Faculty Stories

Read more about the article Professor Researching Indigenous Environmental Stewardship with Support from Newberry Fellowship  
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Professor Researching Indigenous Environmental Stewardship with Support from Newberry Fellowship  

November 10, 2025

Elan Pochedley, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and 1855 Professor of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices, was awarded the Newberry Consortium in American Indian and Indigenous Studies (NCAIS) long-term faculty fellowship to research how Indigenous peoples’ expressions of environmental stewardship and governance have been practiced, sustained, interrupted, and/or rekindled throughout the central and western Great Lakes region.

Continue ReadingProfessor Researching Indigenous Environmental Stewardship with Support from Newberry Fellowship  
Read more about the article Religious Studies Professor Part of $3.6 Million NSF Grant to Build First-of-Its-Kind Solar-Agriculture Lab
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Religious Studies Professor Part of $3.6 Million NSF Grant to Build First-of-Its-Kind Solar-Agriculture Lab

October 27, 2025

Michigan State University scientists plan to build a first-of-its-kind outdoor lab to study how solar panels placed alongside crops cloud save water, improve soil health, and support ecosystems, all while boosting farmers' bottom line and preserving farm production. The project, led by Earth and Environmental Sciences Assistant Professor Anthony Kendall, is made possible by a five-year $3.6 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. Gretel Van Wieren, Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at MSU, is among the senior research personnel on the project.

Continue ReadingReligious Studies Professor Part of $3.6 Million NSF Grant to Build First-of-Its-Kind Solar-Agriculture Lab
Read more about the article Religious Studies Professor to Explore Her Artistic Side as a KBS Artist-in-Residence
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Religious Studies Professor to Explore Her Artistic Side as a KBS Artist-in-Residence

June 12, 2025

Blaire Morseau started doing beadwork 20 years ago, first learning how to create on a loom and then teaching herself beaded embroidery. Her beaded creations even helped pay her rent when she was a graduate student at the University of New Mexico. Morseau is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State University and an 1855 Professor of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices at MSU.

Continue ReadingReligious Studies Professor to Explore Her Artistic Side as a KBS Artist-in-Residence
Read more about the article Professor Follows in Father’s Footsteps by Receiving William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award
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Professor Follows in Father’s Footsteps by Receiving William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award

July 15, 2024

In recognition of his scholarly excellence, instruction, and extensive outreach, Mohammad Hassan Khalil, Professor of Religious Studies, Adjunct Professor of Law, and Director of the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan…

Continue ReadingProfessor Follows in Father’s Footsteps by Receiving William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award
Read more about the article Religious Studies Professor to Deliver Keynote Address at MLK Community Unity Dinner
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Religious Studies Professor to Deliver Keynote Address at MLK Community Unity Dinner

January 11, 2024

Blaire Morseau, Assistant Professor in MSU’s Department of Religious Studies and an inaugural 1855 Professor, is the keynote speaker for the 44th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Unity…

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Read more about the article 1855 Professor: Researching and Teaching Native American Environmental Ethics
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1855 Professor: Researching and Teaching Native American Environmental Ethics

November 17, 2023

Elan Pochedley, Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State University, focuses much of his research and teaching on understanding the sustainable stewardship that Native Americans have…

Continue Reading1855 Professor: Researching and Teaching Native American Environmental Ethics