In the classroom, she works closely with students to explore urban geographies and ecologies in addition to Arctic and Russian regions of the world. She has been closely involved with student research on refugee communities in Utica, NY and with helping students understand Russia and its neighbors in the post-Soviet era. Her primary research interests are in urban and socio-environmental transformations, especially as they relate to the impacts of transformation on local and indigenous communities. A believer in experiential education and research, Jessica seeks student participants who wish to work creatively and collectively in this interdisciplinary course to engage deeply in shared inquiry where knowledge about people and place is not only consumed but is also produced.