Academic Writing

When I have had the opportunity to dig deeply into a research project, I have chosen subjects that could or would become the foundation of a journalistic enterprise. The links below will take you to the academic paper.

Prairie In Peril: A Biocentric Approach to Juniperus virginiana Encroachment in the Great Plains

Produced for an Environmental Ethics course, this research formed the background for my journalism capstone project, Cowboys of Conservation, a series of articles exploring the role cattle ranching has played in the preservation of the prairie and how regenerative ranching can preserve our native grasslands. The series will be published in the Kansas Reflector in December 2025.

A Midwestern Oasis in a Warming World: Is Michigan’s Promise as a “Climate Haven” Just a Mirage?

This research is the culmination of a semester-long project for Environmental Geopolitics, where we were tasked with dismantling an environmental claim using a geopolitical framework that analyzed the geographical, human and environmental systems involved. I feel that I only began to scratch the surface of a fascinating and important topic, and I look forward to turning it into a piece of investigated and reported journalism.