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Mittlefehldt begins term as Interim Department Head
August 20, 2025
Dr. Sarah Mittlefehldt begins serving her term as the EEGS Department's Interim Department Head for the 2025-2026 Academic Year. She succeeds Dr. Susy Ziegler, who will be serving as Interim Dean of Graduate Studies and Research in the College of Graduate Studies and Research for the 2025-2026 Academic Year.
Martinetti begins one-year term appointment
August 18, 2025
Mr. Luis Martinetti begins a one-year term appointment as an Instructor in the EEGS Department. Mr. Martinetti is a PhD candidate at Michigan State University. He is committed to teaching excellence, and the EEGS Department is pleased to have him teach GC 100 - Physical Geography, GC 385 - Weather and Climate, and GC 488 - Earth and Environmental Science Capstone Research. We welcome Mr. Martinetti to Marquette and imagine that he and his dogs will enjoy the area’s trails as autumn unfolds. He answered some questions so that we could get acquainted.
Where are you from?
I am from El Paso, Texas, and grew up across the border in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. In 2016, I moved to Michigan to attend graduate school at Michigan State University.
What is your academic background?
I earned my BS in Geological Sciences from The University of Texas at El Paso in 2016, and my MS (2019) and PhD (pending in 2025) in Geological Sciences (Geophysics) from Michigan State University. My research focused on seismic imaging of the crust and mantle in the Caucasus Mountains, as well as characterizing different seismic sources in Central Asia using seismological data. I also gained applied research experience through internships with the U.S. Geological Survey, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
What is something especially interesting that you’ve learned from your research?
I learned that diversity advances science. Working with people from different countries, backgrounds, and cultures gave me new perspectives that strengthened my research and broadened my appreciation for others.
What led you to this one-year term position at NMU?
I’ve always been interested in teaching at a college focused on education. Having recently completed my PhD requirements, this opportunity was exactly what I was seeking.
What are your hobbies and interests?
I enjoy hiking and swimming with my dogs, as well as mountain biking and backpacking. I’m also passionate about self-sufficiency, homesteading, and gardening/farming.
M.S. in Sustainability program launched
August 18, 2025
The EEGS Department created a new Master of Science in Sustainability program, which reflects the university’s growing commitment to sustainability education, innovation, and leadership. This program was designed with flexibility and real-world impact in mind. Students can choose from five tracks to match their academic interests: Natural Resources Management, Community Development & Planning, Sustainability Leadership, Spatial Data Science, or an Individualized Track. Students also can choose between a traditional master’s thesis or a hands-on practicum to align with their professional goals and learning preferences.
Inaugural graduate program director Dr. Weronika Kusek explained, “There is truly no better place to immerse yourself in the study of sustainability than Marquette, Michigan. Nestled on the shores of Lake Superior and surrounded by forests, trails, and vibrant ecosystems, Marquette offers a living laboratory for understanding and addressing today’s environmental challenges. Here, you’ll find a community that is not only aware of sustainability issues, but also actively engaged in developing solutions, from renewable energy initiatives to local food systems to climate resilience planning.”
This fall Ezra Dedenbach (BS, Environmental Science, 2024) became the first student to pursue the MS in Sustainability degree. He reflected on his pathway to this program:
"As an undergraduate at Northern, I found a supportive community and educators, and this began to expose me to new ideas that changed my path….Now I am returning to Northern as the first student in the new Master of Science in Sustainability program. Graduate school is an exciting opportunity that I am very grateful to have. Over this last summer I joined the Northern Woodshed Project and will be working until this project’s conclusion in 2026, including presenting it at the Society of American Foresters national conference this October. I am intrigued to follow this project through, informing Northern’s choices for heating and decarbonization. Beyond that I am open to the other opportunities that will present themselves. I hope to work towards a sustainable future through carbon projects, local resource reliance, and energy independence."
Makaylee Kuhn graduated with a BS in Environmental Science and a Sustainability minor in May 2023. She continued her mission to help NMU Athletics become greener through a self-designed graduate program. Hearing about the new M.S. in Sustainability, Makaylee shared the following thoughts:
“In May 2025 I completed my Master of Interdisciplinary Studies at NMU. At the time, the EEGS Department didn’t have a graduate program, but I was lucky enough to be able to create my own program encompassing sustainability-related classes and topics across multiple disciplines. This new M.S. in Sustainability program will be a game changer for so many students. As an undergraduate student in NMU’s EEGS Department, many of my peers and I were looking to continue our education after graduation, but for most of us, this meant having to look elsewhere. I am so excited to hear that Northern has realized the need for this new program. It will provide opportunities and benefits for current and prospective students. If I hadn’t already completed the MIS program, I would enroll just to take part in this new opportunity immediately.”
Leach named Executive Director of UPLC
August 18, 2025
Emily Leach (BS, Environmental Studies and Sustainability, 2013) moved into the role of Executive Director of the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy (UPLC). She had served as Senior Planner for Marquette County, and before that had worked at Superior Watershed Partnership. Land stewardship and climate adaptation are two of Emily’s specialties.
Emily reflected on the fit between UPLC’s mission and NMU: "I am energized by the work the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy has put in over the last 25 years and am honored to lead the organization into their next chapter of sustainable growth to protect more land and water across the Upper Peninsula. The UPLC's mission of Land Today for Life Tomorrow is evidence of sound science and community leadership as we collectively adapt to the impacts of climate change, demographics, and land use changes. As Executive Director, it is my intent to build capacity through staff positions, internships, work-study, and volunteer opportunities in collaboration with Northern Michigan University to expand our portfolio of protected lands and engage with more people."
