Research interests most recently have focused on Suburban Ecosystem management: How People Perceive and Value the Urban Forest,introducing technology into the classroom and universal design. More specific topic areas include geographic information systems, Americans With Disabilities Act, land use planning and public participation in the design process.

Beth Diamond is a landscape theorist, designer and cultural instigator who believes in landscape architecture as an art form and a visionary medium for social change and evolution. Her interests stem from a fascination with the qualities and expressions of the built world as a mirror of human civilization and her work in landscape architecture focuses on strategies to transform societies in sustainable and culturally affirming ways.

Scholarly interests include landscape architecture, landscape planning, landscape ecology, spatial modeling and analysis, and applications of information technology to planning and design. A recent project includes the development of a Land Use Change Early Warning System for the National Park Service. Dr. Ellis has also been involved in designing an environmentally sustainable educational facility for Texas A&M University next to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica.

Bob Grese serves as Director of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum.

Interests are in landscape design and management that respects the cultural and natural heritage of a region. Research work has included four themes: restoration and management of cultural and natural landscapes; landscape history; landscape design for children's play and exploration; and urban ecological design. Ecological restoration work has focused on prairie and oak savanna ecosystems and the re-introduction of fire as well as the social aspects of restoration, primarily developing a better understanding of volunteer stewardship programs and networks. Historical investigations have centered primarily on the work of designers such as Jens Jensen and Ossian Cole Simonds who chose to use native vegetation for much of their design work. Interests in children's play is especially focused on the role of plants and playground wilds in promoting imaginative play. Finally, urban design interests center on exploring ways to enhance ecological integrity and promote environmental literacy through intelligent design and community involvement.

MaryCarol Hunter joined the Landscape Architecture faculty of SNRE in January 2006. Her specialty, ecological design, is premised in the integration of art and science, aiming to create a built environment that is ecologically functional, contextually meaningful and personally engaging. She is a licensed professional landscape architect who spent four years in private practice. Her career in landscape architecture was preceded by 15 years as an ecologist. She currently teaches site engineering, ecological planting design studio and sustainable site design seminar.

Some environments bring out the best in people; many do not. That constitutes a puzzle that takes many directions, including: (1) the importance of the natural environment; (2) ways to make environments both understandable and interesting; (3) approaches to meaningful participation in environmental decision-making; (4) exploration of ways to conceptualize and assess effectiveness and well-being.

Rachel Kaplan is the Samuel Trask Dana Professor of Environment and Behavior.

Joan Iverson Nassauer is Professor of Landscape Architecture in the School of Natural Resources and Environment. She has been named a Fellow by the American Society of Landscape Architects (1992) , and a Distinguished Practitioner of Landscape Ecology (1998) by the International Association of Landscape Ecology – US. Teaching focuses on landscape ecology and landscape perception, with applications in design and planning of agricultural and urban watersheds. Current research includes retrofitting cities - particularly brownfields - for ecological function and water quality, perception of ecologically innovative exurban development patterns, using alternative policy scenarios and futures to monitor landscape change.

John Witter is the George Willis Pack Professor of Forest Entomology. He focuses on the effects of invasive insects and diseases on individual trees, ecosystems, and landscapes in the Great Lakes Region. He examines interactions of various disturbances, such as insects, drought, frost, pollution, and human actions, and their impacts on health and changes in forests.

My courses are largely case-based and discussion-oriented. They examine different dimensions of environmental decision-making in organizations, agencies and society in the face of conflict. Specific course topics include: Environmental Dispute Resolution; Collaborative Ecosystem Management; Negotiation and Mediation; and Environmental Organizations.

Steven Yaffee is the Theodore Roosevelt Professor of Ecosystem Management. Research involves natural resource and environmental policy, planning and management; processes of policy formation and implementation; and organizational arrangements for managing natural resources. Of particular interest is policy involving endangered species, public lands, ecosystem management, and nonprofit environmental organizations. Also interested in innovative ways to make collective choices including alternative dispute resolution, collaborative problem-solving, and negotiation processes.