Electronic thesis, or professional papers can be found at the Mansfield Library.

Patrick Burke

My academic concerns have grown out of my long involvement in the conservation of wild places and the restoration of areas severely impacted by human activities. I worked for many years as a wilderness ranger in Montana and then for twenty years as a President of an ecological restoration company. These experiences led me to want to examine in depth the possibility of a new relationship between humans and nature that was reciprocally appropriate and that addressed the profound environmental crisis we currently face. In particular, my graduate work focused on both the philosophy of technology and environmental ethics in attempt to understand how technology has influenced the way that we take up with the more than human world in general and wild places specifically. Since receiving my M.A. in Philosophy I have developed and taught academically rigorous field courses for the Wild Rockies Field Institute in the areas of environmental ethics, global climate change, ecological restoration and human/land relationships in the western United States. During the academic year I teach ethics and introductory humanities courses for the Department of Philosophy and the Davidson Honors College at the University of Montana. I am, also, affiliate faculty in the Wildlands Restoration Program at the University of Montana where I supervise undergraduate student practicums in ecological restoration.

Daniel Congdon

Growing up amidst the mountains, ocean, and islands of western Washington I became deeply interested in understanding the role of people in nature. In 2010, I graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Philosophy. I worked for a time at the Food and Drug Administration performing inspections primarily of food manufacturing facilities. In 2012, I applied and was admitted to the Environmental Philosophy program here at the University of Montana. My thesis focused on the ethics of care as a guide for ecological restoration. During my second year of the Master’s program, I was fortunate to also begin working as the caretaker for a 90-acre parcel along the Bitterroot River in Lolo, MT. This allowed me to connect the theories of care and restoration with the hands-on work of land management.  In March of 2016, I accepted the position of Environmental Health Specialist with Missoula County and am looking forward to a career of serving a wonderful place and community.

Casie Dunleavy

Before studying at the University of Montana, I received a Graduate Certificate in Bioethics at Washington State University, and received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Philosophy and General Studies in the Humanities at Central Washington University with minors in Applied Ethics and English Literature. My academic interests are environmental philosophy, practical ethics (especially animal ethics and bioethics), feminist philosophy, and care ethics. My thesis project is centered on developing a model or framework that could be used to guide end-of-life medical caregiving decisions for companion animals. Outside of class, I enjoy coaching UM’s ethics bowl team, outdoor excursions, knitting, running, singing, beer, and wine.

Andrea Gammon

Andrea Gammon, a native of Portland, Maine, has a B.A. in philosophy and a B.S. in biology from the University of Maine (2010) and will complete her M.A. in Environmental Philosophy in 2013. While at UM, Andrea has worked as a graduate research assistant on a National Science Foundation project on the Ethics of Climate Engineering, creating and maintaining the Ethics of Geoengineering Online Resource Center. Additionally, she assisted Christopher Preston, her adviser, on his edited anthology, Engineering the Climate: The Ethics of Solar Radiation Management.

Upon graduation, Andrea will begin a Ph.D. at Radboud University (The Netherlands) on an interdisciplinary project that combines hermeneutics and environmental ethics in an effort to “read the landscape.” Andrea’s project in particular deals with the ethics of ecological restoration, or “rewilding,” in cultural landscapes.

While in Missoula, Andrea has also worked for the Mansfield Ethics and Public Affairs Program, the Zootown Arts Community Center, and the Legal Atlas Project.

Jake Hays

Since graduating in 2011 Jake Hays has worked as a program director for the scientific non-profit Physicians Scientists & Engineers for Healthy Energy (PSE). PSE is a multidisciplinary organization that generates, organizes, translates, and disseminates evidence-based information on novel energy production techniques such as shale gas development. As the program director of the health-energy nexus Jake has been responsible for reviewing and evaluating of a broad distribution of scientific literature, writing policy statements and commentaries, supervising descriptive epidemiologic studies, lecturing, providing oral and written testimony to the New York State Assembly, organizing conferences, researching various aspects of novel energy production techniques, communicating with a number of scientists around the world, and facilitating a number of other projects focused on energy production, public health, and the environment. Jake lives in Midtown Manhattan and works from Weill Cornell Medical College with a professor of clinical public health. He has plans to begin law school in the fall of 2013 to pursue a career in public interest environmental law and policy.

Angela Hotaling

I grew up in the Hudson Valley in New York State and attended SUNY Oneonta where I was most interested in Feminism and Continental Philosophy. Environmental Philosophy, Feminist Ethics and Critical Theory are now my major interests. I am interested in discovering ways that studying ethics can inform society, whether through activist work in the non-profit sector or through teaching.

Ricky Swatek

I was born and raised in Minnesota, spending most of my early life in the suburbs of the Twin Cities and along the northern Minnesota boarder. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where I double majored in philosophy and history. During my time in La Crosse I developed a special appreciation for continental philosophy, particularly existentialism, in addition to ancient and political philosophy. Most recently, my time at the University of Montana has allowed me to pursue my interests in aesthetics and the philosophy of romantic love. Going forward, I wish to apply a philosophical understanding to issues of social justice. I am very grateful for my time in Missoula, and continue to enjoy its picturesque setting and recreational offerings.

Bart Walsh

Bart received a B.A. in philosophy from UMASS Dartmouth in Spring 2009. As an undergrad he focused on Heidegger, Eastern philosophy, and non-classical logic. His main areas of interest today are phenomenology, consciousness, embodied/extended mind, environmental philosophy, and philosophy of technology. On a lighter note, during his free time you'll most likely find Bart either fishing, shredding the guitar, or playing with his dog Gus.