2013 Graduate Assistant Colloquium Staff
Steve Balogh, Teaching Fellow is a PhD Candidate in the Graduate Program in Environmental Science.
In 2010, he earned a MS degree in Environmental Science from SUNY ESF. Prior to coming to ESF, he was a licensed physical therapist and environmental writer. He studies energy systems and urban ecology. His dissertation
examines the food and fuel flows in Syracuse, NY from a systems perspective. He has been a GA for Urban Ecology,
Spatial Ecology, The Global Environment, and has taught a graduate seminar. He has also been a RA for several
years. This is his second year working on the Colloquium.
Anna Ebers, Teaching Fellow is a doctoral candidate in energy and environmental economics at the
FNRM department. Anna is originally from Tallinn, Estonia, and she speaks both Russian and Estonian as her native
tongues. Anna completed her Master’s degree in international economics at the University of Konstanz in Germany
and a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Tartu, Estonia. Anna enjoys teaching and has co-taught a seminar, “Going Green”, in Konstanz. In her free time, Anna works on SunRazors, a development project that she initiated in Mexico, that brings solar electricity to rural populations. This is her second year working on the Colloquium.
Craig Lazzar, Teaching Fellow studied at ESF during his undergraduate career, and finished his Bachelor's of Science here. During his undergraduate studies, Craig discovered an interest in renewable energy. He put
the knowledge gained at ESF to work by entering into a national renewable energy essay contest, and was awarded a $10,000 grand prize and the title of Renewable Energy Scholar; making him into an ESF success story. Craig
is an active participant in the Graduate Student Association, and looks forward to helping other students deliver
Danielle Kloster, Teaching Fellow is an MS student in the Graduate Program in Environmental Science
with a focus on Coupled Human and Natural Systems. Her research with Dr. Tim Volk is on estimating soil erosion
potential from willow biomass energy crops, and her interests are in agriculture and energy. She graduated from
ESF in 2008 with a BS in Environmental Science with a focus on Renewable Energy Systems. She has been a Graduate Teaching Assistant for 2 semesters for Energy Systems, Energy Markets and Regulation, Renewable Energy
Systems, and Biomass Energy. This is her first year working on the Colloquium.
Whitney Lash Marshall is a PhD Candidate in Environmental and Natural Resources Policy, working on
operationalizing a social-ecological systems framework for conservation policy and management in Costa Rica. She
also received her MS in Conservation Biology from ESF. She has been a GA for classes in the EFB department including Introductory Genetics, the Global Environment, Systems Ecology, Ecosystems, Geographic Modeling, General Biology Lab and the Ecology of the Economic Process and spent two years as a teaching fellow with the ESF in
the High School Outreach program. This is her fifth year working on the Colloquium.
Emily Stephan, Teaching Fellow is a PhD student in Environmental Resources Engineering, researching
urban biogeochemical modeling. She graduated with a BS in Environmental Engineering from Cornell University in
May 2012, and still resides in Ithaca, NY. She has been a GA for the Engineering Hydrology and Hydraulics course
at ESF, as well as a Teaching Assistant for the Engineering for a Sustainable Society course at Cornell. This is her
first year working on the colloquium.
Sara Velardi, Teaching Fellow Sara Velardi is an M.S. student in Environmental Interpretation within
the Environmental and Forest Biology Department. In 2012 she received a BA in Environmental Science from
Skidmore College. She has been a GA for General Biology Labs I and II. Currently her research focuses on effective training techniques in environmental curriculum for educators within a variety of disciplines. This is her first
year working on the colloquium.
Chuck Spuches is Associate Provost for Outreach and Instructional Quality at ESF. He also is an adjunct associate professor at Syracuse University in Instructional Design, Development, and Evaluation. He teaches the
Seminar on College Teaching at ESF. At SU, he teaches classroom and online courses in educational project management and planned change and serves on doctoral dissertation committees in instructional design and adult education.
Kean Clifford completed his B.Sc. in Aquatic and Fisheries Science at ESF in 2011. He then ventured into a
dual master program, shared between his undergraduate alma mater and Syracuse University. Kean finished his
Masters in Public Administration at Syracuse University's Maxwell School this past summer while acting as class
Vice President and focusing on two certificates in Environmental Policy and Conflict Resolution. He continues with
his master thesis at ESF, which will evaluate evidence for classifying new suspected species of bowfin, a predatory
fish found in NY. He is currently ESF Outreach’s Graduate Assistant, has two years of experience as a TA, and is
excited to share his knowledge of ESF to improve you world.
Barbara Newman joined the ESF Outreach team in September 2010. Barbara earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Surrey (England) and her master’s degree from North Carolina State University. She
currently works as assistant to Chuck Spuches, Associate Provost for Outreach.