Department URL

Two University of Illinois Springfield undergraduate students are working with Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Tih-Fen Ting to research factors affecting the winter survival of American kestrels, a type of bird that is experiencing population declines in North America.

The University of Illinois Springfield provides students with unique learning opportunities at the UIS Field Station at Lake Springfield and the Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon in Lewistown. Dr. Tom Rothfus is the director of the field stations and spoke to Community Voices about the research being conducted and how it benefits the local habitats.

News Categories

New Intercession Course Offering, Dr. Brandon Derman

During the new Winter Intersession term between Fall and Spring semesters, nine students from ENS and other programs enrolled in Dr. Derman’s Topics in Environmental Studies course “Understanding Struggles for Climate Justice.” The course examined the ways in which climate change is increasingly being understood as an issue of intergenerational, racial, and global justice, building on Derman’s longstanding research interests, explored in his new book.

GIS Workshop on Mapping COVID-19, Dr. Yun Zhao and Dr. Junu Shrestha

On November 14, 2020, the GIS Lab, joined by Junu Shrestha from the UIS Public Health Department, offered a virtual GIS workshop titled “Mapping COVID-19 Using GIS.” The workshop introduced the use of desktop and online GIS tools in visualizing COVID- 19 to help in the decision-making process. Two example products are included here. This is the first time the GIS Lab offered an online workshop.

Research on Plastic Bag Legislation, Dr. Megan Styles

This past summer, ENS Chair Dr. Megan Styles and PA faculty member Dr. Junfeng Wang, conducted research on the adoption of plastic bag legislation in Illinois communities. They interviewed city officials and community leaders in the five IL municipalities that have adopted plastic bag laws (e.g. bans or fees designed to deter the use of these bags) to understand why these communities adopted these laws and their experiences with implementation. Drs.

Preston Marucco, a recent Environmental Studies MA graduate, was hired at Hanson Professional Services in Springfield, Illinois.

Check out his video describing his experience at UIS!