With regard to sustainability research, scholarship, and creative endeavors, Mr. Delp's role is primarily focused on administrative support and service, most notably focused on the renewable and alternative energy sector.   A sampling of activities include:   serving as the PI on the Virginia Clean Cities entity agreement with JMU; serving on the Virginia Clean Cities Board of Directors; engaging in clean energy policy advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels; serving as a point of contact for external entities seeking to partner with JMU faculty with expertise in sustainability fields; and publicizing renewable and alternative energy research, scholarship, creative endeavors, and other activities (e.g., events) to audiences both internal and external to JMU.

The rapid increase of modern wireless technology opens the door for several new applications using the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, and applying the technology to mass transit is Dr. El-Tawab's research focus. In an educational environment, students depend on the transit bus system for their daily routine and there is a high demand of people to be served by buses around university campuses in the United States of America. Often times, the members of university communities find themselves waiting for a significant amount of time for a bus to arrive at the bus station. Universities have numerous bus stops as well as routes on which riders can use for travel. Several of these bus stops are covered by Wi-Fi capabilities, and usually students are checking their smart phones while waiting for bus arrival. In order to monitor the quality of transit buses and passengers’ services, Dr. El-Tawab's team designs, develops, and demonstrates a low cost IoT system that detects the majority of the riders on the bus system at each station. In the project, the IoT devices collect, analyze and archive transit and passenger data (e.g., waiting times) to Cloud Storage from each bus station. The goal is to improve the passenger’s experience by refining the current infrastructure in place, focusing on better planning and increasing bus ridership through better scheduling. By collecting such data (e.g., waiting times), the performance of the bus system can be further analyzed and suggest changes to a route in order to achieve a more efficient and sustainable urban transportation system.

1. Salman A., El-Tawab S., & Yorio Z. (2020) Expanding Coverage of an Intelligent Transit Bus Monitoring System via ZigBee Radio Network. In: Arai K. & Bhatia R. (Eds.) Advances in Information and Communication. FICC 2019. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 69. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12388-8_15                                                      

2. El-Tawab, S., Yorio, Z., Salman, A., Oram, R., & Park, B.B., (2019). Origin-Destination Tracking Analysis of an Intelligent Transit Bus System using Internet of Things, 2019 IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications Workshops (PerCom Workshops), (pp. 139-144). Kyoto, Japan. doi: 10.1109/PERCOMW.2019.8730746 

3. Yorio, Z., Oram, R., El-Tawab, S., Salman, A., Hossain Heydari, M., & Park, B.B., (2018, April). Data analysis and information security of an Internet of Things (IoT) intelligent transit system. Paper presented at Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium (SIEDS), (pp. 24-29). Charlottesville, VA

4. Whittier, J., Choi, S., Park, B.B., & El-Tawab, S., (2017, Oct-Nov). Exploring the feasibility of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies for measuring transit passengers wait-times and origin-destination travel times. Paper presented at ITS World Congress 2017. Montreal, Canada

5. Evers, K., Oram, R., El-Tawab, S., Hossain Heydari, M., & Park, B.B., (2017, April). Security measurement on a cloud-based cyber-physical system used for Intelligent Transportation. Paper presented at Vehicular Electronics and Safety (ICVES), 2017 IEEE International Conference. (pp. 97-102). Charlottesville, VA

6. El-Tawab, S., Oram, R., Garcia, M., Johns, C., & Park, B.B. (2017, April). Data analysis of transit systems using low-cost IoT technology. 2017 IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications Workshops (PerCom Workshops), (pp. 497-502). Charlottesville, VA

Dr. Estes is involved in numerous sustainability projects that are likely to result in research. In general, she designs, develop, consult on, and support the communications and collaborations of international, sustainability expert teams. Further, she am a member of multiple teams that co-author, deliver online conferences, and co-teach in the area of education for sustainable development (ESD). She serves on the International Beliefs and Values Institute Board (see http://www.ibavi.org/), and on the leadership team for the Summit Series: Cultivating the Globally Sustainable Self initiative.

1. Estes, M., Johnsson, M., Olsson, M., Staaf, P., Vitsilaki, X., Castillo, M., & Porcaro, D. (accepted, 2019). Encountering values and technologies of change: The practice of virtual self-transformation. In Ed. C. Shealy, Exploring self: Examining the “How” and “Why” of self transformation through theory, research, and practice (pp. x-x). Oxford University Press.

