Faculty at the Center for Northern Studies at Sterling College

Steven B. Young, Ph.D., Harvard University. Founder of The Center for Northern Studies. A naturalist, who has devoted his career to the study of polar regions, Dr. Young's long interest in wildlands education has involved both research and teaching of many northern areas. Dr. Young has participated in many expeditions to the Arctic, Siberia, and Antarctica. In addition, he also contributes a remarkable knowledge of the local Vermont environment. (Winter Ecology, Biology, Quaternary Studies)

		Steven Cox, Ph.D., Harvard University. Archaeological Research Associate, Maine State Museum. Dr. Cox specializes in the prehistory of Maine and the eastern Canadian Arctic. His recent research includes excavation of Paleo-Eskimo structures at Okak Bay, Labrador, and a joint archaeological research project with the Passamaquoddy Indians of Maine. (Indigenous Cultures, Northern Archaeology)

Pavel Cenkl, Ph.D., Northeastern University. Much of Pavel Cenkl’s scholarship explores the intersections between place and culture, particularly as represented in literary and oral traditions. Dr. Cenkl has taught courses in Circumpolar Storytelling, New England Studies, Native American Literature, Environmental Issues, American Literature, and the Literature of Exploration and Adventure. A background in literature and the environment informs Dr. Cenkl’s interdisciplinary approach to the study and teaching of literature from the Northern Forest of New England and regions across the circumpolar North.


Erik Hansen, M.A., University of Minnesota. Coordinator of Education Programs for The Center, Erik's personal and academic background is rooted in Scandinavia. He has lived and studied in Denmark and Norway. Travel and study trips frequently take him to Sweden, Iceland, and Greenland, as well. (Sustainable Scandinavian Systems, Indigenous Cultures, Community Development in the Circumpolar North)

	Perry Thomas, Ph.D., Northern Arizona University. In Vermont, she works with student teams to restore and monitor aquatic ecosystems, including subalpine streams on Mt. Mansfield. As well as contributing to courses in Winter Ecology and Polar Biota at the Center for Northern Studies, Dr. Thomas serves as Dean of the College at Sterling College.