Mrill Ingram

Dedicated to fostering an informed and equitable civic culture, inclusive of humans and other beings. Team

player. Expertise in environmental art, community restoration, art-science collaboration, sustainable agriculture

and food systems, narrative networks, environmental policy, public understanding of science. 

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My current employment is Participatory Action Research scientist with the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute exploring the potential of citizen science in creating more resilient agriculture.  My scholarship has focused on environmental art-science collaboration, alternative farming and food systems, environmental networks, organic agriculture, microbial biopolitics, and social movements. I have a 2013 book coauthored with Raul Lejano and Helen Ingram, The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks from MIT Press. Previous employment includes community restoration consultant for the BT Farms project, a regenerative housing development inspired by emerging trends of cooperative urban farming and centering equity, justice and intergenerational wealth building as foundational principles. I've also worked with the Farley Center for Peace, Justice, and Sustainability supporting immigrant and underserved farmers. I was website editor for The Progressive magazine, curating environmental content for the online media site Upworthy, and editing the journal Ecological Restoration.

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Work 

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Research Scientist, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, Troy, WI & Research Fellow, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, University of Wisconsin-Madison

August 2022-present

Facilitate a state-wide citizen science project with collaborating farmers on cover crop innovations in Wisconsin.  

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Community Wetland Restoration Consultant, BT Farms

September 2022-December 2023

BT Farms is developing a regenerative community plan for approximately 220 acres of farmland, wetlands, and oak savanna in Madison, Wisconsin. Inspired by emerging trends of cooperative urban farming, this intentional community will center equity, justice and intergenerational wealth building as foundational principles.

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Participatory Action Research Scientist, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, University of Wisconsin-Madison

February 2020 - August 2022

Develop and implement the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems' participatory research program by promoting and facilitating responsive, collaborative, and multidisciplinary research in partnership with farmers, their organizations, and students and faculty in CALS and other colleges, specifically on projects related to farming systems and food production.

 

 

The Progressive Magazine, Madison, Wisconsin — Online Media Editor

August 2015 - December 2019

As web editor for The Progressive, I launched a new website, and developed editorial processes for the 100+-year-old political magazine, working with an international network of writers, overseeing the solicitation, editing, and posting of multiple pieces of original content a day. I created a weekly newsletter and other campaigns to build audience, and reported on website performance to the rest of the team. Doubled monthly pageviews and users to over 130K per month. Create weekly newsletter for 20K+ subscribers with Mailchimp. Audience engagement and social media strategy developed based on Google Analytics and industry research. Employed Creative Commons, Photoshop, Canva, Pixlr, basic html, and other programs to create compelling online content. Regularly wrote articles, with a focus on public lands, environmental policy, and activism.

 

Upworthy, Remote — Curator

May 2014 - June 2015

Created and curated scientific and environmental content at a top national online media outlet, garnering over 15 million page views, with a focus on raising environmental awareness and translating complex scientific information to reach broad audiences. Topics included Baja California, ocean pollution, fisheries, dams, climate change, and more.

 

Farley Center for Peace, Justice & Sustainability, Madison, Wisconsin — Associate Director

January 2013 - April 2014

Worked with a multicultural, multilingual team on Gaining Ground, a research and outreach project to support immigrant and socially disadvantaged farmers in Wisconsin. The Farley Center provides land, equipment, training and marketing for aspiring agriculturalists in Dane County.

 

Universities of Wisconsin-Madison & Arizona, Remote — Research Fellow

September 2010 – January 2013

International National Science Foundation project on art-science collaboration, in partnership with geographers in the U.S. and U.K. Created an independent research program on environmental art and new visions for urban green space. My research provided information I later developed into a 2022 book from Temple University Press.

 

Ecological Restoration, University of Wisconsin-Madison — Editor

January 2007 - October 2010

Directed a quarterly, international journal with 30+K subscribers on academic and applied approaches to restoring degraded places and renewing human connections with the environment. Created an Advisory Board, double blind peer review, and efficient production practices to produce special issues on climate change and urban restoration and other high quality content on restoring landscapes, emerging professional concerns, the role of education, land-use policy, the science of collaboration, and more.

 

University of Wisconsin-Madison Environmental Resources Center — Sustainability Scientist

July 2001 - 2007

Created and funded this position via outside grants to focus on agricultural and environmental outreach and research including projects on pesticides in urban landscaping, environmental behavior of farmers, and the environmental needs of new Hispanic and women farmers in Wisconsin.

