The Parks and People team is large and continuously changing. It includes the faculty and Student Affairs staff who accompany and teach the program, the students themselves, faculty who serve as knowledge experts and consultants back on campus, students in residential classes, other student groups, faculty and students in South Africa, Park rangers and managers, school children and their teachers and other community members. Every year the mix is different as the students change and as faculty join or leave the program. The following list can’t include everyone, but serves to introduce the core group and to acknowledge those who have been influential in designing and conducting the program.
The faculty and staff who travel with the students for the full ten weeks:
Neil Brown (Penn State: Assistant Professor in Geography and Research Associate in the Office of the Vice Provost for Global Programs). Neil is the Program Director and is responsible for much of the program development. He takes the lead in planning each year’s program and leads the program for the full ten weeks in South Africa. He has a Ph.D. in animal science (important to the research program in the Karoo) and a background in sustainability science, which is one of the core themes of the program. One of his core interests is designing immersive learning environments that integrate teaching, research and service that engage diverse student, faculty and stakeholder teams. He has led all of the semester-long programs since the first program in 2010. In addition he directs several short term programs in Jamaica.
Danielle Andrews-Brown (Penn State: Research Associate in Ecosystem Science and Management). Danielle has a Ph.D. in soil science and her research looks at the hydrological and biogeochemical processes that affect the quality of soil and water. Her interests fall at the intersection of many of the themes and processes that form the core of the Parks and People program. Danielle also has a strong interest in international outreach focused on informal science education.
Nicole Laliberte (University of Toronto, Lecturer in Geography). Nicole did her doctoral research in Uganda and took part in the first Parks and People program as a graduate assistant. In addition to contributing her knowledge of post-conflict and gender issues in East Africa, Nicole also made use of her Student Affairs training and experience with journaling and reflection. It was her experience that prompted the partnership between Parks and People and the Office of Student Affairs at Penn State that has since become a core element of the program.
Elizabeth (Betsy) Scarpaci (Penn State: Asst. Director, Student Affairs/Residence Life, Penn State Berks). Each year, a student affairs staff member accompanies the program and is responsible for the reflective component of the program. Other representatives from Student Affairs who have traveled with the program include: Lisa Blasi, Tauheedah Alexander, Dina Liberatore, and Jared Hammond. Betsy has remained part of the program as the coordinator of the Parks and People–Berks collaboration that links students on the Berks campus with the Parks and People students in on-going discussion of local-to-global issues in sustainability.
The group that conceived the original South Africa program:
Robert Crane (Penn State: Professor of Geography, Director for Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Vice Provost for Global Programs). Rob’s research is in climate systems and regional-scale climate change, and much of this work has been in collaboration with Bruce Hewitson at the University of Cape Town. Rob also directs strategic initiatives for the University Office of Global Programs and has led or co-led almost 20 short-term study abroad programs in South Africa and the Caribbean. Rob co-taught the pilot program for Parks and People in 2009 with Erica Smithwick. Web Page
Bruce Hewitson (University of Cape Town, Professor of Geography and Director of the Climate Systems Analysis Group). Bruce’s research interests include climate modeling, climate change, downscaling, and interesting analysis methodologies. He is engaged in numerous international activities including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). CSAG hosts Parks and People at UCT each year and, on several occasions, he has also brought staff and students to join the program in the Eastern Cape. Web Page
Jan Venter (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University: Lecturer, School of Natural Resource Management). Jan has been a part of Parks and People since its inception, first as an ecologist with the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency and now as a faculty member at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Jan is coordinating the development of a long-term ecological research project in Karoo National Park in collaboration with SANParks and researchers at Penn State. He has participated in all of the Parks and People programs since the pilot project in 2009 and works with the students in developing research skills for ecological surveys.
