Directory

Tania M. Schusler, PhD

About

Throughout her career, Schusler has worked at the interface of people and environment. She conceives of “environment” broadly to include natural and built environments and their biophysical and social dimensions. Habitat destruction and climate change are obvious environmental issues as are racism and poverty. She is especially interested in how community development can simultaneously foster personal well-being, economic vitality, and environmental protection.

Degrees

• PhD, Natural Resource Policy & Management, Cornell University, 2007
• MSc, Natural Resource Policy & Management, Cornell University, 2001
• BSc, Forestry, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 1993

Research Interests

Schusler's research focuses on community participation in environmental management. Her research presently investigates how environmental sustainability intersects with racial and economic justice within urban land use, air quality, food systems, and environmental education.

Courses Taught

• ENVS 283: Environmental Sustainability
• ENVS 284: Environmental Justice
• ENVS 288: Applied Interdisciplinary Data Analysis
• ENVS 350F: STEP Food
• ENVS 350A: STEP Water
• ENVS 350C: STEP Climate Action
• ENVS 383: Human Dimensions of Conservation
• ENVS 402: Sustainable Systems- Social Perspectives

Selected Publications

Schusler, T., Krings, A., & Hernández, M. 2019. Integrating youth participation and ecosocial work: New possibilities to advance environmental and social justice. Journal of Community Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2019.1657537

Naiman, S. M., Schusler, T. M. and Schuldt, J. P. 2018. Environmental engagement among Latinos: An exploratory study of environmentalists in the greater Chicago region. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 9: 109-121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-018-0511-8

Schusler, T., Weiss, L., Treering, D. and Balderama, E. 2018. Research note: Examining the association between parks and crime in Chicago. Landscape and Urban Planning. 170: 309-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.07.012

Schusler, T. Davis-Manigaulte, J. and Cutter-Mackenzie, A. 2017. Positive youth development. Ch. 17 in Krasny, M. E., and Kudryavtsev, A., eds. Urban Environmental Education Review. Cornell University Press. (Chapter available online at https://naaee.org/eepro/resources/urban-ee-essays)

Zanetell, B. A. & Schusler, T. M. (2022). Building STEM pathways for students of color to natural resources careers: the Northern New Mexico Climate Change Corps. J Environ Stud Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-021-00741-x

Melstrom, R., Mohammadi, R., Schusler, T. & Krings, A. (2021). Who benefits from brownfield cleanup and gentrification? Evidence from Chicago. Urban Affairs Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874211041537.

Schusler, T. M., Espedido, C. B., Rivera, B. K., Hernández, M., Howerton, A. M., Sepp, K., Engel, M. D., Marcos, J. & Chaudhary, V. B. (2021). Students of colour views on racial equity in environmental sustainability. Nature Sustainability, 4: 975-982. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00759-7

For a complete list of her publications, awards, and affiliations, please see Schusler_CV.