Doug Graber Neufeld

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At EMU, Doug works primarily with the Environmental Sustainability program at EMU, with a concentration in issues that relate to environmental monitoring and toxicology. He coteaches the first year "Organismal Biology" course, along with a variety of courses related to environmental issues (such as Environmental Risk and Policy, Environmental Ethics, Natural History of the Shenandoah Valley). He has a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in environmental physiology, and worked at the University of Arizona and the University of Otago (New Zealand) before coming to EMU. He served a two year term with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Cambodia, were he worked on environmental issues through the Royal University of Agriculture and the Royal University of Phnom Penh. More recently, he served another two year term with MCC, as water & livelihoods advisor in Kenya, splitting his time between WaSH (water, sanitation and hygiene) programs in informal settlements (“slums”) of Nairobi, and water provision and conservation agriculture projects in ASAL (arid and semi-arid lands) regions of eastern Kenya. For 6 years, Doug was Director of the Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions (now the Anabaptist Climate Collaborative). Doug lives in Harrisonburg with his wife, Cristina, and two sons, Alex and Evan. They enjoy many outdoors activities, and take as many opportunities as possible to go camping and traveling.

Doug’s research at EMU is in collaboration with students and includes projects:
- Water monitoring assessing stream health in local watersheds, and the effects of stream restoration
- Using environmental DNA to assess salamander poplutions
- Surveying attitudes and practices of climate change within Anabaptist communities 
- Assessing the effectiveness of sand dams in semi-arid regions of Kenya
- Assessing pesticides in market vegetables using a novel combination of techniques

(last 10 years)

1. Vogt, A., Graber Neufeld, D., Morillo, J., Ncube, S., Sasongko, N., Schrock, J.  2022. Practical Steps for Creation Care from the Global Church Final Description.  Mennonite World Conference Assembly, virtual, July 5-10, 2022.

2. Graber Neufeld, D., Vogt, A., Morillo, J., Ncube, S., Sasongko, N., Schrock, J.  2022. Creation Care and MWC: Responding as a Global Church.  Mennonite World Conference Assembly, virtual, July 5-10, 2022.

3. Graber Neufeld, D. 2022. Engaging the church on climate change.  School for Leadership Training, Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Jan 11-13, 2022.

4. Graber Neufeld, D.  2020.  A Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts: Creating Synergy through a Network of Small Colleges. Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education, Online. Oct 20-22, 2020.  

5. Graber Neufeld, D.  2019.  Climate change attitudes and practices of students: A comparison among Mennonite colleges. American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education Annual Meeting, Spokane, WA. Oct 28-30, 2019.  

6. Graber Neufeld, D.  2019.  Climate change attitudes and practices of students: A comparison among Mennonite colleges. American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education Annual Meeting, Spokane, WA. Oct 28-30, 2019.  

7. Graber Neufeld, D. 2017. Promoting New Solutions to Water Crises in a Changing Kenya. Suter Science Seminar. Sept 20, 2017.

8. Yoder, J., D. Graber Neufeld, J. Doherty, B. Wagner. 2017.  Stream Restoration, Monitoring and Community Engagement to Increase Watershed Health.  Mid-Atlantic Stream Restoration Conference,  Baltimore, MD. Sept 21-22, 2017. 

9. B. Yoder, J. Parker, D. Graber Neufeld, J. Yoder. An integrated ecological and water quality assessment in the headwaters of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River. Annual Meeting Virginia Academy of Sciences. James Madison University, May 22, 2015

10. H. Daley, J. Sachs, T. Kishbaugh, D. Graber Neufeld. 2015. A baseline water monitoring program in response to potential hydrofracking. Annual Meeting Virginia Academy of Sciences. James Madison University, May 22, 2015

11. Graber Neufeld, D. 2014. “Arsenic in Water and Pesticides in Food: How Does Science Help Us Decide when Toxins are a Problem?” Silliman Lecture Series, invited speaker, Bridgewater College. Mar 21, 2014.

12. Cessna, S., Graber Neufeld, D. 2013. Developing a Comprehensive Undergraduate Research Program and Integrating Undergraduate Research into the Curriculum. Pre-ISSOTL Conference Council on Undergraduate Research Symposium. Raliegh, N.C. Oct 2, 2013.

13. Graber Neufeld, D. 2013. Mini-workshop leader. Applying a versatile rubric for authentic research assignments: An easier and more reliable way to give feedback to students? 34th Association for Biology Laboratory Education; Calgary, Alberta, Canada. June 26-28, 2013.

(past 5 years)

2021. Earth Day Sermon - Job and Creation Care. University Mennonite Church, State College, PA

2021. "Right and Wrong in a Warming World."  Living U Online Course. Feb 25, 2020.  

