Dr. Chadwick Rittenhouse
Director of MEEM Program, Coordinator of the SEPM Program, and Associate Professor in Residence in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment
chadwick.rittenhouse@uconn.edu
Dr. Chadwick Rittenhouse is an Associate Professor in Residence in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at UConn's College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR), Director of the MEEM program, and Coordinator of the SEPM certificate program. He is also a Faculty Affiliate of the Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering at UConn. Dr. Rittenhouse is a Leadership Institute Fellow of The Wildlife Society and recipient of teaching and service awards. Dr. Rittenhouse earned a PhD and an MS in Wildlife Science at the University of Missouri, and a BS in Wildlife Ecology and a Degree Certificate in Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin. His research team, the PLaN Lab, works to understand the relationships between People, Land, and Nature, with a goal to enhance decision-making for and stewardship of private and public lands.
Courses taught: NRE 5200 Sustainable Natural Resources Management, NRE 5220 Environmental Planning for Sustainable Communities and Regions, NRE 5830 Internship in Energy and Environmental Management, NRE 5850 Practicum in Energy and Environmental Management
Dr. Amy Cabaniss
Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment
Dr. Amy Cabaniss is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment. She has a PhD in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England, an MBA in Management and Organization from the University of New Haven, and a BS in Environmental Conservation from the University of New Hampshire.
For several years, Dr. Cabaniss taught undergraduate courses as adjunct faculty in the URI Department of Communications and graduate courses in the SCSU School of Business, MBA Program. She also has an established career in non-formal environmental education with emphasis on coastal and marine ecology and solid waste management, along with applied research in conservation psychology to foster environmentally responsible behavior.
Dr. Cabaniss is a former board member of the Social Marketing Association of North America and the North American Hazardous Materials Management Association where she also served as President of NAHMMA-Northeast. She is editor of the Handbook on Household Hazardous Waste (Government Institutes Press, 2008; Bernan Press, 2018); Perspectives on Product Stewardship by Scott Cassel (Bernan Press, 2023); and Producer Responsibility in Practice: A Decision Maker's Guide (Bloomsbury Press, forthcoming in Fall, 2025).
Courses Taught: NRE 5210 Communications for Environmental Decision Makers, NRE 5225 Sustainable Use of Ocean Resources, NRE 5230 Sustainability Leadership in Organizations.
Dr. Thomas H. Meyer
Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment
Dr. Thomas H. Meyer is a Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR). Dr. Meyer is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Association for Geodetic Surveying (Fellow and Director), and the American Geophysical Union. He is a past president (2006-2007) of the Geomatics Society of New England (was the New England Section ACSM) and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Surveying Engineering and for Surveying and Land Information Science. Dr. Meyer earned his PhD from Texas A&M University (College Station, 1998) where he was a research associate in the Mapping Sciences Laboratory. During his tenure at UConn, he has taught geomatics courses in geographic information science, geodesy, digital terrain modeling, global navigation satellite system surveying at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Dr. Meyer has authored an undergraduate-level geodesy textbook, numerous peer-reviewed papers about surveying and mapping, and teaches professional education seminars for surveyors throughout New England and the United States.
Courses taught: NRE 5585 Geospatial Data Processing Techniques, and NRE 5215 Introduction to Geospatial Analysis with Remote Sensing
Dr. Piyumi Obeysekara
Adjunct Faculty and Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment
Dr. Piyumi Obeysekara, Adjunct Faculty and Assistant Research Professor at UConn's College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, is an Agricultural Entomologist specializing in sustainable agriculture and ecosystem services. Her research is centered on biological control, integrated pest management, and plant-insect interactions, contributing significantly to both pest management and biodiversity conservation. With a PhD in Plant science and an MS in Geoscience, Dr. Obeysekara combines her knowledge of entomology with a broader understanding of environmental dynamics. Her previous work as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at Texas A&M University and the University of Connecticut, along with her membership in the Entomological Society of America, reflect her involvement in agroecology through research and educational outreach.
Courses taught: NRE 5200 Sustainable Natural Resources Management, NRE 5202 Decision Methods in Natural Resources and the Environment