Social Sciences Newsblog

Category: News

Get Involved in Our New National Endowment for the Humanities Community Deep Mapping Institute

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Time Traveler app
Keweenaw Time Traveler, which includes a mobile application shown here in use at Alumni Reunion, serves as a model of learning and inspiration for scholars and professionals taking part in the Institute. (Image courtesy KeTT)

An exciting new collaboration funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will bring a new year-long Community Deep Mapping Institute to Michigan Tech, in partnership with Wayne State University.

Don Lafreniere, professor of geography and geographic information science, will lead a team of researchers, staff, and students from Michigan Tech and Wayne State University. Dozens of Michigan Tech and Wayne State students, faculty, and staff will participate, alongside social sciences and humanities scholars from around the globe.

The Institute will run for one year, beginning in January 2025. It will operate virtually throughout the year and also includes an immersive, two-week on-site component that will take place on July 7-18, 2025 at Michigan Tech.

Fellowship applications are being accepted. The deadline is Nov. 22. Applicants selected to be fellows will receive a stipend to cover airfare, lodging, subsistence, and local transportation for the two-week experience.

Learn more about the criteria and apply for a fellowship on the Deep Mapping Institute website.

Get more details about the project, which parlays the success of the award-winning Keweenaw Traveler, on the College of Sciences and Arts newsblog.

About the Department of Social Sciences at Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech’s Department of Social Sciences offers bachelor of science degrees in Anthropology, Policy and Community Development, Sustainability Science and Society, and Social Science, along with a bachelor of arts degree in History. Our graduate program includes master’s and doctoral degrees in Industrial Heritage and Archaeology—the only program of its kind in the world—along with Environmental and Energy Policy. Our social sciences department also offers a master’s in Sustainable Communities. Plus, you can get a graduate certificate in Public Policy by taking three online courses in just one term.Questions? Contact us at socialsciences@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest happenings.

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Students Establish Fund to Honor Professor

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Chelsea Schelly smiling in front of solar panels.
Chelsea Schelly’s students honored their professor by creating the Chelsea Schelly Impact Fund.

Students and alumni from the Department of Social Sciences created the Chelsea Schelly Impact Fund in concert with the Keweenaw Community Foundation. The goal is to raise $75,000 for scholarships to new scholars from diverse backgrounds to explore innovative solutions to society’s most pressing challenges in sustainability, resilience, and social justice while celebrating professor of sociology Chelsea Schelly’s birthday and honoring her achievements.

The Chelsea Schelly Impact Fund targets scholars enrolled in tribal colleges, community colleges, and universities, and honors the work and legacy of Chelsea Schelly, whose groundbreaking contributions to the environment, sociology, and technology have paved the way for just transitions and regenerative practices.

Chelsea Schelly in blue blouse seated at picnic table talking with open arms to three graduate students.
Chelsea Schelly enjoys teaching and mentoring students.

“It is the honor of a lifetime to work with students who understand my core values, as a professional and a human. The students who took the initiative to establish this fund are providing an opportunity for future leaders to contribute to meaningful change by learning more about the intersection of social and environmental systems.”

Chelsea Schelly, professor of sociology in the Department of Social Sciences

Schelly takes a holistic approach to teaching, research, and community involvement. Schelly challenges the status quo and advocates for technological transitions that benefit communities. Schelly also mentors students, investing several hours each week helping them achieve their individual goals and complete research on society’s most complex and pressing issues. Schelly prepares students to participate in building a more sustainable, resilient, and just future through socio-technological transitions.

Learn more about the Chelsea Schelly fund.

About the Department of Social Sciences at Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech’s Department of Social Sciences offers bachelor of science degrees in Anthropology, Policy and Community Development, Sustainability Science and Society, and Social Science, along with a bachelor of arts degree in History. Our graduate program includes master’s and doctoral degrees in Industrial Heritage and Archaeology—the only program of its kind in the world—along with Environmental and Energy Policy. Our social sciences department also offers a master’s in Sustainable Communities. Plus, you can get a graduate certificate in Public Policy by taking three online courses in just one term.

Questions? Contact us at socialsciences@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest happenings.

Steve Mintz is the marketing and communications manager for the College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech.

