| Description | Dr. Melanie Malone is an interdisciplinary scientist whose education began with physical and metaphorical roots in soils and geology. Her research interests involve explaining how environmental issues arise from the combination of biophysical, institutional, political, and cultural dynamics. Dr. Malone was a NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Fellow and earned her Ph.D. in Earth, Environment, and Society at Portland State University. She is currently an Assistant Professor at The Oregon Extension, an interdisciplinary study abroad program, and an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Critical and Physical Earth Sciences at the Eastern Mennonite University. Dr. Malone’s most recent research focuses on how agricultural conservation management techniques affect sediment runoff, herbicide use, and cultural farming practices in Oregon using geospatial technologies, field sampling techniques, and surveys within the context of a critical physical geographical framework. Her work has implications for watershed management, as well as environmental justice. Prior to receiving her Ph.D., she worked as a Geologist at an environmental consulting firm where she sampled environmental contaminants and did extensive work on the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, where she conducted investigative work to determine the sources of contamination and their flows. She uses interdisciplinary approaches in her teaching in environmental studies and sciences, engaging students in field-based research and practice. |
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