As an environmental specialist with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources 2007 to 2014, Dan Norris ’05 directed over $1 million of long-term air sampling of the Bridgeton Landfill in St. Louis, Missouri—a long, complicated, and continuing environmental story outlined in the 2018 HBO documentary, “Atomic Homefront.” Filmmakers interviewed Norris, as someone who evaluated the…
In ninth grade, we were assigned a career research project. I picked wildlife biologist. When Northland College sent a brochure with students paddling a wild river, I was hooked. At Northland, I found great friends and mentors. Dr. Lee Stadnyk guided my path through environmental studies. Spring courses paddled the Boundary Waters. A friend encouraged…
Calling themselves the Paddlin Madelines, high school camp friends Mitzi Peine ‘14 and Emma Burgeson made up the first all-women canoe team in 2014 to attempt the Yukon 1000, the world’s longest paddling race on the Yukon River in Alaska. Five hundred miles in, they made the decision to withdraw from the race due to a rotator…
Jon McLaughlin ‘01 joined the USA Men’s Whitewater Raft Team-Masters Division in July 2017 and in October placed eighth in the 2017 IRF World Whitewater Rafting Championships in Japan. The team is currently training for the US National Championships that will be held on the Gauley and new rivers in West Virginia in September—a qualifying…
Major: Sustainable Community Development Employment: Research Assistant, Center for Rural Communities Last Act: Senior Class Commencement Address Hometown: Arlington, Virginia Q. What have you learned about leadership during your time at Northland? A. The most important aspect of leadership is compassion. It’s the only way to understand differences in a meaningful way. When difficult decisions have to…
Ben Shepherd ’00 is taking design to new levels: integrating sustainability, functionality, beauty, and community planning. He’s been working in the green building and sustainable design field since his Northland graduation, first at the non-profit, research think tank, Rocky Mountain Institute, then overseas to gain an international green perspective. For the last ten years, he’s been…
After Hurricane Katrina, the medical director of the Alabama Outward Bound School approached Jason Luthy ’06, who was working at the school, about developing a wilderness medicine training program to prepare coastal communities in how to respond during natural disasters, when emergency medical personnel are delayed. The two started Longleaf Wilderness Medicine as a way…
Julie Anderson ’00 explores climate change, genetic modification, and the excessive use of natural resources in her stunning and unusual sculptures. Her artwork is influenced by her mountain environment in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where she co-owns and operates a small studio art space with husband, Gregory Grasso, and even more so by her undergraduate studies…
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) awarded Northland College senior Andy Kasun first place and senior Marisa Ulman honorable mention in the undergraduate category at the Spring 2018 Virtual Poster Showcase. The event featured sixty-seven presenters from countries around the world showcasing their research and contributions to the fields of earth and space science. Kasun presented…
Name: Matthew V. Koszuta Major: Meteorology & Mathematical Sciences Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Q. How did you find Northland? A. My introduction to Northland College was through my friends/coworkers at a Milwaukee County Council Boy Scout Camp—LeFeber Northwoods Camps. This occurred the summer prior to my Senior year of high school. The program director, climbing wall director,…
