Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England

10/29/2026

Announcing the IIC and Student Alliance T-Shirt Design Competition Winner - Sienna Painter!!

Check out the new ES T-shirt design, and buy your organic cotton t-shirt today!
https://antiochnewengland.secure-decoration.com

All proceeds go towards Antioch student grants for international research and service projects. T-shirts can be shipped anywhere in the US!

https://antiochnewengland.secure-decoration.com/shop/view_product/28865351/Unisex-Organic-Cotton-T-Shirt-2026-Design-

10/27/2026

Keene's Clean Energy Team has a Climate Cafe scheduled for tomorrow night, October 28. The cafe will take place at the Keene Public Library from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. See below!

The topic of this cafe is "Climate and the Midterms" Rob Werner, State Director of the League of Conservation Voters, will guide us in a discussion of the most impactful clean energy and climate policy changes needed in NH, and how the 2026 mid-terms will affect the legislative landscape in New Hampshire.

10/24/2026

Christy Shaver, a 2026 graduate of the MS in Environmental Studies program, experienced the 2023 Lāhainā wildfire firsthand, an event that drastically reshaped her life and her community.

On the third anniversary of this tragic disaster, Shaver defended her deeply personal capstone titled, A Systems Analysis of Long-Term Community Recovery Following the 2023 Lāhainā Wildfire: Understanding Recovery as a Complex Adaptive Social-Ecological System. The thesis committee was chaired by Environmental Studies faculty member Abigail Abrash Walton, PhD, with Elizabeth Kiefer, MD, MPH, on the project committee.

“Ms. Shaver entered the Environmental Studies MS program two years ago, as a survivor of the August 2023 Lāhainā Wildfire, which took more than 100 human lives, Ms. Shaver’s home and those of her family, friends, and fellow Lāhainā community members, and from which Lāhainā is still recovering,” Abrash Walton said. “To experience her MS thesis defense, on the third anniversary of that challenging time, was deeply moving.”

Read the full profile here: https://blog.antioch.edu/christy-shaver-profile

10/24/2026

Mike Akresh, Core Faculty of the Environmental Studies program, along with co-authors, published a paper on prairie warblers' migration journey and ecology in the Avian Conservation & Ecology. The study offers valuable insights into the lives and movements of these migratory birds and contributes to the research that supports their understanding and conservation.

Read the full paper here: https://ace-eco.org/vol21/iss2/art10/

10/24/2026

The Environmental Studies program is one of the oldest environmental studies graduate programs in the country, furthering the education, research, and practice of environmental justice. This year, Antioch received a $1.5 million anonymous gift from a former student, a transformative gesture that will continue to expand educational equity and justice-centered learning to all of the Environmental Studies graduate programs.

Read all about the program and our plans using this generous gift in the 2026 Alumni Magazine:
https://at.antioch.edu/investing-in-env-justice-2026-alumni-magazine

10/24/2026

Jess Meck ’18 (New England, MS in Environmental Studies) and Research Faculty Liz Willey, PhD, are among the co-authors of a new study published in Conservation Genetics examining the genetics of the Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta), a species experiencing declines across much of its native range.

The study, “Rangewide population genetic analysis of the Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta),” analyzed genetic data from more than 1,200 Wood Turtles across Eastern and Midwestern North America. Researchers identified two major genetic groups and uncovered patterns that can help inform conservation and management efforts for the species.

The findings provide important insights into genetic diversity, connectivity, and population structure, helping conservationists better understand how Wood Turtle populations can be managed and protected across their range.

Read the study in Conservation Genetics: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10592-026-01775-w

09/19/2026

07/21/2026

06/18/2026

It's turtle season!

06/11/2026

"One thing I didn't expect to gain from this program was the perspective on how to live a happier life. At Antioch, I learned to be a stronger educator through my course of study. Through that same study and through the vibrant Antioch community, I also learned to be a stronger person who can approach the world with more kindness, thoughtfulness, wonder, and joy."
Ryan Duggan, MS
AUNE Environmental Education