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Keweenaw Time Traveler Featured on TV6 Discovering Series

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Boardwalk on the Chassell Historic Trailab above swampy land with reeds and cattails
The boardwalk on the Chassell Historic Trail recounts the Pike River area’s thriving lumber industry (Image credit: Keith Meyers)

Michigan Tech’s role in establishing a historic trail showcasing the area’s lumber heritage was highlighted in an episode of the long-running program Discovering earlier this year. Watch “Building the Chassell Historic Trail” to learn more about the process involved in this interpretive work, which tapped the expertise of Don Lafreniere, professor of geography and geographic information systems (GIS); James Schwaderer, a Ph.D. candidate in industrial heritage and archaeology, and Terri Frew, assistant teaching professor in visual and performing arts. All three appear on the program, which also highlights the award-winning Keweenaw Time Traveler project.

Play DISCOVERING | Building the Chassell Historic Trail video
Preview image for DISCOVERING | Building the Chassell Historic Trail video

DISCOVERING | Building the Chassell Historic Trail

Episode 80 “Building the Chassell Historic Trail” highlights the work done to support the creation of the Chassell Heritage Trail, which interprets a former lumber mill site in Chassell, Michigan.

While the Copper Country’s mining history has been widely detailed, its other industries and their histories aren’t as well known. The Chassell Heritage Trail interprets a former lumber mill site in Chassell, Michigan. “Creating a walking trail allows people to wander through history,” said Schwaderer.  “It’s one thing to see it in a picture but it’s another thing to actually walk all the way through there, just to get a sense of the size of how big this mill was and the storage it needed for all the lumber it cut.”

Chassell Historic Trail site
The Chassell Historic Trail sits on the site of the old Chassell Lumber Mill (Image credit: Chassell Historical Organization)
Chassell Historic Trail drone view
The Chassell Historic Trail abuts the Portage Canal at the mouth of the Pike River
(Image credit: Kristin Ojaniemi, Discover the U.P.)
Chassell Historic Trail signage
Michigan Tech students created trail signage in their design class (Image credit: Kristin Ojaniemi, Discover the U.P.)

About the Social Sciences Department at Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech’s Department of Social Sciences offers bachelor of science degrees in Anthropology, Policy and Community Development, Sustainability Science and Society, and Social Science, along with a bachelor of arts degree in History. Our graduate program includes master’s and doctoral degrees in Industrial Heritage and Archaeology—the only program of its kind in the world—along with Environmental and Energy Policy. Our social sciences department also offers a master’s in Sustainable Communities. Plus, you can get a graduate certificate in Public Policy by taking three online courses in just one term.

Questions? Contact us at socialsciences@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest happenings.

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In Print: Carter Paper Published in Gastronomy and Tourism

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Angie Carter and Tara L. Bal are co-authors of a paper published in Gastronomy and Tourism. Siona Beaudoin, a Lake Linden-Hubbell graduate, is also a co-author of the paper.

The paper, titled “Berries without Bugs: Recreational Foraging and a Fruit Fly Threat in Rural Michigan” presents a survey of berry foragers in the Houghton/Keweenaw area, their practices harvesting fruit, and their baseline knowledge about a relatively new invasive fruit fly, spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii). Understanding the cultural, economic, and potential human health impacts of berry pests like spotted wing drosophila is necessary to inform adaptive foraging and harvesting practices and further spread prevention when possible.

About Angie Carter

Angie Carter
Angie Carter
Associate Professor, Environmental/Energy Justice

Angie Carter is an associate professor of environmental/energy justice in the Department of Social Sciences. An environmental and public sociologist and scholar-activist, Carter researches intersections of landscape, identity, agrifood-energy systems, and social change.

About the Social Sciences Department at Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech’s Department of Social Sciences offers bachelor of science degrees in Anthropology, Policy and Community Development, Sustainability Science and Society, and Social Science, along with a bachelor of arts degree in History. Our graduate program includes masters and doctoral degrees in Environmental and Energy Policy and Industrial Heritage and Archaeology (the only one of its kind in the world), and a master’s in Sustainable Communities. Plus, you can get a graduate certificate in Public Policy by taking three courses in just one term.

Questions? Contact us at socialsciences@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest happenings.

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Robins Presents Kapok Paper

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Jonathan Robins presented a paper on the history of kapok and kapok substitutes at the 2024 American Society for Environmental History Conference. The Conference convened April 3-7 in Denver, Colorado.