 

Agroecology Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison — Outreach Specialist

July 2005 - January 2007

Developed outreach and education materials for a new interdisciplinary program.

 

Tucson Southside Food Production Network — Research Associate

Spring 1999 - Summer 2001

Research and workshop organizing for a USDA-funded community food security project focused on building a local food network on the city’s south side.

 

Institute for the Study of Planet Earth, University of Arizona — Research Specialist

January 1995 - June 1997

Research and proposal writing for an interdisciplinary center dedicated to education and research on climate change.

 

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona — Project Coordinator

March 1994 - June 1999

Coordinated multiple projects including the Forgotten Pollinators Campaign, a multimedia effort to convey to diverse audiences, including farmers and policy makers, of the ecological and economic importance of pollinators.  

 

GreenPeace-Mexico, Remote—Research Associate

August 1993 – January 1994

Worked with a research team to produce a report on climate change impacts and vulnerability in Mexico.

 

The Bottle Biology Project, University of Wisconsin-Madison — Associate Editor

February 1992 - July 1993

Worked with the Fast Plants team to produce a widely-used 130-page science and environmental education guidebook, Bottle Biology, for students and teachers. 

 

Earthwatch Magazine, Watertown, Massachusetts — Associate Editor

October 1984 - July 1989

Wrote, solicited, and edited articles for a magazine showcasing scientific field research around the world with the mission of inspiring volunteers to support and participate in research.

 

Freelance Writer, Remote

Fall 1986 - May 1990

Earth Magazine; Sanctuary of Massachusetts Audubon Society, Not Man Apart.

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Professional Service

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Board of Directors (Chair), Arts + Literature Laboratory, Fall 2018 —

Member, Association of American Geographers, Fall 1999 —

Advisory Committee Member, Global Just Transition Project, Institute for Policy Studies, Fall 2021 --

Member, Society for the Social Studies of Science, Fall 1999 – 2004; 2020 —

Reviewer of manuscripts, proposals and books for Agriculture and Human Values, Environment Magazine, Cultural Geographies, Annals for the Association of American Geographers, North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture and Education Program-USDA, Society and Natural Resources, Sustainability, Island Press. Spring 2006 –

Board of Directors, REAP Food Group. (Chair) Madison, WI. July 2010 – July 2016

Organizer, Ferment! A monthly gathering for members of the Madison community interested in sustainable agriculture. Fall 2007 – 2009.

Honorary Fellow, Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, UW-Madison. Spring 2005 – Fall 2006

Member, Midwest Society for Ecological Restoration & Society for Ecological Restoration 2007 – 2010

Member, Agriculture & Human Values Society, Spring 2000 - 2006

Board of Directors, Midwestern Organic Services Association, January 2002 – September 2005

Member, Consortium for Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education, Fall 2001 - Fall 2002

Member, National Association of Science Writers - Associate Member, July 1987 – Fall 1999

 

Education

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Ph.D., Department of Geography, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.  May 2004.  Dissertation title:  Fertile Ground: Geographies of Knowledge about Soil Fertility in the U.S. Alternative Agriculture Movement.

 

M.S., Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Madison, WI, 1991. Thesis title: La Vaca Verde (The Green Cow): The Use of the Agave Plant in Central Highland Ecuador. 

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B.A., English, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, 1984.

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Awards

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AAG 2022 John Brinckeroff Jackson Award for Loving Orphaned Space: the art and science of belonging to Earth. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Performance Bonus for Outstanding Academic Staff, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, UW Madison. 2021. $1,093

Research stipend UW Faculty Development Seminar, 2009. $500

Academic Staff Professional Development Award, 2009. $1,217

USDA-SARE, Outreach for a new Wisconsin Agriculture: A social marketing approach to the environmental management needs of Latino and women farmers. 2007. $129,997

Elizabeth Bird and Mrill Ingram. 2004. $148,000. An Analysis of Environmental Management Approaches with Six Midwestern Dairy Farms. USDA.

Elizabeth Bird, John Stier and Mrill Ingram. 2003. $137,000. “Pest Management Practices by Urban Landscapers in the Lake Monona Watershed: A Social Marketing, USEPA

Mrill Ingram. 2000. $500. Graduate Student Travel Grant, University of Arizona.

Mrill Ingram. 1990 – Spring 1991. Full funding for an academic year. Title VI Foreign Language Area Studies Scholarship.

Mrill Ingram. 1990. $7,800. Tinker-Nave Foundation Grant

 

Languages

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Conversational Spanish

 

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