Founding Faculty:
Brian King (Penn State: Assoc. Professor of Geography). Brian’s research concentrates upon several topics, particularly the impacts of conservation and development in Southern Africa, social and environmental justice, and the intersections between livelihoods, health and environment. Most of this work has been in Southern Africa. Brian led the Program through the process of relationship building with the communities around Dwesa-Cwebe, which now serves as the model for how Parks and People approaches all of its community engagement activities. Web Page
Erica Smithwick (Penn State: Assoc. Professor of Geography). Erica works at the interface of landscape and ecosystem ecology, focusing on the influence of spatial patterns on ecosystem function. Erica was involved from the beginning in conceiving the Parks and People program and co-taught the pilot program for Parks and People with Rob Crane in 2009. She also conducts several ecologically focused research projects in South Africa that have incorporated Parks and People students in field research in Dwesa-Cwebe, and is now collaborating on the ecological project in Karoo National Park. Web Page
Petra Tschakert (University of Western Australia: Professor, School of Earth and Environment). Petra’s research activities and practice focus broadly on human-environment interactions and more specifically on rural livelihoods, environmental change, marginalization, social learning, and deliberate societal transformation. Petra was one of the founding faculty and contributed significantly to the development of Parks and People when she was on the faculty at Penn State. She has since taken up a professorship at the University of Western Australia. Web Page
The Education Team
The interaction of Parks and People with local schools has increased significantly over time. Much of this has been due to the involvement of the “Education Team” — Faculty from the College of Education and teachers from the State College Area School District. Between them, this group of scholars and teachers has been instrumental in providing direction for the service learning component of the Program, and in preparing the Parks and People students to interact with teachers and school children in South Africa–communicating science across generations and cultures.
Carla Zembal-Saul (Penn State: Professor of Science Education). Carla is a Professor of Education in Science Education and holds the Kahn endowed professorship in STEM education. Her research investigates the development of teaching practices that support K-6 children’s participation in authentic scientific discourse and practices. Web Page
Leigh Haefner (Penn State: Associate Professor of Science Education, CEAED Program Coordinator, Penn State Altoona). Leigh’s primary research interests include investigating how prospective and practicing teachers develop subject matter knowledge and subject-specific pedagogy for teaching science in ways that support scientific inquiry in school science. Web Page
Kimber Hershberger (State College Area School District: Third Grade Teacher, Radio Park School) Kimber has recently retired, but continues to travel to South Africa and take an active role in the Parks and People interaction with local schools. She is also involved in a local professional learning community that focuses on incorporating content storyline and the CER framework in science teaching.
Jennifer Cody (State College Area School District: Fifth Grade Teacher, Park Forest Elementary School) Jennifer took part in the Penn State Professional Development School–a partnership between the Pennsylvania State University and the State College Area School District that provides a dynamic, yearlong classroom experience with an experienced mentor teacher. She continues to have a close association with faculty at Penn State and took part in three of the programs in South Africa.
University of Cape Town
Beside the Director–Bruce Hewitson–a number of people from the University of Cape Town’s Climate Systems Analysis Group (CSAG: www.csag.uct.ac.za) have participated or taught in the Parks and People Program. Two member’s of CSAG are long term contributors to Parks and People:
Kate Southerland (University of Cape Town: Senior Science Engagement Officer). Kate has a background in Zoology and her current interests include multi-disciplinary and integrative research that advances knowledge of natural and human systems under conditions of environmental, climatic and social change. In the CSAG’s Climate Services engagement team, she contributes to the dissemination of climate information for use in vulnerability, impacts and adaptation decision-making. For Parks and People, Kate brings here expertise in climate change data and in integrative and systems thinking. Web Page
Pierre-Louise Kloppers (University of Cape Town: CSAG Data Manger). Pierre has a background in Environmental and Geographical Science, and Oceanography as well as a Masters in Atmospheric Science from the University of Cape Town. He has interests in seasonal climate forecasting climate variability and crop production. Pierre manages CSAG’s data systems and works with Parks and People on accessing and using climate change data for the Parks and People study sites. Web Page