unique perspective to LandscapeU in that I’m a scientist working in the arts and design-based field of landscape architecture. I know first-hand the importance of working within and across disciplines. And that is the training that LandscapeU students are getting that will give them an advantage over their peers. LandscapeU students will learn the perspectives of other disciplines as they work to engage all in transdisciplinary learning. You can’t get more true to life than that.” Andrew Cole
Andy Cole, an Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Ecology in the Department of Landscape Architecture at Penn State, is a wetland ecologist looking at all aspects of created wetlands, from soils and plants to hydrology. He is also interested in all aspects of natural resources assessment especially as they pertain to design and impacts to the land. Cole has a deep interest in restoration ecology, ranging from wetlands in Pennsylvania to arctic tundra in Alaska. Andy serves as the ecologist within the department, bringing ecological understanding into the curriculum such that students’ thinking, and their designs are enhanced. He teaches the basic ecology course, including plant identification, and seminars ranging from restoration ecology to watershed stewardship. He is a wetland ecologist by training, though he also has a wildlife biology background. Additional information can be found at http://www.iee.psu.edu/content/charles-andy-cole
August 2021
“LandscapeU offers graduate students the chance to have meaningful interactions and growth with scholars inside and outside of their academic domain. It allows growth beyond discipline and cultivates a cohort of peers who all value transdisciplinary learning. I love the fact that we (as faculty) get to learn and grow just as much as the students do as we all explore new areas together.” Caitlin Grady
Dr. Grady is an Assistant Professor at The Pennsylvania State University. She also holds a dual appointment in the College of Engineering Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and in the College of Liberal Arts Rock Ethics Institute. In 2018, Dr. Grady was named the inaugural Faculty Fellow for the Center for Security Research and Education. Dr. Grady also holds a courtesy appointment in the School of International Affairs. Prior to joining Penn State, Dr. Grady worked in various environmental policy roles for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of State. In these roles, she worked on a myriad of issues including water & energy, agriculture, air quality, budget & appropriations, international development, and diplomatic engagement. At Penn State, Dr. Grady runs the FEWsLab, which studies environmental issues and human-environment interactions across the food-energy-water nexus. More information about the FEWsLab: www.fewslab.org
June 2021
“What I like best about the LandscapeU Program is that trains students in convergence research to address real-world problems.” Klaus Keller
Klaus Keller is a Professor of Geosciences at The Pennsylvania State University, where he has worked since 2002. Klaus is the Founding Director of the Penn State Center for Climate Risk Management and served as contributing author for the Fourth and Fifth IPCC Assessment Reports. His research addresses two interrelated questions. First, how can we mechanistically understand past and potential future changes in the Earth system? Second, how can we use this information to design scientifically sound, economically efficient, and ethically defensible climate risk-management strategies? He analyzes these questions by mission- oriented basic research covering a wide range of disciplines such as Earth system science, engineering, decision science, statistics, economics, operations research, and ethics. Additional information can be found at https://www.geosc.psu.edu/~kzk10
April 2021
“The most significant advantage that LandscapeU students have is a real opportunity for training in transdisciplinary approaches for understanding wicked problems, and solutions, at the social intersections of ecological dynamics. The focus is on transdisciplinary training, something that students rarely have formal introductions to or chances to develop otherwise.” Doug Bird
Doug Bird is an Associate Professor with faculty appointments in Penn State’s Department of Anthropology, the Huck Institute’s Ecology Program, and the dual-title PhD program in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Environment. He serves as a Principal Investigator in the Human Environmental Dynamics Lab (HEnDy) at Penn State, part of a growing interdisciplinary initiative to support research into the interaction between decision making, social organization, ecosystem function and sustainability. His interests are especially in questions about livelihood decisions and Indigenous lands, exploring the dynamics of human hunting practices, their role in ecosystem function and their archaeological implications. His research is mostly based in Western Australia. More information can be obtained at https://anth.la.psu.edu/people/dwb5537