Alex Kudryavtsev
Research Associate, Natural Resources and the Environment
My mission – as a researcher and educator – is to contribute to solving social and environmental problems through sustainability education and civic engagement among youth in urban communities, organizations, and schools. I worked in environmental education since 1996, first in a Siberian nonprofit and then in the U.S. and internationally. After finishing my PhD on sense of place and urban environmental education, I taught through the Cornell’s Civic Ecology Lab a number of global online courses for environmental educators. My academic interests focus on environmental and sustainability education, urban agriculture education, green cities, and professional development of environmental educators. I am also the first editor of the Urban Environmental Education Review 30-chapter book (Cornel University Press, 2017). Outside teaching and research, I am a traveler (all 7 continents, 50 US states, and 38 countries so far), lover of national parks, vegan, and avid reader.
Education
- PhD, Cornell University 2013
- MS, Cornell University, 2006
- BS, Tomsk State University, 2001
Recent Research
My research focused mostly on urban environmental education and sense of place. Through current projects, I explore how urban agriculture education influences civic engagement and empowers urban residents to improve cities. (In publications, I use my pen name Alex Russ.)
Selected Publications
- Russ, A., and Gaus, M. (in-review). Youth civic engagement in urban agriculture education: A rapid scoping review. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.
- Russ, A., Armstrong, A., and Krasny, M. (in-review). Urban agriculture in parks: Fostering youths’ civic participation. In: The Transformative Power of Parks. Sagamore Venture Publishing.
- DuBois, B., Krasny, M., and Russ, A. (2019). Online professional development for environmental educators: Strategies to foster critical thinking and social interactions. Environmental Education Research, 25(10), 1479-1494. doi: 10.1080/13504622.2018.1564247
- Russ, A., Peters, S.J., Krasny, M.E., and Stedman, R.C. (2015). Development of ecological place meaning in New York City. Journal of Environmental Education, 46(2), 73–93. doi: 10.1080/00958964.2014.999743
- Krasny, M.E., Kalbacker, L., Stedman, R.C., and Russ, A. (2015). Measuring social capital among youth: Applications in environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 21(1): 1-23. 10.1080/13504622.2013.843647
- Kudryavtsev, A., Krasny, M., and Stedman, R. (2012). The impact of environmental education on sense of place among urban youth. Ecosphere, 3(4):29. doi: 10.1890/ES11-00318.1
- Kudryavtsev, A., Stedman, R., and Krasny, M. (2011). Sense of place in environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 18(2), 229–250. doi: 10.1080/13504622.2011.609615
Awards & Honors
- Educator of the Year, Higher Education. North American Association for Environmental Education, 2018
Courses Taught
Contact Information
Fernow Halll G09
Ithaca, NY 14853
ak383 [at] cornell.edu
Additional Links