DEKALB, IL — A new study blended expertise across political science, restoration ecology, communication and illustration at NIU.
The result?
“A great example of interdisciplinary research and student involvement,” says Colin Kuehl, Associate Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies.
This digital illustration created by NIU art student Quinn Sedig, who recently graduated, depicts people actively engaging in prairie restoration.
Kuehl teamed up with Biological Sciences Professor Holly Jones, Communications Associate Professor Shupei Yuan, recently retired Illustration Professor Todd Buck and four student researchers on a study published in Restoration Ecology about the power of centering people in restoration messaging.
The collaboration was as valuable as the study itself, say those involved.
“A hard part of interdisciplinary work is you don’t always speak the same language,” Kuehl said. “How do a political scientist, a biologist, a communication scholar and an artist think about environmental issues? By reading each other’s work, meeting regularly and even going out to the field together, we found common ground. That’s what made this project special. It led to questions we would not have asked in our disciplinary comfort zone.”
Led by Kuehl, the project began with a $5,000 Transdisciplinary Working Group grant from NIU’s Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability and Energy (ESE). Kuehl and Jones are jointly appointed professors in ESE, while Yuan and Buck are faculty associates. The project is particularly relevant as colleges and universities globally prepare to celebrate Campus Sustainability Month this October.
The premise, according to Kuehl: “How do we get people motivated, passionate about this topic?”
Using illustrations created by NIU art student Quinn Sedig, who has since graduated, the team embedded a survey experiment within NIU’s 2023 BARKS (Behaviors, Attitudes, Resources and Knowledge of Sustainability) survey. A student-led research project, BARKS assessed sustainability opinions and knowledge among NIU students, faculty and staff.
The roughly 500 participants in the most recent study viewed illustrations of Nachusa Grasslands — a more than 4,500-acre nature preserve in Franklin Grove, Illinois, where Jones and her students conduct research. People actively engaging in prairie restoration were centered in one of the images, while bison were centered in the other.
“Quinn [the art student] drew some amazingly realistic renderings,” Jones said. “We piggy-backed on Colin and team’s annual BARKS survey to show folks one or the other and then asked them if they’d be willing to do things like talk about restoration, plant native plants around their house, donate to restoration, etc.”
In this digital illustration created by recent NIU graduate Quinn Sedig various elements of the ecosystem at Nachusa Grasslands are shown. Instead of people, bison are centered.
The experiment suggests that when restoration messages center on people rather than wildlife alone, audiences are more likely to say they’ll take part in conservation activities.
The results were promising, if nuanced.
“It wasn’t dramatic, but it suggests framing restoration in ways that emphasize people’s positive role can be a useful strategy,” Kuehl said. “And like good research does, it raises more questions for future work.”
Kuehl believes the research has an important message in itself.
“Normally, when we think about people’s interactions with the environment, we’re the bad guys, the ones doing the polluting,” he said. “But there’s this whole other way to look at it. Humans are actually actively restoring ecosystems and being helpful. Highlighting that positive role can give us hope. Giving people some hope is important.”
Just call them the “Restoring Hope Interdisciplinary Working Group,” he said.
All of the student researchers involved, including three undergraduates and one graduate student, have since graduated and moved on to graduate school or professional roles. Along with illustrator Sedig, they included Political Science student Eman Alahmadi, Biological Sciences student Christiana Guthrie and Environmental Studies Student Oliver Meyers. Meyers is currently pursuing master’s degrees at NIU. Guthrie is pursuing her doctorate degree at Kansas State University.
The team met regularly for about a year and a half, even visiting Nachusa Grasslands together.
“I think it’s both really interesting research and also demonstrates the cool work we can do when we invest in interdisciplinary collaborations here at NIU,” Jones said.
Media Contact: Jami Kunzer
About NIU
Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally recognized public research university, with expertise that benefits its region and spans the globe in a wide variety of fields, including the sciences, humanities, arts, business, engineering, education, health and law. The Wall Street Journal and CollegeNET recognize NIU as a leading institution for social mobility, or helping its students climb the socioeconomic ladder. Through its main campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and education centers for students and working professionals in Chicago, Naperville and Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 areas of study while serving a diverse and international student body.