The EEGS Department looks forward to connecting graduate students in the new M.S. in Sustainability with community partners such as UPLC to benefit land and life.
Stock among top 2% of highly cited scientists in 2024
August 8, 2025
Dr. Ryan Stock is a prolific Assistant Professor in the EEGS Department. Stock was one of three people affiliated with Northern Michigan University listed in the top 2% of highly cited scientists in the world, according to Stanford University and publisher Elsevier. This annual list demonstrates research impact based on peer-reviewed publications, which represent 22 scientific fields and 174 subfields. The 2024 list includes citations received in 2023.
As fall semester approached, Dr. Stock shared these thoughts about his scholarship:
“I am an energy geographer and political ecologist with expertise in environmental justice. Core to my personal and professional identity is a normative commitment to equity and sustainability, threaded throughout all my work in higher education and beyond. I am motivated to pursue policy-relevant research that interrogates power structures, outlines paths to empowerment for marginalized communities, and innovates method and theory relating to the pursuit of justice within energy, climate and environmental politics. My motto is 'do good work with cool people.' In my scholarship, I am motivated by social change, focusing on impact and relationships over prestige and advancement.
Since joining the EEGS department in 2019, I have undertaken three main research projects, with a few new projects under development. Left in the Dark is a whole systems analysis of solar development in India, examining the social and environmental injustices at each stage of the life cycle of a solar panel. Another project is Volta Photovolaics, examining the gender politics of solar development in Ghana. A current project still underway is Daybreak Wastescapes, mapping the waste flows of end-of-life solar panels and documenting the environmental injustices suffered by informal waste workers in India.
In the last few years, I have also conducted interdisciplinary research on climate change adaptation and vulnerability, as well as investigating the social dimensions of digital agriculture. The EEGS Department at Northern Michigan University has been an exceptionally fertile space to grow my global research program. In the Illume Lab, I am deeply grateful to have worked with some brilliant students from the McNair Scholars and Freshman Fellows Programs, along with numerous research associates and graduate students from international universities.”
Congratulations, Dr. Stock, for catching the attention of scholars around the world. Check out the Northern Today article for more details.
NMU Receives USFS Wood Innovation Grant
August 8, 2025
Northern Michigan University was recently awarded $114,553 from the U.S. Forest Service's Wood Innovation Grant program to identify facility and process improvements for the combined heat and power plant at the Ripley Plant on campus. Dr. Sarah Mittlefehldt serves as a Co-Principal Investigator on this grant. This work will be an essential step in working toward NMU's Carbon Neutrality Plan and the potential transition from natural gas to using local woodchips.
This initiative grew out of the Northern Woodshed Project, an applied research collaboration supported by NMU's SISU Institute, and involving NMU's Facilities Department, the Department of Earth, Environmental & Geographical Sciences, the Center for Native American Studies, and the Department of Biology. The aim of the Northern Woodshed Project is to assess the environmental, economic, cultural and technical feasibility of switching from natural gas to locally harvested woodchips at the Ripley Plant.
Check out the Northern Today article for more details.
Fun at the 2025 Environmental Science Camp
July 29, 2025
In July, the EEGS Department and Seaborg Mathematics and Science Center co-hosted the 2025 Summer Environmental Science Camp. Eighteen high school students from the region and Colorado spent one week at NMU immersed in the college experience. The campers (and Norman the Northern Gnome) visited sites around the Marquette area to learn about geology, hydrology, soils, watersheds, sustainability, conservation, and restoration.
Please see the 2025 Environmental Science Summer Camp news page for the full story.
Greene enrolls in graduate program at University of Bremen
July 14, 2025
Nolan Greene (BS '24 Environmental Studies and Sustainability & Political Science minor) was admitted to the Master of Ecology program at the University of Bremen in Germany. In October he will commence his graduate studies. While an undergraduate at NMU, Nolan was actively engaged as the EEGS Department’s office assistant. His cheerful, personable nature helped brighten the day of faculty and staff. Nolan is a member of Gamma Theta Upsilon International Geographical Society and he participated in the Student Leader Fellowship Program. Nolan volunteered tirelessly as a student manager at the NMU Food Pantry.
For his senior project, Nolan raised awareness about the importance of creating habitat for solitary bees--important pollinators and components of the ecosystem. He conducted a survey of his community to gauge the lack of knowledge on the topic and then developed and hosted an information workshop at the public library in his hometown in Kentucky.
After graduating, Nolan moved to Germany and has explored Europe. He is excited to begin the M.Sc. program. Reflecting on his undergraduate years, Nolan wrote, “My time at NMU was truly a wonderful experience. The way the university is woven into both the community and the natural landscape makes it unlike any other school. What stands out most in my memory, though, is how the faculty and staff always made me feel genuinely supported both personally and academically. As I look ahead to new scholastic adventures, I carry Northern with me, knowing it helped shape who I am today and who I’ll become tomorrow.”
Friends in the EEGS Department know that Nolan’s smile, can-do attitude, and ability to overcome adversity will help him succeed in his academic and personal pursuits. Alles Gute, Nolan!
