Affiliated Faculty
Theresa Burress (tburress@usf.edu), Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, is currently a liaison librarian supporting faculty and students in curricular and research activities, primarily for Honors College, Mathematics & Statistics, and College of Marine Science. Current projects include supporting the #Creekshed digital humanities initiative led by Tom Hallock (English), as well as partnering with John Johnson (Office of Research) and Heather O’Leary (Anthropology) on the SAIL program, a summer experiential research program for undergraduate students.
Thomas Hallock (thallock@usf.edu), professor of English, teaches courses in early American literature and environmental literature, with a particular focus on nature in the city. Hallock's recent publications include A Road Course in Early American Literature: Travel and Teaching from Atzlán to Amherst, and Happy Neighborhood, essays and poems. Along with Theresa Burress and the USF Libraries, he is curating an online map of narratives called #Creekshed, asking "what are the human and natural stories that drain into Tampa Bay?"
Christopher Meindl (cmeindl@usf.edu), Associate Professor of Geography and Director of the Florida Studies Program, teaches the introductory course for Florida Studies graduate students as well as courses in water resources management, Florida springs, and a regional geography course called Florida: Its Land, Water, and People. His is particularly interested in environmental and historical geography. In 2010, he helped lead an effort to issue a revised edition of Nelson M. Blake’s classic book Land into Water, Water into Land: A History of Water Management in Florida, and his 2024 book Florida Springs: From Geography to Politics and Restoration won a gold medal for Florida non-fiction from the Florida Book Awards, and the American Association of Geographers Globe Book Award for Public Understanding of Geography.
Heather O'Leary (oleary@usf.edu), is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of South Florida with 20 years of experience as a global water anthropologist. Dr. O’Leary served on the International Science Council’s Water Task Force and represented Anthropology as a delegate to the UN Water Conference and the World Water Forum. Dr. O’Leary has conducted extensive ethnographic research on water in urban India, as a Wenner-Gren and Fulbright Fellow and on water in coastal Florida through NSF, NOAA, Mote, and GCOOS grants. She co-leads the USF Think Tank, Oceans of Data, USF’s Blue Green Institute, and is the PI and Director of CRESCENDO, a groundbreaking interdisciplinary project transforming crucial water data into music to increase everyday water data literacy through collaborative public engagement. Her work has been published in top-tier transdisciplinary and anthropological journals and featured on All Things Considered and CBC Radio.
Catherine Wilkins (cjwilkins@usf.edu), Associate Dean for the Judy Genshaft Honors College at USF St. Pete and Professor of Instruction. Dr. Wilkins has a Ph.D. in Cultural History from Tulane University. A native Floridian, her work at USF has focused on community-engaged high-impact practices that mobilize students to have an impact on our local environment. Signature projects include collaborations with the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum and Heritage Village, in which students prepare historical resources for the impact of climate change, sea-level rise, and natural disaster. With students, Dr. Wilkins creates physical and digital museum exhibits and archives, and conducts research on contemporary issues via methods such as oral history collection and photo voice. She is also a faculty contributor to Honoring the Ocean, a collaboration between Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO), JGHC, and five other Honors colleges in the State University System. A mini-course provides underrepresented interdisciplinary students with exploration of Blue Humanities, then travel aboard FIO research vessel.