A word from Dr. Meghann Jarchow
I understand sustainability as asking the questions “What kind of world do we want? and “How can we effect change to create that world?” I appreciate thinking about sustainability as a framework through which to make the world a better place because it is empowering and hopeful. My specific focus within the field of sustainability is on creating more multifunctional landscapes within the former tallgrass prairie region and in sustainability education. The former tallgrass prairie region has been almost completely converted to monocultures of annual, row crops, and this has had negative consequences on the ecosystem and on our communities. My research takes an interdisciplinary approach to evaluating opportunities to enhancing the multifunctionality of this region. My focus on sustainability education–in my teaching, service, and research–stems from USD offering the only comprehensive (minor, major, MS, and PhD degrees) program in sustainability in the region, and I would like to help us continue to be leaders in the field of sustainability education.