Institute for Applied Sustainability
2024-2025 Cohort
Karen Mager, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Environmental Science, Policy, & Sustainability, and Biology
Dr. Mager is a wildlife ecologist focused on the management and conservation of mammals. Much of her research has focused on caribou ecology, including how historical population dynamics and landscape features shape the genetic diversity and connectivity of caribou herds. Here at SOU, she and her students continue to study wildlife connectivity using camera traps to examine wildlife use of Interstate 5 prior to wildlife crossing construction. She loves to work with students in a diversity of ecosystems using field methods. Ultimately, she is motivated to contribute to ecosystem stewardship that enables wildlife populations to adapt to change and promotes sustainable human-wildlife coexistence.
Read more about their current work below.
Jamie Trammell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair, Environmental Science, Policy, & Sustainability program
Jamie Trammell is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science, Policy, and Sustainability who is dedicated to thinking about the future in a more proactive and actionable way. He specializes in working with communities and experts across disciplines to better understand the trajectory and diversity of plausible futures for a given place and people. Using geospatial and stakeholder analysis tools, he has worked in a variety of socioecological systems, including the deserts of the southwest, the northern rivers of New South Wales, Australia, across Alaska and Canada, and throughout the intermountain west. A self-proclaimed bird-nerd, he sits on the Rogue Valley Audubon Society board, and is the current chair of the Environmental Science, Policy, and Sustainability department at SOU.
Read more about their current work below.
Chhaya Werner, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Policy, & Sustainability
Dr. Chhaya Werner received her PhD in 2018 from University of California, Davis, where she studied the impacts of fire, drought, and order of species arrival on plant communities. Her postdoctoral research at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity and the University of Wyoming included developing quantitative methods to examine species interactions in diverse communities, and modeling how species interactions and coexistence are impacted by global change drivers such as drought. Her current research explores how disturbances such as fire, restoration projects, and drought interact to shape our ecosystems, and how interactions between plant species drive resilience to disturbance.
Read more about their current work below.
Precious Yamaguchi, Ph.D.
Program Chair and Professor of Communication
Dr. Precious Yamaguchi is the Chair of the Communication Program and Full Professor of Communication at Southern Oregon University. She is also the former business owner at Catalyst Ashland, and recently completed her co-chair position of the City of Ashland’s first Social Equity and Racial Justice commission. She has her doctorate in Communication Studies from Bowling Green State University as well as her bachelor’s degree in Studio Art with minors in Ethnic Studies and Public Relations from Humboldt State University. Her academic research is interdisciplinary, focusing broadly on issues of culture, identity, generation, technology, social media, and international textile markets. Her book, The Journeys and Strength of Japanese American Women: Stories and Life Experiences During and After World War II, was published by Lexington Books. She has received the Distinguished Faculty Award during her time at Southern Oregon University as well as a Top Paper Award from the National Communication Association. Her board membership includes non-profits such as Southern Oregon PBS, the National Association of African American Studies, the International Association of Asian Studies, and Reclaiming Lives. Dr. Yamaguchi is passionate about working with organizations and projects that support culture, sustainability, and community. She has co-curated several art shows in Southern Oregon and also has co-created two different programs for JPR, Southern Oregon and Northern California’s NPR-affiliated radio station.
When Dr. Yamaguchi is off-campus, enjoys traveling, painting, hiking, and spending time with family and friends from all over the world.
Read more about their current work below.
Projects in Motion
Sustaining and Restoring Wildlife Connectivity: Wildlife along Interstate 5 prior to Wildlife Crossing Construction
Dr. Karen Mager
magerk@sou.edu
This project will document wildlife along Interstate 5 in Southern Oregon in order to improve wildlife connectivity and coexistence. Using camera traps to capture images and videos of medium-large mammals, we will provide data to assess wildlife use of highway-adjacent habitats, advocate for construction of wildlife overpass on I-5, improve sustainability of this energy-intensive data analysis, and communicate through imagery with the public. The project involves collaboration with the Southern Oregon Wildlife Crossing Coalition (SOWCC) and the SOU Computer Science Department.
