It’s hard to imagine what the University of Minnesota would be without the Mississippi river defining the landscape, dividing the Minneapolis campus between East Bank and West Bank. But how often do we really interact with - or even truly see - the river at our doorstep?
“We’re the only world class university located on a world class river,” said professor Pat Nunnally, who’s been doing what he calls “river work” for over 25 years. (In case you’re wondering, Nunnally says Harvard doesn’t count; the Charles River isn’t in the same league as Mississippi).
Nunnally shares his passion for the Mississippi with Honors students in his seminar Environmental Justice and Climate Futures: The Mississippi River Corridor. In Fall 2022, the final project was to “tell a river story.” These projects were featured in the Fall 2023 issue of Open River.
Here are a few highlights from their work and what they enjoyed about the seminar:
Nichole Jacquez: Trail Signs in Pike Island Hiking Trail
Nichole Jacquez is a second year environmental policy and management student. Her Honors advisor encouraged her to take the HSEM in her first year at the U.
“It was so cool to have students from all colleges in one class,” she said.
Her project focused on centering indigenous voices in a walking tour of Pike Island Hiking Trail. The proposal includes various trail signs that explain the unique features and history of the area.
“I'm trying to balance keeping people engaged while also challenging their worldviews,” she said.
View the full project here.
Rianna Knoll: Indian Mounds Park Walkthrough
Rianna Knoll is a second year mortuary science student. She was able to combine her interest in mortuary science with the Honors seminar by creating a walkthrough of Indian Mounds Park's history as a burial site for the Dakota community.
“Rather than focusing on the awful excavation of the graves, I discussed their funeral rites and customs, and the relation of these practices to the Mississippi River,” she said. “Indian Mounds Park is well known for what remains there, but not why the mounds were there in the first place.”
Knoll said her favorite part of the class was the professor (Pat Nunnally).
“I have never seen a professor give students such creative liberty on a project,” she said. “I was able to make my Honors seminar about my own interests.”
See her full project here.
Jenna Duncan: Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary Walking Tour
Jenna Duncan is a second year environmental sciences and policy management student. She created a walking tour of the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary.
“After researching for this project, I’ve come to appreciate that there is much more nuance than what meets the eye,” she told Open Rivers.
The Honors seminar was her first exposure to environmental humanities and ultimately influenced her decision to want to study abroad.
“It was so nice to have small discussions and actually get to know people,” she said. This was especially apparent in her first year of school which was mostly filled with large lectures and no interaction with faculty. She really appreciated Pat’s approach to teaching. “Each day we came into class and he would say, ‘what do you want to learn?’”
See her full project here.
Hope Werstler: The Lost Jewish Community of the West Side Flats
Hope Werstler is a senior double-majoring in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management and French Studies. Her project focused on the lost Jewish community of the West Side Flats.
She was inspired by the stories her grandmother told her about her Jewish heritage and the importance of preserving history through the art of storytelling.
“I want people to know that stories are being told by students at the U,” she said. “Stories are powerful.”
View her full project here.
Aryana Becchetti: The History of Contamination on the Mississippi River
Aryana Becchetti is a junior majoring in political science with the goal to become an environmental lawyer. Her project focused on the history of contamination on the Mississippi River.
“I learned so much about what NOT to do with bodies of water,” she said.
Becchetti appreciated the structure of the Honors seminar; it was one of the first classes she took that was primarily discussion-based.
“I really enjoyed hearing other students’ perspectives,” she said. “And doing the project made me more excited to do my Honors thesis.”
View her full project here.
Caitlyn Barrett: Mock Half-Semester Course
Caitlyn Barrett is currently pursuing her PhD in political science at the University of Minnesota. Barrett joined the Honors program as a post-freshman admitted student. She took the Honors seminar during her senior year.
“The seminar was different from my other classes,” she said. “We got to talk and engage - much different than lecture courses.”
Her project focused on the relationship between the campus and the local Indigenous population by creating a mock half-semester course intended for first year students at the U.
See her full project here.
HSEM 3205H: Environmental Justice and Climate Futures: The Mississippi River Corridor will be taught again in Spring 2024.