Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Student members
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Curriculum Vitae
Academic Affiliations
Assistant Professor in the Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism and Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies
Research and Professional Interests
Dr. Browning is interested in people’s connections and interactions with the natural world. His research focuses broadly on ways to evaluate and ultimately enhance the frequency, richness, and meaningfulness of these connections and interactions. His ultimate goal is to better understand in what ways nature might promote human health and well-being. He’s particularly interested in utilizing new and emerging technologies in his research, such as immersive experiences in virtual reality and psychological, physiological, and sociological data collection with mobile devices. Many of Dr. Browning’s interests span social and natural sciences, and he attempts to overlay psychological or sociological frameworks on environmental management issues. Much of this work is conducted within nature-based recreation and environmental education contexts.
Research and Professional Interests
Wonjun Choi is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism at the University of Illinois. His research interest is to examine the efficacy of sport in human and community development (e.g., physical health, socialization, and a sense of community), and green space such as parks is the important research context for him as it can be an effective outlet for sport participation. Wonjun Choi is currently working as a research assistant for various research projects of Dr. Matthew Browning that examine the efficacy of nature in human wellbeing (e.g., health and stress reduction). Prior to the Illinois, Wonjun Choi received a Master’s degree in Sport Management at the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Community Health and Physical Education at Korea National Sport University.
Research and Professional Interests
Nicole Evans is a doctoral student in the Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism at the University of Illinois. She works under the direction of Dr. William Stewart and is engaged in a research project which studies building rural community resilience in the context of protected grasslands. Nicole also works with the Landscape Conservation Cooperative, applying her human dimensions background to the conservation of North American forests across geo-political boundaries in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes. Nicole has a master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Sociology from North Central College. In her master’s program, she focused on human dimensions and completed a thesis which looked at the plurality of meanings staff and volunteers in an urban forest preserve district held for naturalness, along with knowledge production and decision-making in ecological restoration. Nicole has spent time working in environmental education, natural resource management, and archaeology and brings her field experience with her as she seeks to produce research which links natural and cultural systems and has practical applications for land management agencies and constituencies.
Research and Professional Interests
Mitchell Fransen is a junior in the Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism, primarily focusing on recreation, and what it brings to individuals in outdoor environments. He is under the direction of Dr. Browning, and is interested in the realm of technology in nature, and what virtual reality may bring to those unable to have proper greenspace exposure on a daily basis. Having a background in backpacking, photography and cinematography, he aims to learn much about the virtual and natural realm of nature's effects on stress and cognition in the Virtual Reality and Nature Lab.
Research and Professional Interests
Elizabeth Golebie is a PhD student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, advised by Dr. van Riper. She is interested in applying social science methods to inform management of natural resources, in particular, aquatic ecosystems. Her interest in social-ecological systems stems from her undergraduate research that modeled the impact of shoreline development on recreational fisheries. In her master’s work with the Illinois Natural History Survey, she focused on the human dimensions of the Lake Michigan fishery, examining angler satisfaction, fishery perceptions, and expenditures. She began working with the van Riper research group in Fall 2017 on a study investigating angler behavior and aquatic invasive species, from which she is hoping to develop her dissertation research.
Research and Professional Interests
Kangjae Lee is a Ph.D. student in Informatics. My previous research was focused on ontology models and location-based service (LBS) in 3D indoor spaces. My current research interest is the impact of environmental factors and their associations with physical activity in the context of spatial and temporal dimensions. For my research, I investigate the dynamic assocations of environmental factors with human mobility using GIS technique. I worked in Urban Informatics for Sustainability and Resilience Center at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2014 to 2016 as a research assistant. Currently, I am working with Dr.Matt Browning for the project on the association between academic achievement and green cover.
Research and Professional Interests
Katherine Mimnaugh is a graduate student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. Her research is investigating the use of natural and restorative environments in virtual reality for therapeutic applications. She received her B.S. in Psychology and Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2008 and subsequently worked as a lab manager in cognitive neuroscience laboratories with the Beckman Institute for nine years. In that role, she conducted research with adults of all ages using electroencephalography to study language comprehension, memory, and psychopathology. Her research interests include natural restorative environments, virtual reality, health care technology, cognitive psychology and neurophysiology.
Research and Professional Interests
Abigail Minor is a second year Master’s candidate in Recreation and Park Management. With a background in education, her current professional interests lie in environmental education and nature play for children. Abigail currently serves as a co-teacher at University Primary School, the College of Education’s laboratory school. The curriculum emphasizes experiential exploration for child-led learning. In 2014, Abigail designed an after school recreation program for University Primary. Previously, she served as an environmental educator at the Don Lee Center in North Carolina and as an international trip leader in Spain and Peru. Her current research focuses on the extent to which environmental education teaches sustainable behaviors. Her long-term goals are to facilitate relationships among parks and schools in order to bolster environmental education opportunities.
