Rate My Professor Marc Stern

Marc J. Stern is a Professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech, part of the College of Natural Resources and Environment. He earned a B.S. from Cornell University in 1998, an M.S. from Yale University in 2002, and a Ph.D. from Yale University in 2006. Stern's research focuses on the human dimensions of natural resource policy and management, environmental communications, protected areas management, international conservation, natural resource management effectiveness, attitudes versus actions in environmental contexts, public responses to natural resource management, and evaluation of environmental education and outreach programs. His scholarship addresses human behavior in sustainability arenas, including environmental education and communication, natural resource planning and management, conflict and collaboration, and international conservation and development.

Stern has made significant contributions through his publications, including the book Social Science Theory for Environmental Sustainability: A Practical Guide, published by Oxford University Press in 2018. Other key works include Trust ecology and the resilience of natural resource management institutions (Ecology and Society, 2015, with T.D. Baird), Taking stock of interpretation research: Where have we been and where are we heading? (Journal of Interpretation Research, 2021, with R.B. Powell), and Opening learning spaces to create actionable knowledge for conservation (Conservation Science and Practice, 2021, with D.D. Briske and A.M. Meadow). His research has garnered over 7,000 citations. Stern teaches undergraduate courses in environmental education, interpretation, and sustainability, as well as graduate-level social science research methods. In 2025, he was named a Fellow of the National Association for Interpretation, the organization's highest honor, recognizing his distinguished record in research, leadership, and service, particularly in interpretive planning, program design, and visitor engagement.