KAEE 50th Annual Conference

Dr. Jeanine Huss is a Full Professor of Science and Environmental Education at Western Kentucky University (WKU) where she has taught since 2005. Every semester, her future elementary teachers benefit from a day trip to Mammoth Cave National Park through the Environmental Education department. After receiving a National Parks Foundation Grant with Ranger Cheryl Messenger, Dr. Huss cotaught students at Mammoth Cave on overnight trips three times a semester for four years. These trips were invaluable to her and her students. Because of her close friendship with Cheryl Messenger, she wanted to honor her by serving on the Friends of Mammoth Cave board. Jeanine Huss has served as the Secretary on the Friends of Mammoth Cave Board since 2017 and as a member since 2016. Her love for the environment started at a young age when visiting “Treasure Island”, a sandbar behind her house next to the Oconee River. After earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Secondary Science Education, she taught 7th grade science for four years in Tulsa, Oklahoma where she integrated environmental science into her teaching. She became a trainer for Project WET, WILD, PLT, and GLOBE. She decided to pursue her PhD in Environmental Sciences at Oklahoma State University when her daughter entered Kindergarten. She served on the Oklahoma Association of Environmental Education Board, planning the state conference and winning the Outstanding Environmental Education Student Award. Since moving to Kentucky, she has served on the Kentucky Association of Environmental Education, currently volunteering on the Early Childhood Action Team and the KAEE Advisory Committee. She is a Master Professional Environmental Educator and a Master Naturalist. She is the Co-moderator of the Higher Education eePRO group for the North American Association for Environmental Education. As a site visitor for the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), Dr. Huss helps accredit education departments at universities. She is the mother of two children, Maya and Kai, and a dog, Poppy. Her favorite time of year is her yearly pilgrimage to Cedar Sink (at Mammoth Cave) to visit the ephemeral wildflowers.