I teach a variety of courses in the Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP) program at St. Edward’s University, many of which include significant hands-on experiential learning activities and field trips, and all of which include an interdisciplinary perspective and introduce students to social-ecological thinking. Classes I teach regularly include: Research in Environmental Science and Policy; Environmental Science; Climate Change Science, Impacts and Responses; Chemistry in the Environment (which includes a social justice mission marker); and Introduction to Sustainability.

I developed a Certificate in Environmental Management for students in the ENSP major or minor who are specifically interested in careers in conservation and land management, and there are two flagship classes for that program which are my favorite courses to teach! One is Texas Ecology, which gives students an training in biogeography, natural history, and taxonomy using Texas as our laboratory and traveling around the state to explore the different ecoregions. The second required course is Natural Resources Conservation and Management, which provides an overview of the history of ecosystem management in this country, the conservation biology tools needed to address conservation issues, and practice with stakeholder engagement and understanding the human dimensions of conservation and land management. We travel to see conservation and restoration in action and hear from speakers who work for a variety of different agencies and organizations in different positions. Students get a sense of how conservation and land management is actually done, what career options are possible, and how they might want to contribute.

Lastly, I studied abroad myself as an undergraduate student in Mexico with the School for Field Studies and it was hugely influential on my career path and perspective, and I am now so grateful to lead study abroad trips as an instructor. I have taught semester and summer courses for SEU in France and Costa Rica, and a field course for Wildlands Studies in Yellowstone National Park. Starting in Winter 2026, I will begin leading the Wildland Studies course in Chile – Patagonia Ecosystems. I spent my sabbatical in Patagonia connecting with land managers and scientists in the region, travel there often, and speak Spanish fluently, and I am excited for this new opportunity to share my love of this special place with undergraduate students!

If you have questions about any of my courses, please email me directly at aconcili@stedwards.edu.