Our Team

Personal Summary

Peter McDonough directs UM's Climate Change Studies program and teaches within the Davidson Honors College and Franke Global Leadership Initiative. He began teaching as an education volunteer with the Peace Corps in Tanzania, where he lived and taught high school for three years. Service brought to light the global and human reality of environmental crises and the challenge of energy development. Peter has since worked primarily in climate change education, introducing courses on energy, climate solutions, human health, biomimicry, and more to UM students. Outside of school, he can be found drumming with local music groups and wandering the Missoula trails. Peter holds a BS in Physics from the University of Puget Sound, a MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford, and a MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana. He identifies as a dog person.

Boldest thing you've done

I took a class about musicals my first semester of college. One of our major assignments was to attend a local musical production and write a critique based on everything we'd learned in class. I couldn't make it to any shows before the paper was due, so the professor allowed me to attend the debut of his own musical and write a critique on that. I wrote a negative review. He taught me the word "chutzpah."

Most important book you've read

Modoc

One piece of advice

When in doubt, use the bathroom.

Education

BS Physics - University of Puget Sound

MS Civil and Environmental Engineering: Atmosphere and Energy - Stanford University

MS Environmental Studies - University of Montana

Courses Taught

CCS 103X Intro to Climate Change: Science, Society, and Solutions

CCS 395 Climate Solutions

CCS 391 Energy and Climate

CCS 495 Human Health and Climate Change

CCS 395 Climate Change Practicum

CCS 398 Climate Change Internship

GLBD 194 Energy Conflict

GLBD 499 GLI Capstone Development

AHHS 491/591 Planetary Health (Virtual Exchange)

HONR 391 Biomimicry

HONR 394 Soil-to-Soil: Food and Climate

HONR 121 Ways of Knowing

Teaching Experience

Luhunga Secondary School (2008-2011)

The Praire School (2012)

Stanford Pre-Collegiate Institute (2012-2013)

University of Montana (2013-Present)

Affiliations

Davidson Honors College

Franke Global Leadership Initiative

International Experience

Peace Corps, Tanzania (2008-2011)

Graduate Research, Nepal (2015)