Kapok is a tree fiber once widely used for stuffing mattresses, pillows and life jackets. However material shortages during World War II inspired new research into artificial materials. Unfortunately the newer materials eventually displaced kapok and other natural fibers from key markets. The research is part of a larger project on historical transitions from biomaterials to synthetics in fiber-consuming industries like rope, fishing nets and insulation.

About Jonathan Robins

Jonathan E. Robins
Jonathan E. Robins
Associate Professor of History

Jonathan Robins is an award-winning historian of commodities, environments, and politics. He has published on oils and fats, fiber crops and textile industries, food and consumption, economic development, and environmental and labor history broadly. His current research interests include waste and waste landscapes, technological transitions in natural and synthetic fibers, and agroforestry. He serves on the steering committee of the Commodities of Empire project and as global book review editor for Agricultural History.

About the Social Sciences Department at Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech’s Department of Social Sciences offers bachelor of science degrees in Anthropology, Policy and Community Development, Sustainability Science and Society, and Social Science, along with a bachelor of arts degree in History. Our graduate program includes masters and doctoral degrees in Environmental and Energy Policy and Industrial Heritage and Archaeology (the only one of its kind in the world), and a master’s in Sustainable Communities. Plus, you can get a graduate certificate in Public Policy in by taking three courses in just one term.

Questions? Contact us at socialsciences@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest happenings.

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In Print: Wellstead Published in Policy Design and Practice

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Wellstead Policy Design
Adam M. Wellstead
Professor of Public Policy, Social Sciences

Adam Wellstead (SS) is a co-author of a paper published in Policy Design and Practice. The paper is titled “Public Value and Procedural Policy Instrument Specifications in ‘Design for Service.'”

Michael Howlett of Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada, is the other co-author of the paper.

Wellstead joined Michigan Tech’s Social Sciences Department in 2011 after a 15-year career with the Canadian federal government. Wellstead’s background in policy and public management contributes to the research and teaching in the Environmental Policy Program. Additionally, his research interests include investigating multi-level governance arrangements in the natural resource sector, measuring policy capacity and evidence-based policy-making, policy mechanisms, and theories of the policy process. In addition, Wellstead enjoys developing and conducting (primarily online) surveys and undertaking structural equation modeling using LISREL.

About the Social Sciences Department at Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech’s Department of Social Sciences offers bachelor of science degrees in Anthropology, Policy and Community Development, Sustainability Science and Society, and Social Science, along with a bachelor of arts degree in History. Our graduate program includes master’s and doctoral degrees in Environmental and Energy Policy and Industrial Heritage and Archaeology (the only one of its kind in the world), and a master’s in Sustainable Communities. Additionally, you can get a graduate certificate in Public Policy in by taking three courses in just one term.

Questions? Contact us at socialsciences@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest happenings.

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In The News: History Day

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Jonathan E. Robins History Day
Jonathan E. Robins
Associate Professor of History
Steven A. Walton History Day
Steven A. Walton
Associate Professor of History

Jonathan Robins and Steve Walton (both SS) were quoted by the Daily Mining Gazette in a story about History Day, held Wednesday (March 6) at MTU sponsored by the Michigan Tech Archives and Department of Social Sciences. The event challenged local high schoolers to explore history and prepare exhibits based on this year’s theme, “Turning Points in History.”

About the Social Sciences Department at Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech’s Department of Social Sciences offers bachelor of science degrees in Anthropology, Policy and Community Development, Sustainability Science and Society, and Social Science, along with a bachelor of arts degree in History. Our graduate program includes masters and doctoral degrees in Environmental and Energy Policy and Industrial Heritage and Archaeology (the only one of its kind in the world), and a master’s in Sustainable Communities. Plus, you can get a graduate certificate in Public Policy in by taking three courses in just one term.

Questions? Contact us at socialsciences@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest happenings.

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Milanzi Chosen as Catalyst Leadership Circle Fellow

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Nyasha Milanzi Catalyst Leadership Circle
Nyasha Milanzi
Graduate student
Sustainable Communities program

Congratulations to Nyasha Milanzi, chosen as one of the ten Catalyst Leadership Circle (CLC) Fellows at the University of Michigan’s Graham Sustainability Institute. Milanzi studies in the Sustainable Communities program, working on a master’s.

