Leadership
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Matthew Brownlee, PhD
Director and Principal Investigator Matt Brownlee is an Associate Professor of Parks and Conservation Area Management at Clemson University. He is a faculty member in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management and a Research Fellow at the Clemson University Institute for Parks. Dr. Brownlee’s inter-disciplinary research links outdoor recreation, park planning, and resource management. His applied research provides information to help park and protected area professionals manage visitor experiences while evaluating the reciprocal linkages in complex social-ecological systems (SES). Within parks and the SES context, Dr. Brownlee examines numerous phenomena, including a) park visitor behavior and thresholds of use, b) people’s interactions with and attachments to climate-sensitive and climate-impacted environments, and c) SES dynamics. Dr. Brownlee specializes in research design and analytical methods, specifically related to applied social science research in parks and protected areas. He often uses methods that transcend traditional concentration areas and degrees, including advanced quantitative modeling, experience sampling, social network analysis, cognitive mapping, GPS tracking, GIS applications, and participant employed photography. Dr. Brownlee maintains expertise in Structural Equation Modeling and advanced quantitative methods used in applied research. His research generally incorporates student learning and addresses a pertinent management need in addition to unanswered academic questions. |
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Jeffrey Hallo, PhD
Director and Principal Investigator Jeff Hallo is a Professor, the honors director, and the Graduate Coordinator in Clemson University’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. His research and teaching are focused on understanding, planning for, and managing visitor use in parks, forests, and other protected areas. He has authored or coauthored over 65 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, books, or book chapters on these topics. His work has specifically focused on empirical studies of visitor use management; park visitors/tourists; potential park visitors/tourists and stakeholders; natural, historical, and culturally-based recreation; carrying capacity studies; sustainable transportation planning; scenic driving/ORV recreation; and modeling of recreational use patterns. Jeff’s completed and ongoing projects have occurred at places such as the Cumberland Island National Seashore, Pinnacles National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Acadia National Park, Congaree National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Petra Archeological Park (Jordan), Kenai Fjords National Park, Denali National Park, the USDA Forest Service’s Buck Hall Recreation Area and Sumter National Forest, three Tennessee State Parks, and the Maasai Mara National Reserve (Kenya). Jeff's hobbies include experiencing parks and the natural world with his family. |
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Research Team
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Benjamin Fowler
Project Coordinator and Graduate Research Assistant Benjamin Fowler is a PhD Student in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. Ben obtained his MS in Natural Resources (2019) from the University of Georgia. His research centers on multi-method approaches to understanding human dimensions of natural resource management and outdoor recreation planning within social-ecological systems. In particular, he focuses on water trail systems and development, recreational stewardship, and GIS methods for visitor use management for rivers, parks and other protected areas. Ben builds on his experiences working as the Director of Stewardship for the Georgia Conservancy (501c3) and the Graduate Assistant to the University of Georgia’s Outdoor Recreation Program. Ben’s hobbies include adventuring with his wife and son, paddling and mapping new water trails, camp cooking, being a coffee snob and eating burritos. |
Hsuan Hsieh (Mandy)
Project Coordinator and Graduate Research Assistant
Hsuan Hsieh, also known as Mandy, is a Ph.D. student in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. Originally from Taiwan, she earned her degree in Forestry from National Taiwan University, concentrating on the health benefits of nature, particularly its impact on the cognitive functions of the elderly population. Mandy's research interests revolve around investigating how nature interactions can boost various aspects of health. This study area was inspired by her experiences and previous forest therapy work. As a certified forest therapist in Taiwan, she actively works to bridge the gap between practice and research by participating in forest therapy activities and research. When she's not immersed in her studies, Mandy enjoys leading forest therapy walks, hiking, gardening, and cooking.
