Stephen Mainzer

Stephen Mainzer is a social scientist and designer who seeks to recenter place in U.S. democracy by exploring how coupled environmental and political sentiments shape, and are shaped, by people’s sense of place. His research focuses on how where we live affects our identity, thoughts, and actions toward our environment. In support of Penn State’s land grant mission, much of his work is centered in Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Mainzer teaches introductory studio design courses with a focus on process, culture, and communication. He encourages nascent designers to learn by doing, practice co-regulation of studio environment norms, and to work toward self-regulation of independent inquiry as they enter Penn State's rigorous, nationally leading program.

His research and teaching build upon a unique dual-title Ph.D. experience, six years of professional practice, and by collaborating with colleagues in allied fields.

• 2017 Ph.D., dual title – Architecture & Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Environment. The Pennsylvania State University
• 2011 M.S. in Landscape Architecture. The Pennsylvania State University
• 2005 B.L.A., The Pennsylvania State University

• LARCH 115: Introductory Design Studio I
• LARCH 155: Skills Lab I: Hand & Digital Graphics
• LARCH 414: Design and Theory V: Advanced Landscape Architectural Design (Climate Change Studio, Rivertown Resiliency Studio, Remote Design "Pursuit Phase" Studio, and Restitching Political Polarization Studio)
• LARCH 424: Design Theory Seminar: Threats to Democracy, Humans & the Environment

Selected Grants & Fellowships

• Mainzer, S., Dilliard, J., Cole, C. A. (2024) "A Collective Identity Approach to Addressing Water Quality in the Chesapeake Watershed Regions of Pennsylvania," Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center, supported by the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) via the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
• Mainzer, S., (2023). "Whose Water Quality? Establishing a Baseline of Collective Identity and Experimental Messaging in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.," Social Science Research Institute Faculty Fellowship.
• Mainzer, S., Pakhtigian, E.L., (2021). "College of Arts & Architecture Sustainability Research Team," College of Arts & Architecture & Penn State Sustainability.
• Mainzer, S., (2019). "Socio-Ecological Structure of Pro-environmental Governance in Pennsylvania Counties," College of Arts & Architecture & President’s Fund for Research Undergraduate Education.
• Mainzer, S. (Principal Investigator), Pakhtigian, E. (Co-Principal Investigator), "Sustainability Research Team Grant," College of Arts & Architecture & Sustainability Institute.
• Mainzer, S. (Principal Investigator), Andrews, L. (Co-Principal Investigator), Jasani, S. (Co-Principal Investigator), Brown, J. (Co-Principal Investigator), "Finding Common Space: Reconciling One Health Socio-environmental Factors in Pennsylvania," Institute for Energy and the Environment.
• Mainzer, S. P. (Co-Principal Investigator), Flohr, T. (Co-Principal Investigator), "Pennsylvania’s Solar Future: Comparing Potential between Urban and Rural Areas," Living Labs (Lightsource BP w/ Sustainability Institute).
• Mainzer, S. P. (Principal Investigator), "Socio-Ecological Structure of Pro-environmental Governance in Pennsylvania Counties," College of Arts & Architecture, The Pennsylvania State University.
• Mainzer, S. (Co-Principal Investigator), Cole, C. A. (Co-Principal Investigator), "Deep Decarbonization and Renewable Energy in Appalachia (DDREAM)," College of Arts & Architecture.
• Mainzer, S. (Principal Investigator), "Research Incentive Grant," Center for Human Ecology.
• Mainzer, S. (Principal Investigator), "Transdisciplinary Action Research Design Studio (TARDes) for Climate Change Intervention.," The Center for Pedagogy in Arts and Design Discovery Grant.

Awards for Scholarship, Research, or Creative Activities

• Architecture Research Centers Consortium Dissertation Award (2018).
• Council of Graduate Schools/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award Finalist (2018).
• Best Student Paper Award, Environmental Design and Research Association (2017).
• University & College Distinguished Doctoral Scholar, The Pennsylvania State University. (2017).
• University Olmsted Scholar, Landscape Architecture Foundation (2011).
• Creative Achievement Award, College of Arts & Architecture. (2011).
• Student Honor Award, American Society of Landscape Architects. (2011).

