Home | Alex Kudryavtsev

Alex Kudryavtsev (Alex Russ)

Research Associate

Cornell University

I am an environmental education researcher in the Civic Ecology Lab at Cornell University. I explore urban environmental education and social outcomes of urban agriculture education. I also develop and conduct research on online courses for professional development of environmental educators. CV (PDF file)

I believe that through environmental education we can empower urban residents to influence processes that shape our environment, such as environmental governance, resilient social-ecological systems, and civic participation.

Outside research and teaching, I am a traveler (all 7 continents, 50 US states, and 38 countries so far), vegan, reader, and lover of national parks.

Current projects

Urban Agriculture Education & Civic Participation

Currently, I am exploring how urban agriculture in New York City – in community gardens, farms, schools, botanical gardens, and parks – encourage youth to become civically engaged environmental citizens Co-PIs: Kudryavtsev, and Krasny; Sponsored by USDA NIFA. Read more.

Green Cities online course

Each summer, I teach the Green Cities online course for the Cornell University School of Continuing Education. I always look for new materials to improve this course, including relevant theoretical frameworks and case studies. In 2020, my TAs and I have successfully converted this in-person course to an online course. See the syllabus (PDF file).

E-STEM Education

My colleagues and I have recently designed a new online course "E-STEM Education" for teachers and educators who want to help youth become scientifically literate, environmental citizens. Participants learn how to integrate environmental ideas into STEM classes (e.g., biology and earth science), and how to make science part of environmental education programs. We also discuss inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, and other active learning pedagogies.

Online Professional Development of Environmental Educators

Along with my colleagues, I am investigating how social norm messages and study group discussions in online courses influence practice of environmental educators. Co-PIs: Krasny, Kizilcec, Li, and Kudryavtsev; Sponsored by Cornell China Center.

Selected articles

DuBois, B., Krasny, M., and Russ, A. (2019). Online professional development for environmental educators: Strategies to foster critical thinking and social interactions. Environmental Education Research, 25(10), 1479-1494. doi: 10.1080/13504622.2018.1564247 PDF
Russ, A., Peters, S.J., Krasny, M.E., and Stedman, R.C. (2015). Development of ecological place meaning in New York City. Journal of Environmental Education, 46(2), 73–93. doi: 10.1080/00958964.2014.999743 PDF
Krasny, M.E., Kalbacker, L., Stedman, R.C., and Russ, A. (2015). Measuring social capital among youth: Applications in environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 21(1): 1-23. 10.1080/13504622.2013.843647 PDF
Kudryavtsev, A., Krasny, M., and Stedman, R. (2012). The impact of environmental education on sense of place among urban youth. Ecosphere, 3(4):29. doi: 10.1890/ES11-00318.1 PDF, Survey
Kudryavtsev, A., Stedman, R., and Krasny, M. (2011). Sense of place in environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 18(2), 229–250. doi: 10.1080/13504622.2011.609615 PDF