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Curriculum Vitae
Research and Professional Interests
Dr. Rigolon is interested in environmental justice issues related to urban green spaces. Given limited funds and increasing health problems, how can public agencies help increase access to health-promoting facilities like parks and trails in underserved neighborhoods? And how can they address potential gentrification processes related to the implementation of these new facilities? Much of Dr. Rigolon’s studies to date have exposed inequitable access to parks for different socioeconomic and ethnic groups. But his work also goes to the root of the problem by analyzing how land use planning processes, housing policy, and park funding measures determine how and for whom parks are established, maintained, and improved. More recently, he has studied gentrification and displacement processes linked to the implementation of new green infrastructure such as parks and greenways. Overall, Dr. Rigolon’s research sheds light on the connections between park equity and neighborhood change.
Please see his curriculum vitae for information about publications, awards, and professional experiences.
Research and Professional Interests
Nate began his doctoral studies under the advisement of Dr. van Riper in the fall of 2017. He received his B.S. in Parks and Conservation Area Management from Kansas State University in 2015 and his M.S. in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management from Clemson University in 2017. The core of Nate’s research is understanding human behavior in relation to the natural environment. Specific elements of Nate’s research program include examining the role of attentional, emotional, nonconscious, and contextual effects on human behavior. Outside of the lab, Nate enjoys spending time with his wife, Hannah. He is an avid bird watcher. You can learn more about Nate and his research at his website, nathanjshipley.com. Additionally, you can contact him directly at shipley4@illinois.edu.
Research and Professional Interests
Lorraine Stamberger is a graduate student in the van Riper Research Group. Her research interests focus on strengthening the relationship between communities and the natural places they inhabit. She is particularly interested in facilitating community resilience through several avenues: increased public access to natural features, creation and expansion of recreational opportunities, and formation of a strong community identity. Lorraine's undergraduate research at Augustana College analyzed Quad Cities citizens' access to the Mississippi River. Lorraine began working with Dr. van Riper in summer 2016 on several projects including a Denali visitor use and values survey and an impact study of bison reintroduction on local communities.
Research and Professional Interests
William (Bill) Stewart is a Professor in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism at the University of Illinois. His teaching and research is related to the development of parks and protected areas to improve quality of life and enhance sense of place. Dr. Stewart’s research is concerned with landscape change in urban and rural areas, and recognizes the need to integrate community-based voices into environmental decision-making. He and his colleagues build working relationships with stakeholders to move forward on land management initiatives through the integration of expert, community-based, and experiential knowledge. He co-edited a book entitled Place-based Conservation: Perspectives from the Social Sciences along with Drs. Daniel Williams and Linda Kruger published by Springer-Verlag. Dr. Stewart publishes his research in journals related to recreation, tourism, and landscape planning, such as Journal of Leisure Research, Leisure Sciences, and Landscape and Urban Planning. His research program has been continuously supported by sponsors such as the USDA Forest Service, the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture, and the US National Park Service, as well as other agencies related to landscape change and park development. Dr. Stewart is a Fellow of the Academy of Leisure Sciences and has served as Treasurer for the Academy since 2010. At the University of Illinois, Dr. Stewart is associated with the Parks and Environmental Behavior Research Group, adjunct faculty with the Department of Landscape Architecture, and serves as the Director of the undergraduate program in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences.
Research and Professional Interests
John Strauser is a graduate student in the department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism at the University of Illinois. He is a recent graduate of Purdue University where he majored in Organizational Leadership and Supervision with a minor in Communications. While at Purdue he was a varsity letter winner and a Big Ten distinguished scholar athlete. His research interests are: community based decision-making and governance and how they relate to environmental preservation and restoration. He will be working as a research assistant with the Illinois Natural History Survey.
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Academic Affiliations
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Economic Sciences
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign1102 South Goodwin Avenue
- Urbana, IL 61801
Research and Professional Interests
I am an environmental social scientist interested in understanding and solving resource management problems in the context of parks and protected areas. My core theoretical interests are focused on the cognitions of human behavior, particularly values, norms and the perceived benefits of nature. Many of my professional goals relate to integrating diverse forms of knowledge from the social sciences to provide insight on how people perceive their surroundings and commit to behaviors that impact the environment. As such, my research program carries implications for theory (e.g., the role of norms in activating behavior change) and practice (e.g., guidance on management interventions for mitigating and adapting to social-ecological change). I hold a Ph.D. in Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences and certificate in Applied Biodiversity Sciences from the National Science Foundation’s IGERT program at Texas A&M University, as well as a M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont, and B.A. in Biology and Recreation Management from Arizona State University.