Selected Publications

*denotes work published with graduate students

• Mainzer, S. (under review). The Threat to Place & Democracy: addressing progress toward sustainable development goals in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
• Mainzer, S., Dillard, J., & Cole C. A. (2024). Collective Identity: Making the case for a stage model approach to addressing water quality in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Environmental Management.
• Mainzer, S., & Pakhtigian, E. L. (2024). Blue and red tides in the Chesapeake Bay watershed: Examining political and environmental framings of collective action during the 2016 and 2020 elections. Public Library of Science One, 19(6).
• Boon, O*., Mainzer, S., Andrews, L., Stempel, P., & Mainzer, K.* (2024). Interviews with researchers and practitioners who collaborate with Indigenous groups in the United States: Are climate change adaptation frameworks helpful?. Socio-Ecological Practice Research.
• Traub, J*. & Mainzer, S. (2023). Holistic Wellness in Elementary Schoolyard Environments: An Analysis of Performance Factors in Post-2000s Literature. Children, Youth, and Environments. 33(2), 108-129.
• Cui, Z*., Dillard, J., Pinto, High, A., De La Criz, J.J*., Mainzer, S., & Cole, C. A. (2022). Media Contributions to a Chesapeake Bay Watershed Collective Identity: A Tale of Three Cities. Environmental Management 70(5), 855-868.
• Mainzer, S. (2021). The socio-spatial fractures of place, politics, and race from the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. EDRA 52: Just Environments, Environmental Design Research Association, Detroit, MI.
• Mainzer, S., Cole, C. A., & Flohr, T. (2019). Deep decarbonization and renewable energy in the Appalachian Mountains (DDREAM): a socio-ecological systems approach to evaluating ecological governance. Socio-Ecological Practice Research. 1(3), 249-263.
• Mainzer, S., & Luloff, A.E. (2017). Informing environmental problems through field analysis: Toward a community landscape theory of pro-environmental behavior. Community Development 48(4), 483-498.
• Mainzer, S. (2016). Towards a Transdisciplinary Action Research Design Studio: Adapting a Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Education Structure. EDRA 47: Shifting Ground, Environmental Design Research Association, Raleigh, NC.

Invited Talks

• Mainzer, S. (2021). "Toward a comprehensive approach to social & ecological divides in the environment," Southern Illinois University Research Design Lecture Series.

Selected Conference Presentations

• Mainzer, S., & Pakhtigian, E. L. (2023). "Blue and Red Tides in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Evidence of a politicalenvironmental-health framing from the 2016 and 2020 elections". Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX.
• Mainzer, S., & Pakhtigian, E. L. (2022). "Framing Political-Environment Dynamics of Coupled Human Health and Social Equity in The Chesapeake Bay Watershed". Environmental Design Research Association, Greenville, SC.
• Mainzer, S. (2021). "Finding Value in Undergraduate Research Assistants from Design Majors: Examples from Landscape Architecture," Rethinking Undergraduate Research in the Humanities, Humanities Institute, University Park, PA.
• Mainzer, S., & Flohr, T. L. (2021). "The Urban-Rural Battleground: statewide socio-ecological system drivers of voting in Pennsylvania.," Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture Annual Conference, Louisville, KY.
  
• Mainzer, S. (2020). "Voting for the environment: coupled dynamics of political sentiment and biophysical environments," Architectural Research Centers Consortium, Virtual Conference.
• Mainzer, S., Mainzer, K. R., & Chomyn, A**. (2019). "Assessing the state of landscape, community, and behavior inquiry in landscape architecture practice.," Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture Annual Conference, Sacramento, CA.
• Cole, C. A., Mainzer, K., & Mainzer, S. (2018). "E+D: Ecology and Design - Improving the ecological function of the designed world.," Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture Conference, Blacksburg, VA.
• Mainzer, S., & Mainzer, K. (2018). "Team-teaching strategies and effectiveness in design pedagogy: a pilot study.," Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture Annual Conference, Blacksburg, VA.
• Mainzer, S. (2016). "Community and landscape driven pro-environmental behavior: preliminary findings of household energy consumption in two rural towns.," Psychology of Architecture Conference, University of Texas at Austin, College of Liberal Arts, Austin, TX.

2008

• Potomac Yard Neighborhood, Alexandira, VA. LandDesign, Inc.
• The Alexan at Carlyle, Alexandria, VA. LandDesign, Inc.
• The Groveton, Owning Mills, MD. LandDesign, Inc.

2006

• Long Bridge Park, Arlington County, VA. Hargreaves Associates.

• Council on Undergraduate Research. Arts & Humanities Representative, elected. (2022-2025).
• Environmental Design and Research Association. (2017-Present).
• Olmsted Scholar Network, Landscape Architecture Foundation. (2011-Present).

• Landscape Politics Lab