A new cohort of graduate students in the M.S. in Sustainability program brings excitement to the EEGS Department. Although the program officially started in Fall 2025 with a cohort of one student, the program now welcomes three new graduate students during Fall 2026. The four graduate students each bring multidisciplinary backgrounds, varied perspectives, and unique experiences that will help shape and direct the growing program. The breadth of the program has allowed each student to follow a different track of study and to choose between a traditional master’s thesis or a hands-on practicum experience. Research, leadership, and academic and professional growth are all core values that this new program is proud to instill in its graduate students.
This semester, Ezra Dedenbach, Susan Robison, Lydia Seeley, and Elleanna Viere will work together to research the impacts of tourism on communities and individuals of the Upper Peninsula as part of their GC 501 - Seminar in Sustainability project. This project will focus on the environmental, economic, and sustainability challenges created by the millions of seasonal visitors to the U.P. The students look forward to visiting surrounding communities to conduct their research and present their sustainable tourism plan back to the community at the end of the semester.
Ezra Dedenbach is the inaugural graduate student of the Master of Science in Sustainability program within the EEGS Department. Ezra is completing his studies in the Natural Resources Management track while pursuing a practicum. Moving into his second year of the program, Ezra is continuing his research on The Northern Woodshed Project, an interdepartmental collaboration that assesses the feasibility of biomass to offset fossil fuel use for campus heating and cooling. This project examines all components of the bioenergy process from forest treatments and harvest practices to economic impacts to on-site utilization. Ezra is looking forward to attending the Society of American Foresters National Convention this October, where he will be presenting on the geospatial components and mapping of the woodshed for the project. After joining the project in his final semester of undergraduate study at NMU, Ezra knew he had to come back and continue his research and help build the new M.S. in Sustainability program. Ezra is excited to collaborate with a new cohort of graduate students on course projects and research.
Link to The Northern Woodshed Project interactive map.
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Susan Robison is an alumna of Northern Michigan University, where she completed dual undergraduate degrees in Creative Writing and Photography. Susan is pursuing her second Master’s degree, with her first being in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Missouri State University. In addition to working towards her completion of her Master’s degree, in the M.S. in Sustainability program, Susan currently serves as a Senior Success Advisor for the Physical & Natural Sciences cluster, which includes students in EEGS. Susan has always had a passion for sustainability. She is excited to learn more about theoretical frameworks and theories in the sustainability field as she follows the Individualized track of study to write a thesis. As a member of the newly developed Sustainable Move In and Move Out Taskforce, Susan is helping the NMU campus reduce waste during moving weekends at the beginning and end of each semester. In partnership with this program, Susan also helps organize the annual Stuff Swap where campus-housed students can drop off unwanted items, exchange used goods, or find items they may need at the end of the school year.
Lydia Seeley is an environmental scientist with a background in natural resource management, water resources, and energy policy. Her experience working with and learning from nonprofits during her undergraduate degree through the Connected Communities Initiative with UW-Stevens Point and UH-Maui College inspired her to pursue the Community Planning and Development track in the program. Lydia is eager to create a practicum research project that will allow her to apply research and work experience to address sustainable development issues in Marquette and the Upper Peninsula. She is also excited to collaborate with her peers and connect with local organizations to develop a sustainable tourism plan for surrounding communities. Lydia hopes to continue to build her graduate research around sustainable tourism and development. As a graduate assistant outreach coordinator for the EEGS Department, Lydia looks forward to helping the department develop new outreach initiatives and discover innovative ways to share exciting news and events.
Elleanna Viere is a climate scientist with research interests in cryology, climatology, and Earth’s natural cycles. She has experience working with the Cooperative Institute of Great Lakes Research as a research fellow studying Great Lakes ice cover. Her team was able to reconstruct historical ice cover records of the Great Lakes in response to Earth’s natural cycles and climate change impacts. Elleanna will be pursuing the Spatial Data Science track and writing a thesis. Her research will focus on integrating UAV-based lidar and field measurements to characterize composition, aboveground biomass, and surface hydrology in support of forest monitoring in the Dead River Community Forest. This is a collaborative effort with the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy. Elleanna is looking forward to learning about sustainability practices and initiatives that will best support NMU and the surrounding communities. As a GIS graduate assistant, Elleanna is excited to continue developing her GIS expertise and help undergraduate students succeed in their coursework.
