Lisa Zinn

Environmental Educator

Contact info
Office: Merry Lea
Phone: (260) 799-5869
E-mail: lisarz@goshen.edu

Education and professional experience

B.A. Houghton College, 1992
M. En. Miami University, 2002

My undergraduate degree was in Biology with a concentration in environmental studies. My master’s degree is in environmental studies with a concentration in Conservation Biology. I have also worked for ten years in different areas of environmental education at both here at Merry Lea and at Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies in Mancelona, Michigan. I am currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Science from Ball State University with a major in Natural Resources and Environmental Management.

How I became an environmental educator

I have always had a passion for both the environment and for teaching. I have taught science at the high school level, but I love the freedom that post-secondary education gives me to take students outdoors and to do research.

Ideas that matter to me

I believe that God is the creator of all things and that to learn of the creation is to learn of the creator. It is also, then, our responsibility to care for this precious creation in which God has allowed us to be a part.

I feel that “the unknowing eye cannot see,” and that it is important to help students to open their eyes to the marvelous, interconnected world around them. The more their eyes are open, the more they will begin to cherish and protect what they are learning to see.

The classes I teach:

I teach Research Methods and Measurements for Environmental Education in the Master's in Environmental Education program.  I also teach a graduate class for high school teachers called Instrumentation and Curriculum for Environmental Science. This course provides instruction in the use of environmental monitoring equipment and demonstrates ways that teachers can incorporate fieldwork into their curriculum. This class is completely “hands-on,” as the students learn to use the equipment in the field and then develop a curriculum for their classroom.

In addition to these graduate classes, I also have the opportunity to teach in our K-12 programs on a regular basis. This is a great way to rekindle the excitement and enthusiasm that the natural world can bring to people both young and old.

My role in Merry Lea’s new graduate program in Environmental Education:

I am very excited about the Master’s program in EE. Having worked in environmental education for many years, I would have loved to have this kind of training and education to bring to my teaching.

I am teaching a class called Research Methods and Measures. It is a class designed to give students a good, practical understanding of how to conduct research and use testing equipment. Students will learn common techniques for collecting data. They will become familiar with common measuring instruments and learn how to analyze data with statistical methods. Students will also learn how to conduct research to assess the effectiveness of educational programs and techniques.

In addition, I will advise students, supervise research projects and teach integrative sessions.

Research Interests

I have a particular interest in how humans affect ecosystems. My main research focus has been birds. In my master’s thesis, “Avian response to lakeshore cottage development in northwest lower Michigan,” I looked at how lakeshore bird communities responded to the development of houses and cottages along the shorelines.

I am currently very involved in a nationwide research project called “Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship” which uses consistent effort mist netting and banding birds to study bird population trends.

I am also doing research on constructed wetlands that are used for wastewater treatment. I am interested in how well these wetlands are at removing pharmaceuticals and personal care products.  My current research is examining how well constructed wetlands remove the chemical Triclosan. This is the active ingredient in antibacterial soap.

I have supervised students who explored bird community response to surrounding habitats, the response of Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats to the presence of roads, and monitoring small rodent populations in prairie restoration areas.

Presentation topics

Birding hikes
Bird banding or research talks
Edible Plants
General natural history hikes
Water quality testing demonstrations
Water quality and macroinvertibrates
Endangered species and wildlife protection
How to conduct basic ecological or environmental research studies
History of the environmental movement
Environmental ethics
Christian environmental ethics
Christianity and the Environment
Creativity, imagination, and the environment
Tolkien and Lewis and the environment
Song writing and the creation
Incorporating the creation into leading worship
Musical performance – Songs of Creation

Selected Publications:

Designer and editor for Let Them Praise: Developing an Environmental Education Program that Honors the Creator. Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies, 1998.

Weber, A., and L. Zinn, The Effects of Nearby Habitat on Avian Populations - abstract. 2005. Indiana Academy of Science Proceedings. 121st Annual Meeting.

On Earth as in Heaven. Cassette of recordings of original songs in celebration of the creation. Written and performed by Lisa Zinn.

From one of my favorite authors

“... I will say this: the rule of no realm is mine…great or small.
But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands,
those are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail of my task…if anything passes through this night that can still grow fair or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I also am a steward. Did you not know?”

--J.R.R. Tolkien