Educator honored with Emerging Scholar Award for impactful research
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Dr. Daniel Macfarlane, associate professor of environmental and sustainability studies at Western Michigan University, is being celebrated for his impactful teaching and research that span multiple disciplines and hold great promise for future contributions.
Macfarlane will receive the Emerging Scholar Award during the Fall Awards Celebration on Friday, Oct. 11.
“Dr. Macfarlane is an exceptional scholar whose research in environmental history and Great Lakes studies has greatly enhanced our understanding of this vital region," says Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "His work extends beyond academia, shaping public policy and environmental diplomacy. Dr. Macfarlane's interdisciplinary approach and leadership make him a deserving recipient of this award, as he elevates academic discourse and deepens public insight into environmental issues."
Joining WMU's faculty in 2014, Macfarlane earned his Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa. His research focuses on environmental history, political ecology and historical geography, with particular emphasis on the Great Lakes, energy, hydraulic engineering, climate change, sustainability and technology issues in American and Canadian waterways.
Dr. Benjamin Ofori-Amoah, director of WMU’s School of Environment, Geography and Sustainability, praised Macfarlane as “one of the leading scholars of Great Lakes history and environmental studies.” He notes his groundbreaking work that positions him as “the leading historian of U.S.-Canada environmental/energy diplomacy, demonstrating that this bilateral relationship is the world's most consequential in terms of environment and energy factors.”
Macfarlane’s work on Niagara Falls has been featured in National Geographic and numerous national media outlets. He has been invited to provide public testimony on Canadian water policymaking, including controversial governmental laws and diplomacy. Since 2015, he has twice served as an expert witness and researcher for Canadian court cases concerning the impacts of hydropower projects on Indigenous communities.
Macfarlane has published six books, 19 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals and 19 additional book chapters. He has been awarded the College of Arts and Sciences Discovery and Dissemination Award three times, the Support for Faculty Scholars Award three times and the WMU Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award. Additionally, he has received the Award to Scholarly Publishing Program six times, each worth $8,000.
“His service to the profession and to the University has been exemplary. From organizing international conferences to editing digital publications, such as NICHE’s outreach series, to serving on numerous professional and University committees and offering dozens of invited lectures, he is a generous and thoughtful colleague,” says Dr. Nancy Langston from Michigan Technological University.
At the Fall Awards Celebration, Macfarlane will be honored alongside recipients of other prestigious campuswide awards: Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Distinguished Service, Distinguished Teaching, Excellence in Diversity and annual Make a Difference awards. The event begins at 11 a.m. in Kirsch Auditorium of the Fetzer Center.
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