Research

Angela Stroud, Associate Professor of Sociology and Social Justice, astroud@northland.edu
Angela Stroud is researching how concealed handgun licensing may impact social sustainability. Her work centers on gun control and how it may have implications for a larger cultural battle between individualism and social policy. She has authored the paper, "Armed Individuals: How Concealed Handgun Licensing Threatens Social Sustainability." The paper is part of a larger project Stroud is working on that examines how meanings around race, class, and gender shape concealed handgun licensing. Stroud plans to expand her research, citing interest in exploring more questions around the way identities are politicized. She is currently examining how some classes of voters may vote against their economic interests. As part of that, Stroud is exploring how race, class and gender may play a role.

Rajat Panwar, Chapple Chair of Business and Social Responsibility, rpanwar@northland.edu
Many businesses have sought ways to achieve competitive advantages during the "great recession." New research by Rajat Panwar, Chapple Chair of Business and Social Responsibility at Northland College, suggests specific actions that can help companies combat a number of challenges. Though geared specifically toward forest products industries, this research is relevant to other sectors as well. The Forest Products Journal (FPJ) recently published research by Panwar in February 2013 that explores how forest products companies can prepare for and predict economic downturns. You may view the article here and read the press release about his research here.

Sarah Johnson, Assistant Professor of Natural Resources, sjohnson@northland.edu
Johnson's research interests largely focus on long-term dynamics and patterns of diversity and composition in plant communities of the Great Lakes region. To interpret these patterns, she considers the roles of multiple interacting drivers of ecosystem changes at local and landscape scales including succession, habitat fragmentation, herbivory, pest invasions, changes in natural disturbance regimes, and climate change. To provide a richer baseline for tracking future changes in Great Lakes ecosystems, Johnson has worked closely with the Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin-Madison to assist in the development of protocols for monitoring terrestrial vegetation in nine National Parks throughout the Great Lakes region. Johnson looks forward to working with Northland students and faculty to pursue other meaningful collaborations on projects with the extensive network of natural resource agencies and organizations in the region. Learn more about Sarah and her research by clicking here.

Nick Robertson, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, nrobertson@northland.edu
Robertson is interested in studying how polymer structures and compositions impact the resulting material properties. Specifically, he is interested in developing new polymers that have useful material properties and are biorenewable and/or biodegradable. He is also interested in developing new laboratories for undergraduate chemistry curricula that are engaging for students and environmentally friendly.

Chantaal Norgaard, Assistant Professor of Native American Studies, cnorrgard@northland.edu
Norgaard is currently working on a book that explores the critical relationship between Ojibwe livelihoods and their struggle to exercise their treaty rights as U.S. colonialism became increasingly entrenched in the Lake Superior region in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Recent Publications:

• Seasons of Change: Labor, Treaty Rights, and Memories of Historical Transformation among Lake Superior Ojibwe. Book manuscript under advance contract, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
• “Beyond Folklore: Historical Writing and Treaty Rights Activism in the Bad River Works Progress Administration,” in Tribal Worlds, eds. Brian Hosmer and Larry Nesper (Albany: SUNY Press, forthcoming).
• “From Berries to Orchards: Tracing the History of Berrying and Economic Transformation among Lake Superior Ojibwe,” American Indian Quarterly 33, no.1 (Winter 2009): 34-61.

Elizabeth Andre, Assistant Professor of Outdoor Education, eandre@northland.edu
Each year Andre brings Northland students with her to the national conference of the AORE where they are able to attend educational sessions, network, interview for positions, and have their resumes critiqued by professionals. Recent research includes:

• Andre, E. (2012). It's time for a global ethic; not just local etiquette. In Wagstaff, M. & Martin, B. (Eds.) Controversial Issues in Adventure Programming. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.