2. Shudel, I., Urenji, S., Estes, M., Nolet, V., Baumann, S., & Petersen, A. (accepted, 2019). ESD Innovate. In Ed. C. Shealy, Exploring self: Examining the “How” and “Why” of self transformation through theory, research, and practice (pp. x-x). Oxford University Press.

Dr. Flannery is working with an NGO, Vijana Africa, on a sustainability project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is a Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland) Longroom Hub Fellow on ecotheology, and will work in residence there when covid-19 permits.   In 2019 she attended the International Society for the Study of Nature and Culture Conference in Cork, Ireland. In 2019 she also presented two research papers related to sustainability.

1. Flannery, F. (2019, November). Eschatological Responses to Apocalyptic Ecocide in World Religions and Policy, Presented at Apocalypse Now Colloquium, Society of Biblical Literature National Meeting, San Diego, CA                                                                  

2. Flannery, F. (2019, June). A Covenantal Understanding of Human Impact on the Weather and Animals, Presented at Religion/Water/Climate: Changing Cultures and Landscapes Conference, International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

Dr. Herrington is an agricultural and environmental historian whose work includes studies of how nineteenth-century Americans conceived of agricultural landscapes (both farms and plantations) and sought to defend or change traditional land-use and labor practices.

Dr. Martinez Gonzales studies persuasion in the context of strategic environmental and health communication. A current list of her publications can be found here:  https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=IaMqnx8AAAAJ&hl=en#

1. Gonzales Martinez, A., Reynolds-Tylus, T., & Quick, B.L., (2020). Clustering energy and water conservations behaviors as choices: Examining the moderating roles of message elaboration and involvement. Applied Environmental Education & Communication (pp.1-16). https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2020.1740116

2. Reynolds-Tylus, T., Martinez Gonzalez, A., & Quick, B. L. (2018). The role of choice clustering and descriptive norms in attenuating psychological reactance to water and energy conservation messages. Environmental Communication, 13(7), 847–863. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2018.1461672

Dr. Naletelich’s research explores how anthropomorphic messengers can effectively be used in marketing communications to encourage sustainable behavior.

Alex C. Parrish is Associate Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication at James Madison University (Virginia, U.S.A.). His research interests include the rhetoric of science, environmental communication, animal studies, nature writing, and the history of rhetoric. Parrish is the author Adaptive Rhetoric: Evolution, Culture, and the Art of Persuasion, and co-editor, with Kristian Bjørkdahl, of Rhetorical Animals: Boundaries of the Human in the Study of Persuasion. He has published articles in a variety of journals, including Rhetoric Society Quarterly, Literature Compass, Rhetoric Review, POROI, and The Evolutionary Review. He is currently finishing a monograph, on the subjects of animals, persuasion, and the senses, which is under contract with the University of Chicago Press for publication in their “Animal Lives” series.

1. Parrish, A. (under contract). A Hoot in the Light: Illuminating the Sensory Modes of Animal Rhetorics. University of Chicago Press.

2. Parrish, A., (2019). Banal Classicism and Borrowed Ethos in the Rhetorics of Human and Nonhuman Animals, in D. Vanderbeke & B. Cook (Eds.), Evolution and Popular Narrative, Brill.                                                                                        

3. Parrish, A. (2018). Rhetoric and the animal turn: Addressing the challenges of a cross-species art of persuasion. In J. Rice, C. Graham, & E. Detweiler (Eds.), eBook: Rhetorics Change / Rhetoric’s Change. Parlor Press and Intermezzo. http://parlorpress.com/sites/default/files/RhetoricsChange.epub

4. Parrish, A. & Bjørkdahl, K. (Eds.). (2017). Rhetorical Animals: Boundaries of the Human in the Study of Persuasion. Lexington Press.

5. Parrish, A., (2017). ‘Don’t Try to Kid Me, Mancub’: Re-Animaling Rhetoric in Theory and Practice.” Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 47(3), 215-221.

Dr. Sturm is primarily interested in nature-connectedness and the role that nature plays in mental health, well-being and healthy development. She is also interested in the psychology of sustainability, particularly in an effort to understand what motivates people to make sustainable choices and how to influence people to make lasting change. She has an interest in climate change as a human rights issue, particularly as it pertains to the right to health, mental health, and well-being. Finally, she has an interest in the role that environmental advocacy and environmental justice have in supporting the health and well-being of our communities. 

1. Sturm, D. (in press). Spotlight: Climate change and mental health. In R. Simmons, S. Lilley, & A.K. Kuhnley, (Eds). Introduction to Counseling: Integration of Faith, Professional Identity, and Clinical Practice. Kendall Hunt publishers.                                                  

2. Sturm, D. Nance, J. & Metz, A. (forthcoming 2020). Environmental Justice as Social Justice: An Invitation to Counselors. Manuscript accepted for publication to the Virginia Counselors Journal.

