Lab Director

Michelle McCauley

Michelle McCauley, an Environmental Studies Program Affiliate and Professor of Psychology is the Director of The Conservation Psychology Lab and The Child Memory Lab. In addition to teaching Research Methods, she teaches four applied courses: Environmental Problems and Human Behavior, Environmental Psychology, Positive Leadership and Psychology and Work.  Her research focuses on applying cognitive, social, and developmental theory to applied problems across multiple domains, including the environment and child memory. 

Research Students

Monique Santoso (’21)

Monique is a rising senior, pursuing a major in Conservation Psychology with a minor in Global Health. In her junior year, she was part of the Sustainability Solutions Lab, working on projects that aim to decrease energy consumption in McCardell Bicentennial Hall, as well as implement the environmental study breaks in freshman dorms. Previously, she worked with the lab to study ways of measuring pro-environmental behavior. Over her senior year, she plans to complete a senior thesis with the Conservation Psychology Lab, studying the effects of risk-framing on political engagement in climate change and energy issues. On-campus, she works as a GlobalHealthU Coordinator for GlobeMed and is a Social Entrepreneurship Fellow with the Centre for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship.  

Sachi Howson (‘21.5)

Sachi is a Conservation Psychology major and Japanese language student. During her sophomore and junior year, she was a part of the Sustainability Solutions Lab, designing and helping with initial implementation of pro-environmental programming. She is planning on completing a Conservation Psychology senior thesis studying the relationship between social belonging and pro-environmental behavior across different cultures. On campus, she played for the Middlebury Women’s Soccer team for 3 years, was a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and is currently a tour guide. 

Bella Pucker (‘21.5)

Bella is a third-year Conservation Psychology major. Bella believes that psychological techniques can be used to create a more just and sustainable world. Committed to making change on-campus as well as in the surrounding area, Bella has interned both on-campus (at the Sustainability Solutions Lab) and off-campus (for the Town of Middlebury Energy Committee) on various energy conservation projects. Bella is also a member of the Environmental Studies Student Advisory Council. On campus, Bella is a board member of the College’s Hillel, teaches yoga for students on campus, and enjoys exploring the area surrounding Middlebury in her free time!

Maya Saterson (’22)

Maya is a Conservation Psychology major. During her sophomore year, she joined the team in the Sustainability Solutions Lab to help implement the environmental study breaks in freshman dorms, and in summer 2020, she worked in the conservation psychology lab as a research assistant. She hopes to write a senior thesis applying psychological motivation theories like The Self-Determination Theory to help increase pro-environmental behaviors. On campus, she is a member of the sailing team and a college access mentor.