Faculty Research

Reeder, Thompson and Wing present at leadership conference

Last month, Brian Thompson and Heidi Reeder presented at the Beacon Leadership Conference, along with past student and Boise State employee, Eliseo Ché Wing. Their session, “Leadership in Action: Cultivating Authentic Relationships,” was aimed at the approximately 400 student attendees from Idaho and Utah.

Reeder and Thompson are both professors in the leadership certificate programs at Boise State.

Age and Politics

CNBC interviewed Charles Hunt, an assistant professor in political science, during a segment about aging U.S. politicians. The segment referenced Hunt’s data that he collected and published in “The Conversation” and is part of a mini-documentary series.

When asked about the preferences on politicians’ ages from the perspective of political parties, Hunt is quoted in the article saying, “It doesn’t have to be generational warfare or anything like that. But it does really, really matter for representation in terms of the quality of the legislation that’s going to be coming out of Congress.”

Read the full article on the CNBC website or watch the video on YouTube.

Libby Lunstrum and bison restoration

Libby Lunstrum, a professor of environmental and global studies in the School of Public Service, received a National Science Foundation grant to support the Blackfoot-led bison restoration project. With Matt Williamson, an assistant professor of human environment systems, she leads the university’s Indigenous-Led Ecological Restoration team. The team examines how Indigenous groups confront institutional and environmental legacies of colonialism as they work to restore significant species like bison.

“I think it is beautiful, bringing back this majestic creature that was forcibly removed and to have it return in such a meaningful way. Boise State is humbled and honored to support this Blackfoot-led, collaborative project,” Lunstrum said.

Read more in an article by Anna Webb

Burkhart interviewed on Kazakhstani news outlet

School of Public Service Professor Ross Burkhart was interviewed for Atameken Business News, a news outlet based in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The subject of the interview was Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s recent controversial speech to the European Parliament in his capacity as leader of the country that has assumed the presidency of the European Union during the latter half of 2024.

Burkhart discussed the prospects of Hungary’s relations with the European Union given Orbán’s speech and his other recent actions, such as his visits to President Putin and President Xi, as well as stating that Ukraine must negotiate an end to the war with Russia. These actions contradict its position on these matters, and they suggest that Hungary will struggle to exert a leadership role in the European Union. Burkhart also examined Orbán’s likely divisive effect on European Union’s policy-making regarding immigration, and how it could take action to address Hungary’s democratic backsliding.

Emily Wakild’s conservation research

Curiosity can be a spectacular driver of discovery. A thought ignites; the flame of wonder turns into small actions, and once the fire is fully engaged, those actions can create an entirely changed landscape. In the case of Emily Wakild, Cecil D. Andrus Endowed Chair for Environment and Public Lands and professor of history and environmental studies, her curiosity led to historical research that became her book, “Revolutionary Parks: Conservation, Social Justice, and Mexico’s National Parks, 1910-1940.”

“This book grows out of my enduring fascination with Mexico,” Wakild said. “While curiosity sparked the inquiry, the rigorous research demonstrated how Mexico once led the world in the number of national parks by building them with a completely different framework for conservation in mind.”

Read more in an article by Jenny Gilman