Dawn Biehler, assistant professor of geography and environmental systems, was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend for the summer of 2010. As a beneficiary of the award, Biehler received $6,000 to finance two months of full-time research and writing. The goal of the program is to “support individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both.”

This summer, Biehler will continue research on her upcoming book, "Pests and the People: An Environmental History of Animals, Chemicals, and Health in the Home," which she expects will be published in early 2013. This project focuses on “the history of domestic pest control in US cities as a public health issue,” said Biehler.

“I hope this research can provide momentum for advocates trying to reduce pesticide use and empower low-income people to demand and achieve healthy living environments,” Biehler said. She hopes to promote the idea of the home as an ecosystem in which human bodies are deeply embedded.

Biehler’s historical investigations have inspired two other projects focusing on the present day, one studying diseases carried by mosquitoes, and the other addressing the healthy housing movement. In all her projects, Biehler maintains an interest in the roles of “race, class, gender, and urban space” in regards to nature in homes and cities.