SPUR: Sustainable Partnerships for Undergraduate-based Research
Dr. Jamie Trammell
trammelle@sou.edu
This project introduces the Sustainable Partnerships for Undergraduate-based Research (SPUR) program, aimed at enhancing Southern Oregon University’s community research capacity through the Institute for Applied Sustainability (IAS). SPUR focuses on partnership building, network mapping, and collaborative case studies to foster sustainability-focused, community-supported research and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Klamath Restoration Research
Dr. Chhaya Werner
wernerc@sou.edu
This project focuses on the ecological restoration of the Klamath River following the removal of four dams. The research will investigate the dynamics of plant communities in the drained reservoirs, with a special emphasis on native-dominated plant communities. Additionally, Dr. Werner will organize a Klamath Restoration Research Conference at SOU to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing among stakeholders.
Centering the Work of Diverse Identities within Southern Oregon University and Ashland
Dr. Precious Yamaguchi
yamaguchp@sou.edu
This project aims to document and highlight the narratives of diverse individuals and families who have contributed to cultural and community sustainability within Southern Oregon University and the Ashland region. It involves conducting interviews and publishing these narratives to provide a comprehensive history of their impact.
Interested Applicants
Affiliate Faculty
Jessica Piekielek, Ph.D.
Chair, Professor, Sociology and Anthropology
Jessica Piekielek is a cultural anthropologist with research and teaching interests in conservation, environmentalism, sustainability, and border and migration studies. She has fieldwork experience in the US, Mexico, and Latin America. Jessica chairs the Sociology and Anthropology program. She received her PhD in anthropology at the University of Arizona.
Pavlina McGrady, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Tourism and Sustainability
Dr. Pavlina McGrady is an associate professor at the School of Business at Southern Oregon University, and the coordinator of the Sustainable Tourism Management degree. Pavlina’s current research focuses on sustainable tourism, exploring tourism businesses’, and local residents’ perceptions on tourism impacts, management, and policies, to identify strategies for sustainable destination management. Another area of Pavlina’s scholarly work examines barriers and predictors of corporate sustainability in the United States, as well as the role of leadership in the businesses’ journey towards sustainability. Pavlina founded the SOU Sustainability Curriculum Initiative (SOUSCI) and has been serving on the SOU Sustainability Council as well as the Travel Southern Oregon board.
Christopher Lucas, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Program Coordinator of Digital Cinema
Dr. Christopher Lucas is an assistant professor in the Communication, Media, and Cinema Program. He was a founding member of SOU’s Sustainable Curriculum Initiative. His research has focused on cultural policy and the relationship between digital technologies and society, especially in the media industries. As a documentary filmmaker he has produced and written for a number of award winning documentaries on the theme of sustainability and the environment, including work on fossil fuel infrastructure, environmental justice, and water quality. He’s a member of the International Documentary Association, and a past participant in the Climate Story Lab, an international convening on building new, more diverse cultural narratives about climate change and sustainability.
Past Student Fellows
Charlotte Hyde
Graduate Student, SOU Farm Education Coordinator
Charlotte Hyde is a Master’s Candidate in the M.S Environmental Education program and serves as Farm Education Coordinator Graduate Assistant at the SOU Farm. Charlotte is interested in integrating principles and practices of regenerative agriculture into environmental education curricula. Additionally, Charlotte is intrigued by the nexus of community and ecosystem ecology, particularly in the context of terrestrial nutrient cycling. While with the IAS, Charlotte conducted research on the development of best practices in the structure and implementation of student-led applied campus sustainability initiatives in higher education institutions. She received her B.A in Environmental Biology from Pomona College.
Contact the IAS Team
Vincent Smith: smithv3@sou.edu
Becs Walker: walkerr6@sou.edu
Kira Welch: welchk1@sou.edu
