Fellows constitute the core of the intellectual community that is the Center. They publish research and book reviews in the Center’s journals, give talks as Olson lecturers, speak at the annual Great Plains conference, and advise the Great Plains Art Museum. They sit on the Board of Governors and choose the Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book Prize winner. Their work helps the Center meet its mission of increasing understanding of and appreciation for the people, cultures, and natural environment of the Great Plains.
About the Fellows
Fellows of the Center include scholars presently holding regular appointments at the University of Nebraska who are concerned with the past, present, and future of the Great Plains. Affiliate Fellows consist of outside-NU scholars and community members. Together, they create a community of Great Plains scholars who work with the Center in many ways, including governance, projects, and support. The Center supports Fellows and Affiliate Fellows by increasing the visibility of their scholarship and creating opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. Our most involved Fellows help shape the Center and our projects. Fellows are nominated each October.
New Fellows in 2024
Approved Nov. 2024
Mike Boehm, Harlan Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL and Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska
Specialties: Plant pathology, integrated disease management, microbial ecology, phytobiome of cultivated and natural grasses, biodefense, food security, and environmental sustainability
S. Carolina (Caro) Córdova, Assistant Professor and Statewide Soil Health Specialist, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, UNL
Specialties: Soil health, sustainable intensification of agriculture, soil carbon sequestration, carbon farming, resilient agroecosystems, soil-plant-atmosphere interactions, low-input and high-diversity systems, perennial crops, rural and urban farming
Tonya Haigh, Research Assistant Professor and NDMC Social Science Coordinator, UNL
Specialties: Climate adaptation and adaptive capacity
Darby Kurtz, Assistant Professor, Archivist and Public Historian, UNMC
Specialties: Artifact care and conservation, disaster preparedness for humanities institutions, medical humanities
Jamie Lopez, Assistant Professor of Community and Regional Planning, UNL
Specialties: Environmental justice, community engagement in urban and rural planning, environmental health impacts of industrial pollution, climate change adaptation in vulnerable communities
Nic McMillan, Assistant Professor, Agronomy & Horticulture, UNL
Specialties: Interactions between large herbivores and landscape disturbances, landscape heterogeneity, the role of large herbivores in shaping grassland dynamics, grasslands
Brooke McWherter, Research Assistant Professor, Agronomy & Horticulture, UNL
Specialties: Human dimensions of agriculture, water and wildlife, decision-making and engagement with rural community members and supporting organizations
Carrie Meyer, Assistant Professor, Head of Special Collections and Archives, UNMC
Specialties: Museum exhibitions and curation, health humanities, Nebraska's healthcare history
Asa Stone, Research Assistant Professor, Agricultural Economics, Editor of Great Plains Research, UNL
Specialties: Regional climate resilience, community wellbeing, research ethics
Xianhgmin Sun, Research Assistant Professor, Micrometeorologist, UNL
Specialties: Greenhouse gases from agricultural ecosystems (corn and soybean) and pasture sites in the Great Plains
Erin Sweeney, Associate Professor, Health and Physical Education, Graduate Program Chair, UNK
Specialties: Health pedagogy, adolescent health, substance use, and sexual health
Ran Wang, Assistant Professor, Environmental Spatial Scientist, UNL
Specialties: Biodiversity, productivity, ecosystem function, energy balance, climate feedback, remote sensing
Affiliate Fellows
Mary Bordeaux (Sicangu Oglala Lakota), Assistant Professor, American Indian Studies, Black Hills State University
Specialties: Lakota epistemology, Lakota arts, especially women's creativity, and Community focused practices in Native arts, the museum field, and curatorial practices
Cassandra Dean, Executive Director, Gage County Historical Society
Specialties: Gage County, Neb., and its effects on the outside world including subjects such as Indigenous history, Oregon Train history, pioneer history, railroad history, and rural agricultural history
Tarah Hogue (Métis), Adjunct Curator of Indigenous Art, Remai Modern, Canada
Specialties: Indigenous contemporary art, curatorial methodologies, and self-determination in the context of public art museums
Sarah Kaizar, Illustrator, Designer, and Author
Specialties: Wildlife conservation
Carlton Shield Chief Gover (Pawnee Nation) Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Assistant Curator of Archaeology, University of Kansas
Specialties: Indigenous archaeology, decolonial anthropology, community-based research, ethnogenesis, identity, migration, plains town formation, introduction of horses
Steve Rossi, Assistant Professor, Sculpture Program Head, Saint Joseph's University
Specialties: Interdisciplinary visual artist focusing on groundwater extraction