Natalie Hunt

Teaching Assistant Professor
303 BioAgEng Building
1390 Eckles Ave
St. Paul, MN 55108
hunt0416@umn.edu
https://experts.umn.edu/en/persons/natalie-d-hunt/publications/
Twitter @Prof_Hunt

Education

  • Ph.D. - Environment & Resources, University of Wisconsin, Madison. 2014.
  • Ph.D. - Forestry, University of Wisconsin, Madison. 2014.
  • M.S. - Water Resources Management, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison. 2007.
  • B.S. - Environmental Sciences (Biosciences Emphasis), University of Iowa. 2004.
Headshot of hunt smiling, standing in front of a wall of ivy.

Areas of Interest

My research interests include an interdisciplinary approach to exploring sustainability of conventional and alternative cropping systems. Specifically, I am interested in modeling the life cycle impacts of diversified, integrated, and cover cropping systems on air, soil, and water quality. I am also interested in the fossil energy efficiency, human health damages, and climate change impacts of these systems.

My teaching interests include sustainability, agriculture, food systems, life cycle analysis, and natural resources consumption. In my classes, I explore the social, economic, and environmental facets of sustainability and encourage students to apply quantitative reasoning when looking at sustainability challenges. I also emphasize systems thinking and looking at sustainability challenges through a stakeholder lens. 

Select Publications

  • Meehan, T.D., C. Gratton, E. Diehl, Hunt, N.D., D.F. Mooney, S.J. Ventura, B.L. Barham, R.D. Jackson. (2013) “Ecosystem service tradeoffs associated with switching from annual to perennial energy crops in riparian zones of the US Midwest” PLoS ONE 8(11): e80093. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080093
  • Prokopy, L.S., Gramig, B.M., Bower, A. et al. The urgency of transforming the Midwestern U.S. landscape into more than corn and soybean. Agric Hum Values 37, 537–539 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-020-10077-x

  • Hunt, N.D.; Liebman, M.; Thakrar, S.K.; Hill, J.D. Fossil Energy Use, Climate Change Impacts, and Air Quality-Related Human Health Damages of Conventional and Diversified Cropping Systems in Iowa, USA. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2020. https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b06929

  • Hill, J.; Goodkind, A.; Tessum, C.; Thakrar, S.; Tilman, D.; Polasky, S.; Smith, T.; Hunt, N.; Mullins, K.; Clark, M.; Marshall, J. Air-Quality-Related Health Damages of Maize. Nat. Sustain 2019, 2 (May), 397−403.

  • Hunt, N.D.; Hill, J.D.; Liebman, M. Cropping System Diversity Effects on Nutrient Discharge, Soil Erosion, and Agronomic Performance. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2019, 53 (3), 1344−1352.

  • Hunt, N.D.; Hill, J.D.; Liebman, M. Reducing Freshwater Toxicity While Maintaining Weed Control, Profits, And Productivity: Effects of Increased Crop Rotation Diversity and Reduced Herbicide Usage. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2017, 51 (3), 1707−1717.

External Affiliations

  • Iowa State University Marsden Farm
  • National Collaborative for Research on Food, Energy, and Water Education