2020.  "Climate Change Anxiety: Breathing in a World in Crisis", Bowen Center Professional Lecture Online. Dec 17, 2020.  (youtube video)

2020. “Healthy Planet, Healthy People - Finding Hope when Creation Groans”, Mennonite Central Committee Earth Day Chapel presentation.

2018. "Caring for God's creation: The challenge of climate change", Elder Exchange program, Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community

2018.  Tabor College Homecoming, Invited Speaker Promoting New Solutions to Water Crises in a Changing Kenya

2018  Hesston College, Convocation Speaker  Faithfully responding to climate change: Solutions to water and agriculture challenges in East Africa

2018. Graber Neufeld, D. Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship, Workshop Leader: “More with Less: Sustainability from a Mennonite Perspective”, Bluffton, OH. June 22-24, 2018.

2018. Graber Neufeld, D. State of Appalachia Conference. Workshop Leader: “More with Less: Sustainability from a Mennonite Perspective”, Pipestem, WV. Mar 23-24, 2018.

2016 Workshop leader: Improving learning of science by engaging students in WaSH projects: Feb. 27, 2016, Nairobi, Kenya

2022- present Anabaptist Disaster Conference planning committee
2021-2023 C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest committee
2021-2023 Global Anabaptist Peacebuilding Conference planning committee
2021 MCC Virginia Reference Committee
2022 Judge, Envirothon, Virginia state competition
2020-present Chair, Creation Care Task Force, Mennonite World Conference
2018-2019 Referee, Natural Sciences Education
2017-present Member, Green Congregation Committee, Community Mennonite Church
2015-2017 Service Worker, Mennonite Central Committee, Kenya
2015-2021 Referee, Urban Water Journal, and Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.
2008-present Referee, manuscripts for Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
2005-2007 Service Worker, Mennonite Central Committee, Cambodia
2004-2005 Member, Science Advisory Council, Eastern Mennonite High School
2002-2005 Member of South River Science Team, a group of approximately 20 professionals of academic, government, industry and grassroot organizations monitoring mercury contamination in the South River watershed.

(last 10 years)

2020-21 Caring for Creation Curriculum. Schowalter Foundation, $5,600. Funded for CSCS, authored w/ Doug Kaufman.

2020-21 Climate Ride Youth Scholarships. JustPax Foundation, $15,000. Funded for CSCS.

2019-20 Development of a Mennonite Creation Care Advocacy Team.  Stoesz Family Foundation, funded for CSCS, $10,000.

2019-20 Leading in Creation Care: A Planning Workshop for Sustainability on Mennonite Campuses.  Marpeck Foundation, Funded for CSCS, authored w/ Jonathon Schramm, Goshen College, $10,000. 

2018-19 Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Citizen Monitoring Grant.  Funded w/ Jim Yoder, $3,890

2014-16 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund Implementation Grant: “Changing Agricultural Impacts on Shenandoah Headwaters” Funded w/ Jim Yoder, $200,000

2014-15 EMU Research Release Time, Potential Impacts of Greenway Development, Hydrofracking, and Climate Change on Local Water Quality, 6 credit load hours, $500

American Association for the Advancement of Science
Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Association of Biology Laboratory Education
Virginia Academy of Sciences

(past 5 years)

2022 American Climate Leadership Summit.  virtual.  March 28-31, 2022.

2021 Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education. virtual.  October 12-14, 2021.

2020. American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education, virtual. Oct 20-22, 2020.

2019. American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education, Spokane, WA. Oct 28-30, 2019.

2019. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Washington, D.C.. Feb 15-17, 2019.

2018. Graber Neufeld, D. Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship, Bluffton, OH. June 22-24, 2018.

2018 State of Appalachia Conference. Pipestem, WV. Mar 23-24, 2018.

2018. “A Sustained Process Toward Achieving Good Health, Globally: Infusing the Culture of Science Communication and Public Engagement”. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Washington, D.C.. Feb 14-18, 2018.

2017. NFWF Regional Agricultural Networking Forum. Martinsburg, WV, 2 November 2017.

2017. Mid-Atlantic Stream Restoration Conference. Baltimore, Maryland, 10-22 September 2017.

2017. ECHO East Africa Symposium, Conservation Agriculture. Arusha, Tanzania, 6-10 February 2017.

(since 2018)

Environmental Monitoring Techniques (fall 2022)

Science Professions Seminar (spring 2022)

Organismal Biology (spring 2021)

Environmental Risk and Policy (spring 2019)

Environmental Ethics (spring 2019)

Senior Seminar: Peace Plates (spring 2019)

(for 2022-23)
Director, Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions
Oregon Extension Academic Governance Committee
Creation Care Council