Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, I felt connected both both the environment around me and the working class people who lived there. I studied cultural anthropology in undergrad, geography in grad school, and have dabbled in a number of areas including political ecology, ecohealth, conservation and ecology. My Master's thesis examined land cover change, livelihoods, and community perception using a case study in East Africa.
Place matters and I have well over a decade of experience connecting students to the world around them by developing and administering both secondary and university study and research abroad programs. I have spent time on field-study programs teaching and digging cars out of the mud, but also have extensive experience developing academic program structures within existing educational institutions. I'm a problem-solver and a fairly laid back fellow who enjoys nothing more than a new challenge and getting students out of traditional classroom settings. Still an instructor at Penn State University, I now reside amongst the pineapple fields of Kaohsiung, Taiwan where I am a high school teacher. My favorite days include mountain roads, hiking, new birds, good food and drink, and lots of time with my family. |
EducationM.S. Penn State University 2015
Geography Thesis: Perceiving Productivity: Land Cover, Livelihood, and Community Landscape Perceptions around Ndarakwai Ranch, Tanzania B.S. Houghton College 2006 Intercultural Studies Academic Interests
Background
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