Dr. Hirsch is an applied cultural anthropologist specializing in community sustainability, cultural diversity, experiential education, and network building. She is recognized nationally for fostering grassroots participation in sustainability, climate, and energy action planning and implementation, using a unique combination of methodologies from anthropology, popular education, asset-based community development, participatory facilitation, and museum education. Before joining Georgia Tech, she worked as an independent consultant, focusing on campus sustainability and partnering with nonprofit organizations on community sustainability projects.