Project Coordinator and Graduate Research Assistant
Hsuan Hsieh, also known as Mandy, is a Ph.D. student in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. Originally from Taiwan, she earned her degree in Forestry from National Taiwan University, concentrating on the health benefits of nature, particularly its impact on the cognitive functions of the elderly population. Mandy's research interests revolve around investigating how nature interactions can boost various aspects of health. This study area was inspired by her experiences and previous forest therapy work. As a certified forest therapist in Taiwan, she actively works to bridge the gap between practice and research by participating in forest therapy activities and research. When she's not immersed in her studies, Mandy enjoys leading forest therapy walks, hiking, gardening, and cooking.
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Louis Santiago
Project Coordinator and Graduate Research Assistant Louis Santiago is a M.S. student in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. He is originally from Puerto Rico and most of his work has been focused on invasive species management, reintroduction of endangered species, and designing visitors' learning experiences in protected areas. His research interests include visitor education strategies, visitor use management, sustainable trails, and interpretative planning. Currently, Louis is studying visitors’ and community perceptions of forest use and the level of involvement in management and planning. As a forest therapy guide and Leave No Trace Master Educator, he is passionate about providing experiences that aim to support human well-being and inspire responsible recreation. Louis's hobbies include backpacking and playing Bomba drums, an Afro-Puerto Rican instrument. |
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Innocent Kahigana
Project Coordinator and Graduate Research Assistant Innocent Kahigana is a Ph.D. student in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. He is originally from Rwanda and holds an MS in Sustainable Development from Uppsala University in Sweden. His research and teaching take an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the direct impacts of human-nature interactions within socioeconomic and ecological contexts. He is specifically interested in the profound study of habitat conservation, conservation enterprise, wildlife damage compensation, community livelihood security, conservation governance, and ecorecreation enhancement. Innocent’s experience in human-wildlife interaction, conservation education, and eco-business advisory inspired him to bridge the gap between actionable insight and solution generation for conservation conflicts in and around national parks and other protected areas. His extracurricular activities include undertaking excursions with his family to protected areas and watching documentaries about wildlife and their habitats. |
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Kale Wernsing
Project Coordinator and Graduate Research Assistant Kale Wernsing is a M.S. graduate student in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. Originally from southwestern Wisconsin, they attended Iowa State University for their undergraduate studies, receiving a degree in environmental science with a major in geology. They spent three years working in and with the National Park Service, first in Utah in the interpretation division, then in the southeast region in the resource division, and has cumulatively worked in over 16 different national park units. Kale’s research interests involve the management of people on publics lands; more specifically, they are interested in what people in parks – both those visiting and those working there – are looking for to improve their experiences. In their free time, Kale enjoys running and hiking, reading, discovering new music, and any good cup of tea. |
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Lydia Heisel
Project Coordinator and Graduate Research Assistant Lydia is a M.S. graduate student in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism. She is from Austin, Texas, and has recently graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio majoring in history and environmental studies and minoring in museum studies. She spent two years on the National Parks Conservation Association's Texas Young Leaders Advocacy Council, volunteering and championing national parks. She is excited to continue working with NPCA as a voice for national parks from their Southeast Young Leaders Council. In addition, she has interned at nonprofits for national and city parks and served an AmeriCorps term doing conservation work. Lydia's research interests lie in nonprofit and park relationships, natural and cultural resource relationships, and youth programs in park settings and their potential to benefit visitor retention. In her free time, Lydia enjoys swimming, traveling, reading, cooking, watching movies, and hiking. |
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Robert Martin
Project Coordinator and Undergraduate Research Assistant Robert is a senior pursuing a Dual Degree in Audio Technology and PRTM with an emphasis in Parks, Conservation, and Outdoor Recreation. Originally from Rock Hill, SC, Robert is involved in the Park Solutions Lab as an Undergraduate Research Assistant and has gained invaluable experience working at the Anne Springs Close Greenway and with the Clemson University Virtual Reality and Nature Lab. In the future, Robert is interested in pursuing a role in the outdoor recreation field and improving auditory and hands-on interactive elements within natural education. In his free time, Robert enjoys reading in a coffee shop as well as trail running or mountain biking in the Clemson Experimental Forest! |