Aquatic Resources and Human Dimensions

The translation of scientific principles to policy—and furthering our understanding of humankind’s role in the Great Lakes ecosystem—is of utmost importance to researchers at the Great Lakes Research Center.

The Center houses a diverse set of social scientists, ranging in expertise from environmental history to sociology to economics to anthropology. Together with the talents of biophysical and biological researchers at the Center, we aim to understand the inherently complex issues surrounding the largest freshwater system on Earth.

We also focus tremendous efforts on community outreach and education programs, helping to educate the next generation of policy-makers and the general public about the wonders of the Great Lakes.

Given the multi-disciplinary nature of the Center, our team focuses on a wide set of topics. From analysis of multi-jurisdictional governance mechanisms to the evolution of shipping and port infrastructure to the role of information in water resource decision-making, our opportunities for research are endless.

William S. Breffle

• Associate Professor of Economics, School of Business and Economics

• 906-487-1959
• wsbreffl@mtu.edu
• Academic Office Building G019

Teaching Interests

• Environmental economics
• Natural resource economics
• International economics
• Mathematical economics
• Principles of economics

Research Interests

• Non-market valuation
• Discrete choice modeling
• Benefit-cost analysis
• Restoration program planning
• Health economics

"Good things come in small packages—you can get a GREAT liberal arts education from us. Our graduates get jobs and enroll in fine graduate programs at universities like Yale, Michigan, and Johns Hopkins."
—Mary Durfee

Mary H. Durfee

• Professor Emerita

• 906-487-2112
• mhdurfee@mtu.edu
• Academic Office Building 216

Links of Interest

• Blog on Malta
• “Water and Cooperation” at E-International Relations.

Areas of Expertise

• Great Lakes of North America
• International Law
• Malta
• Scholarship of Pedagogy
• Arctic Affairs

Hugh S. Gorman

• Department Chair, Social Sciences
• Professor of Environmental History and Policy, Social Sciences

• 906-487-2116
• hsgorman@mtu.edu
• Academic Office Building 215

Fields

• Environmental Policy and History
• History of Technology
• History of Science
• Economic History

Research Interests

• The historical interaction between technological change, uses of the environment, and systems of governance
• Adaptive governance
• Sustainable energy and environmental policy

Nancy Langston

• Professor of Environmental History, Social Sciences
• Member of the Great Lakes Research Center
• Affiliated Professor, SFRES

• nelangs3@mtu.edu
• Academic Office Building 220

Links of Interest

• My Homepage
• Sustaining Lake Superior
• American Society for Environmental History
• Great Lakes Research Center

Areas of Interest

• Toxics, forested watersheds, and northern lakes
• Environmental history
• Watershed change and water quality
• Mining history

Carol A. MacLennan

• Professor of Anthropology, Social Sciences

• camac@mtu.edu

Links of Interest

• Industrial Archaeology
• Environmental and Energy Policy

Research Interests

• Environmental anthropology/political ecology
• Anthropology of industry (mining, sugar)
• Hawai`i and the Pacific
• Anthropology of public policy

Patrick E. Martin

• Research Professor of Archaeology

• 906-487-2070
• pemartin@mtu.edu
• Annex 205

Links of Interest

• The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage
• The Society for Industrial Archeology
• West Point Foundry Archaeology Project

Areas of Expertise

• Industrial archaeology
• Industrial heritage
• Historical archaeology

• Twitter>

Audrey L. Mayer

• Professor of Ecology and Environmental Policy, SFRES

• 906-487-3448
• almayer@mtu.edu
• Noblet Building 145A

Links of Interest

• Private Land Management and Voluntary Incentive Programs project
• Sustainable Futures Institute
• Follow me on Twitter! @AudreyLMayer

Areas of Expertise

• Landscape ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Environmental and Natural Resources Policy
• Sustainability science

Mark D. Rouleau

• Associate Professor, Social Sciences

• 906-487-2039
• mdroulea@mtu.edu
• Academic Office Building 205

Research Interests

• Social simulation
• Agent-based modeling
• Land-use modeling
• Norm evolution
• Survey design
• International relations

"Academics are the only people I can think of for whom this sentence makes sense: 'I'm hoping to get some time off so that I can get some work done.'"
—Sidney Verba

• Twitter>

Adam M. Wellstead

• Associate Professor of Public Policy, Social Sciences

• 906-487-2115
• awellste@mtu.edu
• Academic Office Building 203

Links of Interest

• Environmental and Energy Policy Graduate Program
• International Political Science Association
• RC30 - Comparative Public Policy
• Policy Design Lab
• INOGOV (Innovations in Climate Change Governance)

Areas of Expertise

• Policy advisory systems
• Governance and political mechanisms
• Survey research
• Policy process frameworks

Areas of Interest

• Canadian Energy and Environmental Issues
• Climate Change Adaptation
• Oil Sands Development
• Forest Policy
• Canadian Studies
• Policy Innovation Labs
• Policy Design

Richelle L. Winkler

• Associate Professor of Sociology and Demography, Social Sciences

• 906-487-1886
• rwinkler@mtu.edu
• Academic Office Building 217

Links of Interest

• Net Migration Patterns for US Counties
• Environmental and Energy Policy Graduate Program
• Main Street Calumet
• Rural Sociological Society
• International Association for Society and Natural Resources

Areas of Expertise

• Rural Sociology
• Population and Environment
• Environmental Sociology
• Community Engaged Scholarship
• Internal Migration
• GIS and spatial analysis