Tanya Augsburg received her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Humanities from Emory University in 1996.  Dr. Augsburg comes to us from Arizona State University, where she has been a Senior Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Studies.  Prior to ASU, Dr. Augsburg taught at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she was Undergraduate Faculty Member of the Year in 1997.  She will be working most closely with Area 4, Creative Arts and Humanities.

Dr. Augsburg’s areas of expertise include contemporary feminist performance and interdisciplinary studies pedagogy. She is author of the first textbook in interdisciplinary studies, Becoming Interdisciplinary: An Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies (Kendall/Hunt, 2006), currently in its second edition. She is curator of the first retrospective exhibition on the work of Joanna Frueh and editor of its accompanying exhibition catalogue, Joanna Frueh: A Retrospective (Nevada Museum of Art, 2005). She is completing a collection of critical essays on Frueh tentatively titled, “Performing Pleasure: Joanna Frueh and the Female Body.” Other current research interests include contemporary American autobiographical practices and self-transformation as a theme in literature and art. Dr. Augsburg is an Executive Board Member of the Association for Integrative Studies (AIS).

A native New Yorker, Dr. Augsburg attended Stuyvesant High School, where she was a student of Frank McCourt, and New York University, where she was a University Scholar. The child of immigrants, Dr. Augsburg was the first one in her family to attend and graduate from college. Dr. Augsburg enjoys traveling and learning about diverse cultures.

In Fall 2008, Dr. Augsburg will teach one section of Liberal Studies 300, Introduction to Liberal Studies, a core requirement in the major; one section of Humanities 425, Thought and Image: Humanities, a core requirement in Area 4; and one section of Communication Studies 363, Oral Interpretation of the First Person Voice, which satisfies one of the Area I core requirements in Communication Studies.

J. Acacio de Barros received his Ph.D. in Physics from the Brazilian Center for Research in Physics, Rio de Janeiro, in 1991.  Dr. de Barros comes to us from the Center for the Study of Language and Information, Stanford University.  Since 1995, he has also been a faculty member at the Institute for Exact Sciences, Federal University at Juiz de Fora, Brazil.  He will be working most closely with Area 2, Life Science, Physical Science, and Mathematics.

Dr. de Barros's interests are interdisciplinary.  He works on subjects ranging from the foundations of quantum mechanics to the physics of the brain and of cognitive processes.   At Stanford, he has worked closely with Patrick Suppes, a prominent philosopher whose work involves both science and philosophy, on projects involving the physics of the brain and theories of learning.  His current scholarly work focuses on the biophysics of cognitive processes, the foundations of quantum mechanics, and physics education.

In Fall 2008, Dr. de Barros will teach one section of Liberal Studies 300, Introduction to Liberal Studies, a core requirement in the major; one section of LS 309, which satisfies one of the core requirements in Area II; and one section of Mathematics 165, Concepts of the Number System. MATH 165 can be used as an elective in the major and is excellent preparation for classroom teaching and for the math and science section of the CSET.

Tendai Chitewere received her Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from Binghamton University in 2006. Dr. Chitewere has been a lecturer for the Child and Adolescent Development program, where she taught Action Research Methods.  She will be working most closely with Area 3, Behavioral and Social Sciences.

Dr. Chitewere’s research is an interdisciplinary study of U.S. environmentalism; specifically she examines the consumption of “green” commodities as a means to effect environmental change.  She is interested in the emergence of green or natural capitalism as a response to the current environmental crisis.  Dr. Chitewere studied how residents in ecological cohousing communities attempt to create socially and ecologically sustainable lifestyles.  She has a strong interest in qualitative research design and methodology. 

Originally from Zimbabwe, Dr. Chitewere serves on the Board of Directors of Earth Team, an environmental education organizations that inspires a new generation of youth to become leaders in the environment, and The Clarence Foundation, an engaged philanthropic organization that funds small nonprofit groups in developing countries that work on human rights and environmental causes.  She has also worked closely with several environmental organizations in the Bay Area.

  In Fall 2008, Dr. Chitewere will teach two sections of Social Science 300, Social Science Core I, a core requirement in Area III.

Logan Hennessy received his Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2005.  Dr. Hennessy has recently been a lecturer at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz.  He will be working most closely with Area 3, Behavioral and Social Sciences. 

Building on a background in tropical ecology and environmental philosophy, Dr. Hennessy's interests are in interdisciplinary research on environmental problems around the world.  His focus on the impacts of oil development and mining on indigenous environments and developing participatory-based policy alternatives combines three main areas of research and teaching:  indigenous environmental politics, the political economy of extractive industries, and environmental history in the Americas.  He has conducted in-depth research on these issues in Ecuador and Guyana, working closely with local indigenous communities and organizations. 

Outside of this research, Logan also considers collaborations with the non-governmental sector as a critical part of his work, and has volunteered and worked with several local and international organizations.  In California, he has worked on environmental indicators and agricultural conservation tactics in the Central Valley, waste-reduction policy on Capitol Hill, and trade in non-timber forest products in the northwest region. 

Currently, in the spring and summer of 2007, Dr. Hennessy is engaged in two collaborative research projects with Bay Area non-profit organizations.  This research is looking at contracts between mining companies and indigenous communities, and the massive IIRSA infrastructure initiative in South America. 

In Fall 2008, Dr. Hennessy will teach one section of Liberal Studies 300, Introduction to Liberal Studies, a core requirement in the major; and two sections of Social Science 301, Social Science Core II, a core requirement in Area III.
 

Matthew Luskey received his Ph.D. in English from the University of Oregon in 2003. Dr. Luskey comes to us from the University of Washington, Seattle, where he has been Director of the Puget Sound Writing Project and a lecturer in the Interdisciplinary Writing Program. He will be working most closely with Area 1, Communication, Language, and Literature.

At the University of Washington, Dr. Luskey has taught university-level courses on composition and on literature, including seminars on Modernism, the Modern Novel, Reading Fiction, and film noir.  He has also taught a number of writing-intensive courses that are linked to other disciplines, including English, humanities, philosophy, history, international relations, and cinema studies.

Before he entered graduate school, Dr. Luskey taught at the middle-school and high-school level for seven years, including two years in Hungary. 

His scholarship has focused on Modernism and especially on the Modernist “little” magazines of the 1920s. 

In Fall 2008, Dr. Luskey will teach one section of Liberal Studies 300, Introduction to Liberal Studies, a core requirement in the major; and two sections of English 475, Fundamentals of Literary Analysis, which satisfies one of the Area I core requirements in Literature or a requirement for the Area 1 emphasis patterns.