Faculty
Merry Lea has an outstanding staff that is qualified to teach and advise in the program. Their graduate degrees include conservation biology, biological science, outdoor resources management, educational leadership, forestry and entomology. The staff has many years of experience in delivering environmental education programs to all age levels. The staff has worked with a year-long internship program for six years, which was designed as a precursor to the master’s in environmental education.
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Dr. David Ostergren Director of the Graduate Program in Environmental Education Associate Professor in the Sustainability and Environmental Education Department (SEED) |
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Ph.D. Forest Resources Science; Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources, West Virginia University, 1997 Dr. Ostergren joined Merry Lea in 2008 and serves as administrator and teacher in the graduate program. His experience includes outdoor education/recreation since 1980 in Minnesota, West Virginia and Arizona. Dr. Ostergren’s research includes U.S. Wilderness policy and Russian national park and nature reserve management. For questions and interest in the graduate program he can be contacted by email at daveo@goshen.edu. |
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Dr. Luke Gascho Executive Director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center Professor in the Sustainability and Environmental Education Department (SEED) |
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B.S. in Biology and Education, Eastern Mennonite University, 1974 Luke Gascho has served as executive director of Merry Lea since 1997. He has 20 years of experience as a school administrator. Strategic planning and implementation are areas of expertise and focus in his leadership at Merry Lea. Additionally, he has served as the chair of strategic planning for the past 6 years at Goshen College. As a result of the work in completing the first phase of Rieth Village, Luke has become a regular presenter on green architecture and sustainable design. His interests include nature photography, gardening, woodworking, and reading in various themes related to earth stewardship. Email: lukeag@goshen.edu. |
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William Minter Director of Land Management at Merry Lea Assistant Professor in the Sustainability and Environmental Education Department (SEED) |
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Management, Colorado State University, 1980 Bill Minter, a certified professional forester, has served at Merry Lea since 1991 as Director of Land Management. As an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science within Goshen College's Biology Deptartment, he teaches Forest Resources and Land Management in support of its Environmental Science Major. Email: billfm@goshen.edu. |
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Dr. Jonathon Schramm Assistant Professor in the Sustainability and Environmental Education Department (SEED) |
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Ph.D. Ecology and Evolution, 2008 — Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Jonathon has been interested in environmental education for many years, since early nature camp counseling experiences let him feel the joy of helping others fall in love with the world out-of-doors. His undergraduate and graduate degrees in biology and ecology have given him a firm grounding in the principles and processes underlying the natural world, while his experiences as an educator and postdoctoral fellow provide a foundation for expertise in educational design. In the graduate program he teaches the Principles of Environmental Education course, and works closely with students on designing their curricula and other teaching materials. E-mail: jschramm at goshen.edu Visit his webpage. |
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Paul Steury Assistant Professor in the Sustainability and Environmental Education Department (SEED) Education Coordinator for K-12 programs |
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B.A. in Sociology, Goshen College, 1988 Paul, who loves world-wide adventure, returned home to northern Indiana in 1999 to join the Merry Lea staff. He teaches pedagogy and environmental issues in Merry Lea's graduate program and oversees the K-12 program. His interests include wild edible plants, citizenry, the definition of environmental education, current environmental issues, politics, and ethics, and how people learn. Email: paulds@goshen.edu |
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Dr. Laura Meitzner Yoder Director of Sustainability Semester in Residence Associate Professor in the Sustainability and Environmental Education Department (SEED) |
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B.A., Natural Science/Biology, Messiah College, 1992 Laura joined Merry Lea's staff in 2011 following an extended period in southeast Asia. At her most recent position with the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute in Chiang Mai, Thailand, she taught field-based environmental education courses to undergrads and supervised research internships. At Merry Lea, Laura teaches in the master's program in environmental education as well as conducts research. She is also the director of the Sustainability Semester in Residence. Email: LSMYoder@goshen.edu |
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Dr. Lisa Zinn Assistant Professor in the Sustainability and Environmental Education Department (SEED) |
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B.A. in Biology, Houghton College, 1992 Lisa Zinn has worked as an Environmental Science Educator at Merry Lea since 2003 She teaches Natural History of Northern Indiana in the graduate program along with undergraduate classes in Ornithology and Landscape Limnology. One of her major interests is in the field of ornithology. She runs two MAPS bird banding stations at Merry Lea as part of a national bird population study. Other research interests include wetland monitoring with citizen science and the use of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. She also supervises graduate student projects and undergraduate student researchers. Email: lisarz@goshen.edu.
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