Social Sciences Newsblog

Category: Notables

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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Geographer Kat Hannum Latest Dean’s Teaching Showcase Selection

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College of Sciences and Arts (CSA) Dean Ravindra Pandey selected Kathryn (Kat) Hannum as the featured instructor this week for the Deans’ Teaching Showcase. Nominated by Department of Social Sciences Chair Don Lafreniere, Hannum will be recognized at an end-of-term event with other showcase members and is a candidate for the CTL Instructional Award Series.

Kathryn Hannum
Kathryn (Kat) Hannum Dean’s Teaching Showcase Selection

An assistant teaching professor of geography, Hannum’s expertise is in migration and nationalism. She recently published a book titled “Nationalism” (Routledge 2023) outlining how this global ideology is one of the dominant political forces in the modern world. Nationalism shapes geographical concepts such as territory, homelands, boundaries, and frontiers.

The World is the Classroom for Dean’s Teaching Showcase Winner

An exceptional scholar in the classroom, Hannum’s conception of “classroom” is very different from most instructors at Michigan Tech. As a geographer, she uses the world as her classroom. Hannum leads numerous study-abroad programs in Mexico and Costa Rica. She supports other programs in Wales and a domestic program where students travel across the United States on Amtrak.

In each of these programs, Hannum engages students to think critically about culture and their roles as global citizens in an increasingly interconnected world. She teaches about the impacts of tourism development and tourism-driven migration on regions, as well as how to promote sustainable tourism while understanding the role such development has on national, regional and Indigenous identities. In the rainforests of Costa Rica and the small Mayan villages of Mexico, she introduces students firsthand to the ways human actions impact the human and natural worlds, highlighting the interconnectivity and complexity of our globalized world.

Hannum believes strongly that when students travel, they can engage with the impact that humans have on the world in a deeply personal way. She employs journaling during her study away programs. Students write daily reflections on the lessons learned. They reflect on how their decisions impact the people and environments experienced on the trip.

She also uses social labs, in which students in the class give back to the communities they are visiting. In Mexico, these labs have included projects that support increasing beachfront access for locals in areas of increased exclusion due to tourism developments. Students examine ways to protect village life and culture, too.

Hannum’s Community and Global Focus Praised

Lafreniere praised the impact of Hannum’s teaching and scholarship. “Dr. Hannum’s focus is on supporting communities,” he said. “As a scholar-teacher, she challenges students not to just be consumers of knowledge, but to take their unique skills and passions to make the communities they visit more sustainable, vibrant places.”

Maria Bergstrom, associate dean for undergraduate education in the CSA, noted the importance of Hannum’s curricular innovations. “Michigan Tech students of all majors have benefited from participating in Dr. Hannum’s global classrooms — gaining a broader perspective and a better understanding of how communities are impacted as new practices and technologies are introduced,” she said. “The study abroad and study away programs developed by Dr. Hannum and others at Michigan Tech have also served as an inspiration for aspects of the new Essential Education program, particularly the Essential Education Experience, which seeks to provide similar community engagement opportunities for all undergraduates. We are grateful for her leadership in developing this type of experiential education at Michigan Tech.”

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 Media: Mark Rhodes on the Role of Coal in Industrial Heritage and National Identity in Wales

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Mark Rhodes
Mark Rhodes

Mark Rhodes, assistant professor of geography was a guest on the Tourism Geographies Podcast last Friday (Nov. 24). The episode centered on a recently published paper co-authored by Rhodes which traces the role of coal in industrial heritage and national identity in Wales over the past 60 years. Discussion topics included the value of historical and contemporary research at heritage sites; how such work can reveal the complexity of identity; and how nations, memories, and our collective heritage change with time, political shifts, and cultural expression.

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 Architecture (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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Keweenaw Time Traveler Wins Historical Society of Michigan Best Website Award

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Keweenaw Time Traveler logo

The Keweenaw Time Traveler won the Historical Society of Michigan (HSM) 2023 State History Award in the category of Websites. This prestigious award recognizes the hard work of the team led by Don LaFreniere, Sarah Scarlett, and John Arnold. The internet has transformed the world of historical research. The Keweenaw Time Traveler uses spatial data infrastructure to create a website that allows researchers to access detailed information through a “deep map” with layers of historical data and maps. It is also interactive, allowing professionals and amateurs alike to contribute data to the site. The digital archive covers Michigan’s “Copper Country” from 1880 to 1970 and will continue to grow in the future.

Don Lafreniere
Don Lafreniere

“There is so much that goes into a project of this scale and the fact we have been recognized by the Historical Society of Michigan is a testment to every contributor,” said Don Lafreniere, Social Sciences Department chair, professor of geography and GIS, and director of the Geospatial Research Facility. “Our current project team members and our time traveler alumni have contributed thousands of hours in the collection, digitizing and linking historical records that make up our massive database as well as the digitization and referencing of the hundreds of historic maps present on the Keweenaw Time Traveler.”

Sarah Scarlett
Photo: Keweenaw Time Traveler

Lafreniere is thankful for the generous support of project funders including the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Council of Library and Information Resources, as well as support from the Geospatial Research Facility and the Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Technological University. “Of course, none of this would be possible without our heritage partners and the thousands of individuals who use the Keweenaw Time Traveler to explore and share memories of our Copper Country past. I thank them so much for their support!”

The Keweenaw Time Traveler team will be recognized during the 149th Annual Meeting and Michigan History Conference on September 22-24, 2023. The Society presents the State History Awards every year to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the appreciation, collection, preservation, and/or promotion of state and local history. The awards are the highest recognition presented by HSM, the state’s official historical society and oldest cultural organization. 

The Historical Society of Michigan is the state’s oldest cultural organization, founded in 1828. A nongovernmental nonprofit, the Society focuses on publications, conferences, education, awards and recognition programming, and support for local history organizations to preserve and promote Michigan’s rich history.

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In Print: Dr. Angie Carter

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Dr. Angie Carter and her co-author Dr. Rebecca Christoffel have published “Supporting Women Landowners in Wetland Conservation” in Society & Natural Resources. The article analyzes data from a state-wide survey in Iowa and finds that a lack of experience with and misinformation about wetlands, coupled with a lack of access to needed conservation knowledge networks, limits conservation action for women landowners, no matter their age cohort.

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In Print

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Dr. Hongmei Lu (departmental alum, PhD EEP 2020, now a postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University, Netherlands) and Dr. Angie Carter have published “Emergent regional collaborative governance in rural local food systems development” in Community Development. The paper analyzes emergent regional collaborative governance in the Western UP’s rural food system and is a product of Dr. Carter’s REF award. The article is available open access here.

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