This fellowship, sponsored by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), provides summer internships, funding, and professional development for promising sustainability advocates statewide through the Catalyst Communities program.
In this role, they’ll collaborate with the local government of Ann Arbor to pinpoint scope 3 emissions in new building developments.

Additionally, Nyasha was selected as one of the 20 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Voices for Science fellows for the 2024-2025 academic year, representing scientists from North and Central America. This fellowship offers a platform for outreach initiatives and the opportunity to contribute opinion pieces on topics surrounding the Food, Energy, and Water nexus for various media outlets.
They’re excited to embark on this journey of engagement and knowledge-sharing in the coming academic year.

About the Social Sciences Department at Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech’s Department of Social Sciences offers bachelor of science degrees in Anthropology, Policy and Community Development, Sustainability Science and Society, and Social Science, along with a bachelor of arts degree in History. Our graduate program includes masters and doctoral degrees in Environmental and Energy Policy and Industrial Heritage and Archaeology (the only one of its kind in the world), and a master’s in Sustainable Communities. Plus, you can get a graduate certificate in Public Policy in by taking three courses in just one term.

Questions? Contact us at socialsciences@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest happenings.

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New Funding: Wurst Wins Forest Service Funding

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LouAnn Wurst is the PI on a project that has received a $28,508 other sponsored activities co-op joint agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service.

The project is titled “Archaeological Collection Cooperative Management Hiawatha National Forest.”

Wurst’s research interests include Historical and Industrial Archaeology, primarily concerning archaeology and capitalism, class and inequality, Marxist theory, and historic preservation and cultural resource management. Wurst’s recent projects include explorations of capitalist transformations in agriculture; working and living conditions for labor in the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Mine lumber camp; social relations of industrial production and worker mobility; and comparisons of industrial labor between Finland and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

LouAnn Wurst Forest Service
LouAnn Wurst
Professor of Archaeology
USDA Wurst Forest Service
USDA Forest Service

About the Social Sciences Department at Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech’s Department of Social Sciences offers bachelor of science degrees in Anthropology, Policy and Community Development, Sustainability Science and Society, and Social Science, along with a bachelor of arts degree in History. Our graduate program includes masters and doctoral degrees in Environmental and Energy Policy and Industrial Heritage and Archaeology (the only one of its kind in the world), and a master’s in Sustainable Communities. Plus, you can get a graduate certificate in Public Policy in by taking three courses in just one term.

Questions? Contact us at socialsciences@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest happenings.

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In Print: Journal Political Geography Publishes Mark Rhodes Paper

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Mark Rhodes Journal Political Geography
Mark Rhodes
Assistant Professor of Geography

Mark Rhodes is the author of an article published in the journal Political Geography. The article is titled “National Museum Wales and the scalar bureaucracies of institutional memory work.”

Rhodes argues for a more deliberate focus on studying the bureaucracy that shapes our cultural heritage institutions, particularly considering how multiple scales of bureaucracy work in tandem. Rhodes’ case study, the seven-museum National Museum Wales system funded and overseen at arm’s length by the Welsh government, offers a unique lens into a national-scale bureaucracy. This bureaucracy must simultaneously negotiate with the larger state (United Kingdom), region (European heritage institutions), globe (UNESCO’s World Heritage program) and local municipalities and communities.

Read the article in Political Geography.

His research interests encompass post-industrial geographies and heritage and national identity in the 21st century. Areas of expertise include memory and memorialization, heritage institutions, cultural landscapes, historical geography, and cultural geography.

Subsequently, Rhodes’s interest benefits students, as he has led many study away programs. This summer Rhodes is leading a study abroad trip to Wales. Students will visit unique expressions of cultural, community, and economic change focusing on industrial communities and heritage institutions. Students will visit the country’s Parliament, national art museum, and four national industrial heritage museums. Additionally, students will tour three national parks and two of the four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Wales.

About the Social Sciences Department at Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech’s Department of Social Sciences offers bachelor of science degrees in Anthropology, Policy and Community Development, Sustainability Science and Society, and Social Science, along with a bachelor of arts degree in History. Additionally, our graduate program includes masters and doctoral degrees in Environmental and Energy Policy and Industrial Heritage and Archaeology (the only one of its kind in the world), and a master’s in Sustainable Communities. Plus, you can get a graduate certificate in Public Policy in by taking three courses in just one term.

Questions? Contact us at socialsciences@mtu.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest happenings.

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