3. Sturm, D., Metz, A., & Daniels, J. (2020). Climate Crises: Helping Families Mitigate, Adapt, and Transition during Disruption. In Capuzzi, D. & Stauffer, M., Eds. (2020) Foundations of couples, marriage, & family counseling, Second edition. Wiley & Sons, Inc.

4. Sturm, D. (2020). Environmental inquality and injustice. In S.B. Derner (Ed.) The SAGE encyclopedia of multicultural counseling, social justice, and advocacy. SAGE Publications.

5. Sturm, D., Daniels, J., Metz, A., Stauffer, M., & Reese, R. (2020). Fact sheet on climate change and mental health. American Counseling Association: Alexandria, VA.                    

6. Sturm, D. (2019). Environmental Justice as Social Justice: An Invitation. Presented at the   Association for Humanistic Counseling Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

7. Sturm, D. (2019). Climate Change, Human Rights, and the Role of Counselors. Presented at the Association for Humanistic Counseling Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

8. Hartman, C., Sturm, D., Alexander, R., & Jacovodis, J. (2019, March). Divergent Conceptualizations of Sustainability- Considerations for Instrument Design.   Presented at the Symposium on Sustainability Q135 in Higher Education. Edinburgh, Scotland.

9. Sturm, D. (2019, March). Evoking the transformative power of nature play: Lessons learned from Eden. Association for the Study of Play and International Play Association joint conference. Harrisonburg, VA.

10. Sturm, D. (2019). A Breath of Fresh Air: The Ecological Self and Environmental Justice. In D. Gunther & A. Palacios (Eds.), The Theory of Change: A Counselor’s Podcast. Auburn University. http://traffic.libsyn.com/theoryofchange/Dr._Sturm_final_cut_-_22019_6.59_PM.mp3

11. Sturm, D. (2017, October). Campus and Community Partnership: The Results of a Feasibility Study on a Nature Prescription Network. Presented at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Conference. San Antonio, TX.  

12. Sturm, D. (2017, October). The Psychology of Sustainability and Social Movement: Student Ecological Citizenship Through a Study Abroad to Malta. Presented at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Conference. San Antonio, TX.

13. Alexander, R., Hartman-Black, C, & Sturm, D. (2017, October). Development of a Sustainability Culture Assessment as a Planning Tool. Presented at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Conference. San Antonio, TX.

14. Sturm, D. & Pellegrino, H. (2017, April). Park Prescription Programs: Building a Network of Resiliency. Presented as part of a panel titled: Land Conservation Challenges in an Urbanized World. 28th Annual Environment Virginia Symposium, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA.          

15 . Sturm, D., & Echterling, L. (2017). Preparing for the mental health impact of climate change. Counseling Today. https://ct.counseling.org/2017/05/preparing-mental-health-impact-climate-change/

Much of Dr. Teel's research is involved with students on the ISAT Hillside, some with student in the ISAT 320, and some with capstones. The goal is to observe any changes in soil variables and biodiversity through time in the area planted to meadow.  He and his students are recording information on a yearly basis and students are doing capstone research to complement the ISAT 320 work.  Biochar has been added to the mix and are they are researching the effects of that as well. All of Dr. Teel's work for the ISAT 429 course called 'Sustainability: An Ecological Perspective' revolves around this theme.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
In 2019 funding was obtained through the Madison Trust to design, construct and plant a garden at the bottom of the ISAT Hillside area.   Construction is underway, but presently slowed by the Covid-19 pandemic.   Some perennials and three raised beds have been planted so far, and further activities will resume in the next academic year.   Dr. Teel and his team have also been approved to expand the meadow, replacing losses due to the expansion of solar panels, and to plant a food forest between the present meadow area and   the lower retention pond.   Dr. Mikaela Schmidt-Harsh is the lead on this activity and many others are participating.

Summer 2020 should see the publication of his book Regenerating the Ecology of Place by Cognella Press; and is the intended text for his ISAT/GEOG 429 course.

Mr. Whitescarver is a watershed restoration consultant and award-winning writer with over forty years of field experience in natural resources management. His work focuses on soil health, the installation and maintenance of riparian forest buffers, and livestock exclusion from streams. His recent book, Swoope Almanac, Stories of Love, Land, and Water in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, won first place, outstanding book from the Virginia Outdoor Writers Association for 2019. His award-winning blog can be found at: www.gettingmoreontheground.com