A UW professor contributes to Wyoming’s community by co-leading Youth Vision for 2030 competition.
Dr Matthew Henry assisted with Youth Vision 2030, a contest that asked Wyoming’s youth ages 1-18 to tell the story of their future. It was a contest that asked them what the year 2030 would look like given current Wyoming challenges.
Henry said that Wyoming has a lot of resilient people who, despite all odds, support each other. It inspires me daily to be present and do my best for the community and the students.
The goal was to give youth a voice to discuss the future of the state and to better understand how rural communities are resilient to change.
Henry is also involved, outside of the competition, in Circular Wyoming. This energy economy project in Sheridan seeks innovative ways to reduce energy wastage.
Recycled equipment and solar panels that have been used up are made into art and other useful products. This is Wyoming’s way of thinking about what it can do when it transitions towards a new energy economy with solar emergence.
Henry was initially drawn to Wyoming by energy transitions research. In 2019, he joined the UW community as part of a three-way joint appointment with the HAUB School of Environment & Natural Resources, School of Energy Resources, Department of English and the School of Energy Resources.
Henry explained that I was initially hired to teach one semester of classes, then do research on energy transition issues in Wyoming and environmental justice. Consider the human and cultural aspects of transitioning from carbon-intensive to renewable energy.
Henry stated that his research contributed to his most recent work on water environmental justice. It will be published in the fall.
Henry explained that the concept focuses on how artists and arts support water environmental justice movements, such as those in Flint Michigan or Indigenous communities in Western U.S.
Henry’s background is English but he pursued a Ph.D. from Arizona State University to rekindle his passion for environmental studies.
Henry said that there was a lot interdisciplinary collaboration. This meant that, even though my Ph.D. was technically in English, I still use these literary, cultural analysis and critical skills to solve problems outside of the field.
Henry said that the HAUB School of Energy Resources (and subsequently the Honors College) has given him a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary education reflective of his mixed educational background.
Henry stated, “Being an educator means finding ways that students can be supported in a tailored way.” It gives me the feeling that I am making an impact on the world beyond the research I do.
Henry is now the Honors College Assistant Instructional Professor, teaching classes not attributed to the West about social justice or environmental studies.
Henry stated that Henry wanted to answer questions about how humans interact and how their environment shapes their identity. It was a natural combination of caring for equity, equality and fighting against systemic oppression that led to the social justice side.
